Career ideas sparked off for tech-savvy Sunderland students

Students had the chance to see what career opportunities are available in the digital age at Sunderland Software City.

More than 25 leading companies from the software and technical sector shared their skills as they showcased the jobs they offer.

The event was organised and hosted at Sunderland Software City in partnership with Work Discovery Sunderland.

It welcomed 110 students from Years 10 and 11 at St Anthony’s Catholic Girls Academy, Kepier Academy, Barbara Priestman Academy, Grindon Hall, South Moor Academy and Monkwearmouth Academy.

Students visited a market place which championed new technology used by their teams.

A series of interactive workshops were set up throughout the day, giving the students a chance to discover bullet-time photography, which uses multiple cameras to take images from every angle, to artificial intelligence and virtual reality, digital marketing, film production and gaming.

Companies shared their expertise at the event, along with a range of colleges and training providers from across the region, which offer relevant courses.

Jill McKinney, head of skills and training at Sunderland Software City, said: “The students had a great time and they were really keen to interact.

“A few of the businesses brought along Oculus Rift headsets and some of their games, so they were really able to immerse themselves in the work they do and understand their industry.

“We had some really good feedback from the businesses and a lot of the workshops ran over because they were asking lots of questions.”

The day has been an annual event for the last five years.

Yesterday featured businesses including Nissan, Generator, Sage, Generator and Next Gen.

For more about the complex visit http://www.sunderlandsoftwarecity.com/.