STEM Workshops in Sunderland

Sunderland was once the largest shipbuilding town in the world, with yards along the River Wear launching thousands of vessels from the 18th century through to the closure of the last yard in 1988. The city's coal mining heritage stretches back centuries, with the Wearmouth Colliery, once described as the largest mine in the world, operating from 1835 until 1993. Pyrex glassware was manufactured in Sunderland for much of the 20th century, combining materials science with precision manufacturing.

Joseph Swan, born in Sunderland in 1828 and an independent early developer of the incandescent light bulb, is one of the city's most celebrated scientific figures. His partnership with Thomas Edison to form the Edison and Swan United Electric Light Company cemented the North East's role in the birth of electrical engineering. Gertrude Bell, born in Washington in 1868, made substantial contributions to archaeology and cartography through her scientific documentation of ancient sites across the Middle East, and her photographic archive is now on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The region's tradition of precision craftsmanship shaped generations of engineers who went on to work across British industry.

Nissan's Sunderland plant, which has produced 11 million vehicles since 1986, is the largest car factory in the UK and serves as the centrepiece of a major electric vehicle and battery manufacturing hub following the announcement of Envision AESC's gigafactory on the adjacent site. Sunderland Software City has helped grow the city's digital sector, supporting more than 2,500 technology businesses since 2021 in areas ranging from esports and immersive technology to data and AI. The Port of Sunderland is being repositioned to support offshore energy supply chains.

Nissan and its extensive supply chain offer apprenticeships and graduate roles in automotive engineering, robotics, quality assurance and electric vehicle technology, with the Envision AESC gigafactory creating new pathways in battery science and manufacturing. Sunderland Software City's network of firms provides entry points into software development, UX design, data engineering and cybersecurity. The University of Sunderland runs programmes in engineering, computer science, pharmacy and biomedical science.