• Swindon & Wiltshire Social
• Wednesday March 26 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Institute of Technology’s Esports team lands gaming-mad business sponsor

The Esports team at Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology has landed its first sponsor – Kyle Holmes, the gaming-mad managing director of IT specialist Black Nova Designs.

Through sponsorship, hands-on involvement in lessons and industry-specific mentoring, the team at Calne-based Black Nova Designs is shaping how students gain real-world skills within the Esports and technology sectors.

Since the partnership began last year, Black Nova has provided students with team jerseys, collaborated on the growth of Esports and actively participated in classroom discussions.

Esports teacher Chris Baxter said: “We are hugely grateful to have Black Nova Designs as a sponsor. From the very start, Danielle and Kyle Holmes have been a pleasure to work and collaborate with.

“Their enthusiasm and passion have been instrumental in providing my students with their very own jerseys, while also generating ideas on how Esports can grow, not only within our college but in the wider community.

“We are excited to build on this partnership and create even greater opportunities for our learners.”

As part of the Esports curriculum, Level 3 students have been working on Esports events, which tasks them with planning and running their own event.

This led to the creation of an in-person Valorant Tournament, which took place on last Monday, March 17 at the Institute of Technology.

Black Nova Designs sponsored the event, offering in-person support and providing trophies in collaboration with Tilia Craft, one of their clients.

In recent months, Danielle and Kyle visited the college for an open discussion with T-Level Digital Support students about careers in IT, answering questions and providing insights into the industry.

The company also hosted its own Christmas staff party with Esports students, challenging them to a morning of gaming and reinforcing their commitment to being part of the students’ journey.

An upcoming Build a PC event will see students assembling computers from individual components under the guidance of Kyle. The fastest students will have the opportunity to support a larger scale Build a PC day later this year, raising funds for charity while honing their skills.

“I started teaching PC building to eight to 16-year-olds because I wanted to bridge the gap between using technology and truly understanding it,” said Kyle.

“Too often, people in IT don’t fully grasp what’s powering their systems. This partnership is all about giving students fundamental knowledge they can take into gaming, IT support or even future careers in the tech industry.”

Pictured: Danielle Holmes, Chris Baxter, Kyle Holmes