The Graduate Employer Award highlights studios & companies that have demonstrated a positive and pro-active approach in hiring and supporting graduates & interns over the past 12 months. Showcasing the studios that are doing the most to help the next generation of games developers and doing their bit to work towards a more sustainable future for the games industry.

The final shortlist was narrowed down to two fantastic studios:

• Outplay Entertainment
• nDreams

nDreams is now a studio of over 110 people and continues to grow as one of the world’s leading VR developers, in 2020 and throughout the course of the COVID 19 pandemic they took on 13 graduates. 

In the absence of live events and speaking opportunities at colleges and universities they have supported several initiatives online through virtual interviews and presentations. Additionally, they participated in the Grads in Games online events late last year providing videos and speakers from a number of disciplines.

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“The past twelve months have been incredibly difficult year for everybody in many ways, not least the move to remote working.  We’ve onboarded a number of graduates remotely through time and we’ve been very conscious that for our graduates and more junior members of the team working from home can often be incredibly challenging. We have looked to ensure they know that support is available through a number of channels. This has included regular online check ins with line managers, access to the office if COVID guidelines allowed, regular communications around mental health and well-being and our senior team ensuring everyone knows they are also available and accessible should anyone need them.” 

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All nDreams staff have personal development plans linked to job requirements, with formal 1-1 review process with objectives set and assessed on a regular basis to ensure that staff are developing and moving forward in their roles continuously. 

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“The majority of training and development at nDreams continues to be in-house and /or provided by mentoring due to the technology we work with, however this year we hired a new Learning & Development Manager tasked with creating and leading learning journeys across the business through a blended approach. Part of the role is to ensure we continue to improve our onboarding process for all new starters and in the longer term to build and maintain relationships with universities.” 

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nDreams are a fantastic graduate employer and this award is fully deserved.