Contribute to the consultation on the Design & Technology curriculum says Andrew Churchill, Managing Director, JJ Churchill.
I would like to take the opportunity to reiterate the call to arms, issued in the March issue of The Manufacturer, for business leaders to give their input into the consultation on the Design and Technology curriculum.
The suggested programme of study for D&T which was published in February fundamentally fails to recognise this subject as ‘applied STEM’ and a critical enabling subject for young people with the potential to take up engineering and manufacturing careers.
Suggesting, that manufacturers can play a part in returning the economy to growth without access to students who understand D&T in this light is wrong-headed and diametrically out-of-kilter with the 21st century skill-sets we desperately need.
Without D&T being a cornerstone of our national curriculum, the step from pure maths and science into advanced manufacturing is simply too great. Students will not knowingly consider manufacturing as a sector where talent in these subjects can be expressed and business will continue to find it difficult to make a reasonable assessment of aptitude.
Manufacturing employers must communicate their need for robust D&T skills. Without our input, government and education will not be able to develop or deliver an appropriate curriculum.
Contribute now!
Readers can read the draft programme of study for D&T here and can contribute to the consultation by emailing [email protected]. Please CC Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for education and childcare Elizabeth Truss: [email protected].
The consultation closes on April 16.
