Keiren Allaker

Academic Background: Digital Production, Design and Development T-Level, New College Durham

Industrial Placement: 315 hours T-Level Placement (Gateshead)

Areas of Interest:

Challenge

I really enjoyed the overall placement experience. The main challenge I faced was that I was an early adopter of the new T-Level course, which coincided with the pandemic. A meaningful and high quality work placement of 315 hours is required to complete the course. However, due to the circumstances I struggled to find a suitable placement within my first year. I was also very unsure if I was ready for a placement. I was anxious, expecting to be overwhelmed in a large workplace with little communication or guidance in whatever role I was assigned.

Outcome

Thankfully, PROTOGÉ managed to facilitate a fantastic 6 month placement which means I can finish my course on time. Before starting the placement I had no experience at all within game development, but at the end of my time with PROTOGÉ and I N F I N I T Y 27 that significantly changes. I now feel comfortable making games and immersive VR experiences using Unreal Engine. I even got to gain experience in project management working in a responsibility role.

Impact

I was the project manager for our VR project and this gave me some great experience not only with the engine but also learning how to communicate with my team and ensure we all knew what we were doing at each stage. The placement has helped me recognize that I can contribute to a complex project in a meaningful way.