Blow away the back-to-school blues by enrolling in Asia’s first ever esports academy
“With the launch of the APU eSports Malaysia Academy, we believe that we can deliver the best programmes and activities to the students, to prepare them for their future careers in the eSports and gaming industry.”
– Datuk Dr. Parmjit Singh, CEO of APIIT Education Group
Although many universities in the West already offer esports varsity scholarships, Malaysia’s APU takes it one step further. They’re offering a whole certificate course.
Last month The Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation, together with eSports Malaysia, launched the APU eSports Malaysia Academy at APU’s new campus in Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil. Interested students may choose from enrolling in, and getting a certificate for, four different games; League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or FIFA 17. Each course will have three levels; beginner, intermediate, and advanced, and will each be a 12-week course, with four hour classes per week.
Interested applicants can also go the route of honing their skills in shoutcasting, or learning the ins and outs of team managing. From APU’s press release:
“Upon its establishment, the APU eSports Malaysia Academy will serve as a platform for students to develop and channel their passion for competitive gaming. APU and eSM will partner in giving support, training and proper guidelines to the students, in order to equip them with essential skills to be a professional game, eSports shoutcasters, team managers and so on, thus creating new opportunities and talents within the Malaysian eSports industry.”
Zierasmayu Binti Abd Rahman, the advisor for the APU esports club, said in an interview with theScore esports:
“We hosted the national Grand Finals for League of Legends and the national finals for FIFA Online, all this was an eye-opener for us. From there, we saw feedback from students, staff and from parents, so we see the good side of embracing esports, basically. We wanted to play our role in taking it another step higher and felt we should go for an academy.”
Rahman also noted that since opening last February, the program has gotten an “overwhelming” amount of applicants. Applications are still open, with classes set to start in May.
Feature photo credits: APU
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