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There’s nothing geeky about a career in software, SSC says

A VIDEO has been launched by Sunderland Software City on You Tube with the aim of encouraging school leavers to embark on a career in the software industry.

The six-minute animation, aimed at 11-17 year-olds and available on YouTube, shows a pair of teenagers discovering how a career in software can take them places they’d never imagined - like music, fashion, computer games, films and sport - and that people who work in the industry ‘aren’t really geeks’.

The film is designed to be shown in schools, where it can be accompanied by visits from local companies like those shown in the film, lesson plans where Key Stage 3 students can use software to design their own planet as well as fun and interactive workshops.

Sunderland Software City, which launched the film, is the regional initiative supporting the growth of the software industry in the North East and chief executive officer Bernie Callaghan claims building a talented workforce in the region is key to continuing the growth of the local software sector.

He said: “The North East is increasingly a location of choice for the software industry and one of the things that makes our region so attractive is the talented and inventive workforce.

“If the local software industry is going to continue its recent expansion we’re going to have to keep growing that talent pool, but we know a lot of young people are put off even thinking about a career in software because they think it has nothing to do with the things that interest them and it’s not somewhere people like them work.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth, and we thought an animated film would be an appealing and relevant way to set the record straight.

“A career in software can take you wherever your interests lie and all you need is to be creative, able to work in a team and good at solving problems. Any technical skills you can pick up really easily right here in the North East”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .