Friday 10 March 2017

Teachers Fear for Future of High School & Six Form Design and Technology Courses


'Design and Technology, languages and arts are among the subjects being dropped as schools struggle to deal with severe budget pressures, according to the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).'



In a world where technological evolution is moving from exponential growth in price-performance improvement, towards explosive growth.

In a world where there is a need for a good understanding of the processes and techniques of Innovation, Enterprise, Entrepreneurial-ship, Design, High-Level Software Coding, and Applied Science, because of the very explosive growth in technology and innovation.

But in spite of this essential need, the UK Exchequer is about to cut high-school and sixth-form budgets in these areas in terms of their related subjects.

Apparently, as interesting as it may be, the lessons of English History and its wonderful well-heeled Monarchy, are more important than learning functional or technical foreign languages, like German, in world that is interconnecting ever faster. 

Some will say that history repeats itself, and therefore learning from the past is important. To a degree, yes, but the future of technology from now on will not only be different from the past, there will be no comparison.


So, who are these stuffed shirts who make these damaging decisions, who insist that the world will almost be the same as the past, an therefore History is more significant than applied Design and Technology?

When I was 15, and especially an inquisitive seventeen year old sixth-former, I lived in my D&T classroom (lunchtime and after school hours). In the end, I almost lived their. And then years on, I practised as Lead Aerospace Design Engineer, and now as a consultant and write about technological innovation and design!

I can tell you that the teams I have lead have created countless jobs (directly and indirectly) over the 25+ years in practise, and no doubt helped inspire many new products and service concepts, and even new businesses, through my books on innovation.

Read these two recent articles on the these issues. However, be warned, if you are a Brit and a bit like me, you won't be happy:


UK Government Cuts D&T, Languages and Art Courses!


Teachers fear for future of Design and Technology

 (It's on BBC News, right now - 10/03/2017 - bbc.co.uk/)




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