dock10 has appointed two Junior Virtual Studio Developers as part of a move to tackle an industry-wide skills shortage in virtual studios production. Aya Al-bayati and Katie Bayman have both joined dock10, working full time at the Salford facility.

Aya graduated this year from the University of Teesside with a degree in computer games art. Katie graduated this year from Salford University with a degree in animation, specialising in 3D modelling and environments. Both create virtual studio environments with the main toolkits, such as Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine 4.

The content created with these technics at the dock10’s facilities includes Channel 5’s upcoming Dinosaur, UEFA EURO 2020, 2021 Gran Turismo Sport FIA Online Championship, Match of the Day and BBC Bitesize.

Richard Wormwell, Head of Production Innovation, said: “At dock10, we’ve seen an explosion in demand from programme makers who want to incorporate virtual elements in entertainment, sports, children’s and factual TV programmes. But there is a real skills shortage in virtual studios in the UK. We recognise it’s our responsibility to help grow the virtual studios’ talent pool and to invest in hands-on, practical training. We are delighted to expand dock10’s virtual studios team with the appointments of Aya and Katie as Junior Virtual Studio Developers.”