Last Friday, students at Southmoor Academy took part in the Sunderland Digital Careers Event.
The Sunderland school is part of the Southmoor Multi Academy Trust.
North East goes digital
The digital tech sector is a fast growing industry in the region and provides excellent and unique career opportunities for our region’s schools.
International tech businesses based in the region include Atom Bank, Bede Gaming, Sage UK, Tharsus and Tombola. The North East is also home to well known gaming companies DXC Technology, Red Hat Solutions and Ubisoft Reflections. Invest North East reported that:
“The region’s five universities and excellent higher education colleges provide a strong pipeline of talent for the digital and tech sector. With 67,000 students studying Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in our universities and we have the highest proportion of computer science students in England.”
Innovation in the region
Simon Wareham, Assistant Head Teacher from Southmoor Academy commented:
“Supporting our students to develop their knowledge of digital and STEM careers is extremely important for us as part of our whole school careers strategy. Southmoor was invited to the event through our links with Sunderland Software City who organised the event on Bede Campus in the new Digital Innovation Centre at the College.
During the event our Year 10 students had the opportunity to see the range of facilities at the college including the state-of-the-art gaming rooms and performing arts facilities. They were also given a talk by two local app developers and challenged to create their own app. In the gaming room, students created their own 2D animations and were given information about the range of courses available to them at the college.
Then students visited the 3D immersive igloo which cost around £250k. They enjoyed a 3D adventure through the digestive and circulatory systems, in space and through Paris and New York. Finally, students had the chance to talk to local digital careers representatives.
It is really important that our students have the opportunity to explore as many sectors as possible during their time in school so that they can be fully informed about the possible career pathways they might take in the future. Digital and STEM is a rapidly growing sector, particularly here in the North East, so this opportunity was perfect to allow students to find out what is available to them in these sectors in the local area.”
Southmoor Academy is a Schools North East Partner School. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School Programme click here.
Later this month, Schools North East will host a half day event on Cyber Resilience. Click here to read the agenda and click here to book.
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