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".
Kat Pattison, from local company Sonodrome, appears in the film. She said: "There’s a load of misconceptions about what it’s like working in software and even what the people who work in software are like, and we were really excited about getting involved in a project that would get young people thinking differently about the sector and even about making a career here.
"Software is a brilliant area to work in, and we’re glad to get the chance to tell the world."
Sunderland Software City initiative is benefiting from over £6.5 million of European Union investment from the ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-13, secured through regional development agency One North East. The ERDF programme is bringing over £300 million into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region.
