National Gaming Academy - Courses | Blackpool and The Fylde College

Here you can access a unique set of qualifications, designed to underpin a rewarding career in the rapidly expanding gaming industry. Our groundbreaking courses have been developed with industry for industry, and have earned us a Beacon Award for Innovation in Curriculum Leadership.

Below is a list of courses currently available at the academy, to find out more information on these courses please download the prospectus or contact us. If you can not see what you are looking for, try using our course search facility as we offer many other courses in Tourism and Hospitality and we also have a number of courses under development.

Latest industry links:

Through the National Gaming Academy (a consortium of colleges led by Blackpool and The Fylde), continued to provide national training to the gaming industry: Gala Coral Group (Casino Operations), Crown Leisure (Gaming Machines).
Students on the FD in Gaming Machine Technology were placed with Crown Leisure, HB Leisure and Carnival Cruise Lines.
Worked with Crown Leisure, Gala Coral Group, Stanley Genting and HB Leisure to implement the new industry-specialised NVQ in Gambling Operations.

Courses - click for more information

Alumnus interview, Paul Henstock - Coin Slot Technology

Forty-year-old Paul Henstock left school with no qualifications and worked as a car mechanic before studying Casino Operations. He is now an Instructor/Assessor at the North Staffordshire and Hinkley College’s National Gaming Academy Centre.

“When I was 15 I was living in a flat on my own and I’d given up on my education. I came to Blackpool and The Fylde College to train as a motor mechanic and worked at the Rover plant. I was unemployed for a while then I was accepted onto a ‘Train to Gain’ scheme as a croupier in a Casino. I was quickly promoted to Pit Boss, responsible for 15 staff.

I came back to the College to study the HND in Coin Slot Technology. I was still doing three shifts a week and trying to do my assignments at home. I left the casino in March to take up the offer of a job at The Gaming Academy. I go out to casinos to assess the dealers and the croupiers who are doing NVQs and I’ll be doing my Teacher Training course this year.

It’s great. I think that education is a life-changing process.”