Mayor of London Sadiq Khan shifts attention to esports to address youth unemployment

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered an unemployment crisis all over the world, with the health crisis and the subsequent lockdowns impacting the livelihoods of many. The city of London is no different, with the Evening Standard reporting that the unemployment rate has shot up in the city ever since the pandemic started. Now, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has come up with a unique solution to tackle the rising London unemployment rate.

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Sadiq Khan turns to esports to tackle rising youth London unemployment  

In an offbeat solution, media reports revealed that the Mayor of London will use esports as a means of generating employment amongst London’s unemployed youth. The Mayor of London announced that UK-based organization LDN UTD will host digital skills workshops and talks from eminent esports personalities and talent. One of the highlights of the event will see famous esports star FaZe Tass make an appearance as well, as Staffordshire University, Salford University, and the University of East London announced that they will all host workshops as part of the event.

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The effort supported by Sadiq Khan will see young people from the London boroughs of Hackney, Kingston, Lambeth, and Lewisham come together. Workshops on video editing, social media management and graphic design will be conducted as well. Additionally, LDN UTD may also provide some of the participants with work experience to give them a practical understanding of the world of esports.

Everything you need to know about the LDN UTD Inter-Borough Esports Championships

An announcement for the LDN UTD Inter-Borough Esports Championships was also made, which will aim to combine “the power of esports and education to tackle rising rates of youth employment". The tournament is scheduled to start from December 5, with the winners to be declared on December 19. The event will feature both FIFA 21 and NBA 2K, with FIFA content creator Rambo hosting it and Twitch broadcasting the tournament.

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Speaking about tapping into esports as an employment generator for London’s youth, Sadiq Khan said that the growth of the industry over the past few months has been commendable. The Mayor of London revealed that the industry is generating millions of pounds for the economy, and has created many jobs for players, particularly in London. Referring to the collaboration with LDN UTD, Sadiq Khan expressed his satisfaction that his Sports Unites programme was able to fund the organization’s efforts. 

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This is not the first time the Mayor of London has turned towards the world of sports to help combat the coronavirus crisis. Sadiq Khan, who is a lifelong Liverpool fan had earlier asked the city’s top teams to support the National Health Service through the coronavirus crisis. Following the Mayor of London’s appeal, many clubs donated to the NHS, while also making accommodation available free of cost for the health workers in London.

Image Credits: Sadiq Khan Instagram, Tass Instagram