Hundreds of students are just days away from joining in with Work Discovery Week which kicks off next Monday. The ever-popular annual event helps Sunderland students get the inside track on the region’s leading businesses. It runs from Monday, June 26 to Friday, June 30 and this year, there are some great opportunities for them to learn more about the retail sector. An insight into the sector is planned on Tuesday, June 27, when students will visit the Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland. Organisers say it has already been completely booked out and will give pupils a chance to work with the retail liaison team in the shopping centre. Students will also get to visit Debenhams and the Disney store and there will also be a chance to experience Jacky White’s market. But that’s just one day in what is already promising to be a packed week-long itinerary of great events for students during Work Discovery Week. It all starts on Monday, June 26 with the careers fair at the Stadium of Light. It will feature trade stands and workshops, as well as fun challenges and hands-on activities, and there will also be the opportunity to visit various businesses across the city. Work Discovery Week is in its fifth year and offers career advice and experiences to teenagers across the city. This year’s event has attracted support from dozens of companies, including a number of top North East firms which have signed up as sponsors. The University of Sunderland, Sunderland College, MAKE it Sunderland, North East LEP, Liebherr, the Bridges and Nissan were among the first to commit, and they were soon joined by a host of other firms, including Accenture, Gentoo, Sunderland BID, Calsonic Kansei and Northern Print Solutions. Work Discovery Week will bring together around 1000 youngsters from schools across Sunderland and they will be taking part in five days of activities.