Post-16 events and activities

We offer a range of engaging activities for your Year 12 and 13 students. You could book a workshop on the UCAS system, student finance, or how to write a personal statement. Or, come on campus for a subject taster session where you can meet our academic staff and use our facilities.

Bored or Buzzing? What Makes A Workplace Thrive

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 1 hour
Capacity: 10-30 students

The purpose of this creative interactive session is to emphasise important components of engagement in the workplace. If the components are not in place, or not undertaken correctly, this could lead to disengaged employees which ultimately impacts on organisational performance.

Much of the literature surrounding the topic of engagement comes from what is known as ‘exchange theory’ (Blau, 1964). The workshop will expand students’ knowledge by exploring the exchange in the employment relationship using a hands-on fun exercise.

Juggling Hats: The Power of Perspective in People Management

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 10-30 students

This engaging workshop aims to revolutionise approaches to problem-solving, inspired by the renowned Edward de Bono’s model, ‘Six Thinking Hats’. The session will expand students’ critical thinking skills within the context of human resource management and offer them the opportunity to dive into the fascinating world of questioning techniques.

By exploring the diverse perspectives represented by different coloured hats, they’ll gain valuable insight into effective people management strategies and apply their understanding of the theory through hands-on activities, lively discussions, and real-world case studies. Our team of human resource management experts will guide them through a series of scenarios, encouraging them to consider which questioning techniques are appropriate for each situation.

Brand Wars: The Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi Challenge

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 10-30 students

Students will join the well-known TikTok trend by putting their tastebuds to the test to see if they can really tell the difference between Coca-Cola and Pepsi by taste alone. By participating, they’ll learn more about the clever techniques marketers use to sway the decisions of a consumer. Students will gain valuable insights into the marketing strategies employed by these long-established brands, and by comparing tactics, will discover how they’ve maintained their stronghold in the industry to continue capturing our attention.

"Can you sell?" masterclass

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 10-30 students

This interactive session will allow students to put their selling skills to the test using the powers of persuasion, whether it’s mastering the art of selling something mundane like a pen, or magical like a unicorn. They’ll discover how to effectively sell themselves, their ideas, and their products, exploring the power of marketing and how it drives success in many careers.

Your Impact on the Earth: Manage your Personal and Commercial Carbon Footprint

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 5-25 students

This workshop will raise students’ awareness of their carbon and ecological footprint, helping them to understand how their actions impact the Earth. They’ll learn that it’s not just individuals who are responsible in contributing to fight climate change, but businesses too. We build the theme of sustainability into modules on our Business courses and students will join us in exploring the steps organisations can take to reduce their damaging effects on the Earth, implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Have you got what it takes to be an influential leader in the 21st century?

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 10-30 students

Students will join our team of experienced business experts in an engaging and interactive session where they’ll analyse the leadership styles of influential leaders, past and present. They’ll explore what it takes to be a successful leader in today’s dynamic business environment and identify the key traits that distinguish exceptional leaders from the rest. The session will involve a hands-on challenge that will provide a fun way for students to develop their knowledge and skills, and they’ll be able to apply what they learn to real-world scenarios, gaining insight into the impact that leadership has on organisational success.

The True Cost of Energy

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 10-30 students

Join us for an informative workshop around energy consumption and its impact on our society. Students will discover practical ways to reduce energy consumption, including tips for businesses to become more eco-friendly. They’ll explore the ethical implications of our current consumer lifestyle and the costs to society, and by the end of the session, will have a better understanding of their habits and how they can contribute to a sustainable future.

Stock Market Challenge

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 10-30 students

This exhilarating session will give students the opportunity to step into the shoes of stock market traders and learn to navigate the highs and lows of the world’s stock market. Our experienced lecturers will guide them through the trading process to help them increase their virtual “wealth”. As it’s crucial to recognise the level of risk involved and whether the potential rewards are worth it, they’ll gain valuable insight into the world of high finance and learn strategies for making informed investment decisions.

Global Ascent: Elevate Your Reach

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 50 students
Location: On campus

Prepare for an educational journey through the field of Tourism at the University of Sunderland. Our experienced lecturers will guide you through a structured learning experience. You can expect a mix of practical exercises and real-world examples, as well as a chance to learn more about our Hospitality, Events, Aviation, and Tourism degree programmes. You'll also have opportunities to meet fellow prospective students and explore your interests in this field. So, bring your curiosity and questions as we work together to shape your future and prepare you for a career in this exciting global industry.

The Beat Goes on: Tomorrowland's Post-Covid Future

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 50 students
Location: On campus or online

This session will discuss the evolution and success of Tomorrowland, one of the world's premier electronic music festivals, founded in 2005 in Boom, Belgium. We will also navigate the festival's post-Covid challenges, from accessibility and sustainability to financial implications. The attendees will assume the role of consultants to strategize for Tomorrowland's continuous growth. We collaboratively brainstorm ideas on diversifying line-ups, pinpointing potential partners, and maximising global reach through digital platforms.

Shades of Dark Tourism: Exploring the Spectrum, Marketing Strategies and Ethical Complexities

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 50 students
Location: On campus

Join us for an enlightening session Shades of Dark Tourism, where we delve into the multifaceted world and spectrum of dark tourism attractions. In this thought-provoking session, students will embark on a journey through the various shades of this unique and sometimes controversial sector of the tourism industry. We will explore the wide range of dark tourism case studies and attractions, the strategies behind its marketing and the ethical dilemmas that dark tourism poses.

Game Face On: The Art of Personal Branding in Esports

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 50 students
Location: On campus or online

In the competitive world of esports, how do you distinguish yourself from the multitude? This session will raise students’ awareness of personal branding within the esports industry. Through academic theory, real-life examples and activities, attendees will discuss the significance of powerful personal brand and use tools to reflect on their own gaming persona and identify actionable steps for future personal growth.

Team Dynamics in Competitive Play and Event Planning

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 30 students
Location: On campus

In this session, we will explore the essence of teamwork within the esports realm, emphasizing its critical role in both competitive play and event planning. Through examining prominent team and group theories, attendees will gain a profound understanding of effective team dynamics. We'll connect the significance of academic theories to the successful orchestration of esports events. Furthermore, attendees will participate in a dynamic, hands-on activity that emphasizes the principles of teamwork and the real-world implications of team dynamics in a competitive setting.

Crime, Space and Place

In this workshop, students will consider what causes crime, as well as how the space and place it happens in can affect and influence it.

Mental Health in Custody

Students will gain an understanding of the role mental health plays in custody experiences and consider the growing “vulnerable offender” population, and the construct of capacity within this.

Prison Abolitionism

Engage in debate around the active arguments for and against the use of prisons using a global comparative approach.

Vulnerability in the Criminal Justice System

Through critical thinking and discussion, explore what we mean by the term “vulnerable”, who this may apply to and whether it can change.

Violence Against Women and Girls

Examine the ‘Violence Against Women and Girls’ strategies set forward in the UK penal legislation and the means of supporting victims and survivors of violence from a public health perspective. Please note that concepts such as domestic violence, sexual assault and/or honour-based violence may be explored in this session.

Domestic Violence and Abuse

In this workshop, students will gain an understanding of the history of domestic violence within a UK context and the changes to policy, practice, and support since the Home Office changed the definition of domestic violence in 2012. They’ll consider the role of coercive and controlling behaviour, as well as the way in which this has changed the role the criminal justice system has to play in providing rehabilitative means for such behaviours. Please note that concepts such as domestic violence, sexual assault and/or honour-based violence may be explored in this session.

Offender Punishment and Risk Management

Critically explore how and why we punish offenders, as well as how we manage them and the risk they pose to society.

Crime and the Role of the Media

Explore how the media may influence public perception of an offender, victim, and criminal justice stereotypes. Students will look at examples of true crime documentaries and/or other media representations and how this impacts criminal justice practices.

The 'Deserving' and the 'Undeserving' Victim

Unpick the myths and realities of labelling a victim and discover what people mean by the term “deserving” in victimhood by ranking experiences of victimisation and discussing them through a criminological lens.

Regulating the Sex Industry

Students will consider the arguments for and against the regulation and/or legislation of the sex industry, exploring and discussing how the sex industry has changed in contemporary society.

Criminality vs. Harm Online

In this session, students will gain an understanding of the role of the digital world in criminal justice and everyday society. They’ll unpack future crime and harms, what we mean by harm, and how this transgresses through social media.

Future Criminologies and Changing 'Crime'

Explore the changing construct of what is “criminal” over time, using examples of changing prison populations and the history of the criminal stereotype.

Health and Inequalities

This workshop will allow students to learn more about sociological ideas and perspectives around health inequalities in the UK. They’ll gain an understanding of social factors within health, wellbeing, and illness by considering a range of social divisions such as class, gender, ethnicity, and age, as well as disadvantaged groups. The role of public policy and practice in tackling these inequalities will also be examined.

Health and Happiness

Students will gain knowledge and understanding of a range of factors relating to people’s health and wellbeing by addressing key areas, with particular emphasis placed on work carried out with vulnerable adults and children. They’ll consider corresponding health problems such as emotional health and/or behavioural problems and explore different approaches to working with children and vulnerable adults, relating the topic to health, education, and health promotion.

Health Research in the Media

Acquire the knowledge and skills to effectively understand, interpret, and critically appraise research findings. Students will learn about the research process in the field of health and consider how it may be reported, learning to recognise how health facts are represented to and understood by the public.

Health and Change

Build upon general psychosocial theories of childhood development with a focus on the often academically neglected areas of middle (7-11) and adolescent (11-18) years development. Students will explore the environmental factors that precede problems both within individuals and the wider society that emerge during these age stages. They’ll analyse up to date research and policy aimed at successfully supporting the needs and upholding the rights of these age groups of children and explore the different contexts within their communities.

Health

Explore how the health and wellbeing of children and young people is conceptualised in the UK and within international policy and practice. Students will gain an overview of the different models of health and the range of physical, psychosocial, sociological, and cultural factors that influence children and young people's health and wellbeing. They'll acknowledge how health is 'produced' and how contested notions of it emerge in policy and practice in a range of health and education settings. Students will also develop critical awareness of health behaviour change interventions and empowerment approaches.

Celebrity Personalities

Audience: Years 12 and 13
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Capacity: 10-30 students

In this workshop, our academic staff introduce different approaches to studying personality, for example, nomothetic vs. ideographic. Using leading theories in personality such as trait theories, students will construct a profile of a celebrity using examples of their behaviours to illustrate how they show evidence of various personality traits.

Myths in Psychology

Audience: Years 12 and 13
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Capacity: 10-30 students

This interactive presentation will allow students to explore the myths that surround psychology and how it’s applicable in everyday life. They’ll learn about the nature of psychology and how theory can be applied to events around us. The session is suitable for everyone, whether they’re interested in studying the subject or not.

Reading Other Minds

Audience: Years 12 and 13
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Capacity: 20-30 students

Students will explore the idea of social cognition and how we understand the minds, beliefs, and desires of others. They’ll discuss 'theory of mind' with some demonstrations of ways in which you can measure 'mindreading', completing the ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ task and reporting their findings back to the group.

Psychology of Ghosts

Audience: Years 12 and 13
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Capacity: 10-30 students

Explore the factors that account for the prevalence of belief in supernatural beings across time and cultures. Our academic staff will delve into some of the psychological factors that can account for individual reporting of haunting phenomena. Students will review reports of different hauntings, using their new knowledge to explain these without blaming the supernatural.

How Assumptions (Schemas) Affect How We Think

Audience: Years 12 and 13
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Capacity: 10-30 students

In this workshop, students will explore how our assumptions (schemas) about the world around us influence our thoughts and behaviours. They’ll take part in a series of activities which will reveal how schemas influence our perception, memory, and problem-solving abilities, showing that what we think we know isn’t always the case.

Zumo Wars

Audience: Years 12 and 13
Duration: 1 hour
Capacity: 10-20 students

Join us for this fun-packed workshop where your students will learn to programme an Arduino-controlled mini-robot to take part in a sumo-style battle. Students will:

Experiment with changing values to alter motor speeds and turning durations to customise the robots’ fighting style
Learn basic microcontroller programming and see how the robot uses its sensors to detect the edge of the fighting arena
Analyse the impact the changes have on the behaviour of the 'Zumo' robot and ultimately how it performs in a competitive arena
Face each other in a battle to see if they can fight their way through multiple rounds all the way to the Grand Final of the tournament to become the Ultimate Zumo Wars Champion

VR Experience

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 60-75 minutes
Capacity: 10-20 students

This is a hands-on workshop which allows your students to explore games and virtual environments using our VR headsets. We have a mix of headsets and software that can introduce students to immersive worlds in virtual reality. A supplementary talk will explain how the technology is used and how we can develop on these platforms.

AI Maze Solver

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 60-75 minutes
Capacity: 10-20 students

Have you ever wondered how secure websites really are? This session will introduce your students to different website vulnerabilities such as directory issues, authentication and injection attacks. They'll then be given the chance to force their way into a series of websites, with each one getting more secure as they progress through the challenges.

Mobile App Development Workshop

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 60-75 minutes
Capacity: 10-20 students

In this practical session, your students will build a mobile app with web technologies. They'll learn about the different types of web and mobile apps which can be developed including:

Those integrating IoT or wearable technology
Those which use augmented reality and artificial intelligence to personalise and enhance user experiences

Your students will have the opportunity to see mobile app and web technology in action and understand the career opportunities available for developers in this field.

The Mysterious World of Cyber Security

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 60-75 minutes
Capacity: 10-20 students

This is an interactive workshop that takes your students on a guided tour of the mysterious world of Cybersecurity. They'll take part in an activity where they'll be introduced to interesting and fun concepts that demonstrate just how important Cybersecurity is in a world where almost everything contains a digital component and is vulnerable to exploitation or attack.  Our staff will also be on hand to discuss studying Cybersecurity and future career prospects.

Game Development: Cannon Fodder

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 60-75 minutes
Capacity: 10-20 students

Learn the basics of Unity development and C# programming in this intense session where your students will code a 3D cannon to launch balls, crash test dummies, and even other cannons! Have them fly through the air, smashing through breakable boxes and tallying points.

Sweet Sorter Challenge: AI for Candy Classification

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 60 minutes
Capacity: 20 students

Join us for an exciting hands-on workshop where you'll build an image-based model using Teachable Machine, an intuitive and accessible machine learning tool by Google. In this event, you'll learn how to train an AI model to recognize different types of sweets based on their appearance.

Once the model is trained, we'll guide you through the process of integrating it into a custom application that automatically sorts and classifies sweets into various categories. Whether you're a seasoned coder or a complete beginner, this event is designed to be fun and educational for everyone.

Industry 4.0 and Smart Factories

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 1 hour
Capacity: 25 students

The internet has revolutionised the way we live and communicate. In this session, your students will learn how the fourth industrial revolution is harnessing this power to share data and make decisions. It's now possible to link human behaviour and real-world events with smart manufacturing factories to improve efficiency and make intelligent decisions in real time. Students will see this technology in action and understand the exciting careers emerging for specialists in this field.

Strength of Materials

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 1 hour
Capacity: 25 students

Product failure is not acceptable, especially in safety critical and high-performance applications. This session will help your students understand how mechanical engineers are able to remove the guesswork from the equation when developing products. It will start with the theory of different types of forces and what this means for the materials and components to which they are applied. Using computer software, a real-world situation will be simulated to understand at what load the material will break. Finally, this can be tested in the laboratory to see how theory, computer prediction and real world all compare.

Introduction to Automation

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 1 hour
Capacity: 25 students

This is an in-depth look into how technology has and continues to revolutionise our thriving manufacturing industry. The picking up and moving of components and products, assembly and testing often makes use of automated machines. Intelligent systems make use of sensors to understand something of the environment of which it is part, make decisions and perform tasks. This is a hands-on session but also conveys the exciting career opportunities available.

Introduction to Design and Digital Workflow

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 1 hour
Capacity: 25 students

From concept to reality, your students will get a flavour of how engineers can take an idea or set of design instructions and turn it into a product. By using CAD software and a digital workflow, students can see how these ideas can be visualised in virtual reality and turned into products which may be manufactured in their thousands.

Engineering, the Universe and Beyond

Audience: Year 12
Duration: 1.5 hours
Capacity: N/A

This is an engaging talk from our academic team which takes an overall look at engineering as a professional occupation. Students will take part in this conversation and debate to understand some of the challenges and opportunities that exist. The fine balance of achieving technological developments and advancing quality of living, while at the same time maintaining a healthy lifestyle for humans and the planet on which we live, will also be explored.

Introduction to Electronics

Audience: Year 13
Duration: 1 hour
Capacity: 25 students

Your students can get hands on in our laboratories and workshop to build a basic electronic circuit. They'll learn the role of individual components, but also the skills needed to bring them to life to perform a function. This knowledge and these skills will become the building blocks for devices around the home, industrial applications, transportation and communication devices.

First Choice Progression Scheme

Our First Choice Progression Scheme aims to support your Year 12 students in their journey towards Higher Education by equipping them with the key skills they’ll need for a successful university experience. Find out more about what we can offer.

First Choice

Post-16 events and activities

Talks+

Workshops+

Animation+

English+

Fashion+

Film and Media+

Fine Art+

Graphic Design+

Illustration+

Journalism+

Media and Film Production+

Performing Arts+

Photography+

Social Media Management+

Spark radio+

Business and Management+

Hospitality, Events, Aviation and Tourism+

Childhood studies+

Criminology+

Education studies+

Health and Social Care+

Law+

Primary Education+

Professional policing+

Occupational Therapy+

Paramedic Science and Out of Hospital Care+

Psychology+

Computer Science+

Engineering+