University Of Sunderland Helps Local Residents Get New Jobs

The University of Sunderland announced on 11 February 2026 a new phase of targeted work to help residents in the city’s most disadvantaged wards — including Hendon, Pallion and Southwick — qualify for thousands of jobs arising from recent film, creative and technology investment and city‑centre regeneration.

The university says the current phase represents a £3.5m expansion of its social inclusion and skills work, building on the Sunderland Skills and Inclusion Programme (SSIP) launched in 2024 (which involved around £2.5m of UKSPF funding and later additional funds). The initiative will expand training programmes and offer personalised coaching to help local people move into steady work and incomes.

The programme is explicitly intended to link residents to jobs created by major local development projects. For example, Riverside Sunderland’s masterplan provides space for roughly 8,000–10,000 jobs, while Crown Works Studios has been projected in public reporting to support around 8,000–8,450 roles across the North East as the studio and its supply chain grow.

Staff at the University of Sunderland’s medical school say around 25% of their students come from widening‑participation backgrounds. The university’s ‘Med + 30%’ strategy aims for at least 30% of high‑skill vocational intakes (including medicine and health sciences) to come from the bottom two deciles of the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

A university spokesperson said the institution is acting as an ‘economic engine’ for the community and that the work is designed to improve career prospects for local people. The university says the new training modules are being co‑designed with major local employers — for example Nissan and production partners such as Fulwell 73 — to deliver the sector‑specific skills employers have said they will need as the city grows.