Shows
Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with STEM Racing's Andrew DenfordMany people familiar with this podcast will recognise the name 'F1 in Schools', a design, teamwork and engineering challenge that has existed in schools for over two decades. Some of you will have competed in either regional or, if you are fortunate enough, national finals. Others...I want to say the elite few, as getting there is some achievement, will have made it to the world finals, held to coincide with an F1 race somewhere in the world and closely aligned to the FIA. I would suggest very few of you know just how this design and e...2025-06-231h 01Designed for LifeDesigned forn Life - Live at Newstead Wood SchoolHow do you build a successful design & technology department from the ground up with an entirely new staff? What curriculum changes should you make at KS3, KS4 and KS5 to ensure you stretch and challenge what are undoubtedly very bright students? What physical changes can you make to the department's look, feel and function when the budget is tight but you want to improve how students and parents view the subject? What role can external visitors and competitions play in building a successful curriculum offer and delivery?These are all questions that will be tackled in the...2025-03-211h 16Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Marisa Kurimbokus IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2024In this episode, we are delighted to welcome Marisa Kurimbokus, who was announced as the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2024 at the end of last year. In the podcast, we follow Marisa's journey from primary school, where a teacher dropped what I can only assume was a casual comment, but it is one that sticks with her to this day. Through secondary school, where Marisa describes her journey through a range of subjects, including A Level design and technology. And chauffeuring her friend to a lecture only for serendipity to step in and have other i...2025-03-1459 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - Live at Arts University BournemouthIn this episode, we take the podcast on the road to Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) and talk with YouTube stalwarts Brothers Make, Louise Dennis, Curator at MoDiP (Museum of Design in Plastics) and Will Strange, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader (Sustainable Design) at AUB. The podcast was recorded on February 5th in the main lecture theatre at the university with an audience comprising AUB students and lecturers and students and their D&T teacher from a local school. In this episode, we stray from the show's normal format as the Brothers Make take us on their journey f...2025-02-191h 00Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Titi OliyideGrowing up with a love of mathematics, Titi thought a career as a maths teacher was beckoning until a conversation with one of her sister's friends opened up the possibility of becoming an engineer. A comment that stood out for me in this conversation was her sister's friend's statement, "You don't have to love chemistry or be brilliant at it to become a chemical engineer." It's not exactly the career advice we might all expect, but it's accurate nonetheless. Titi is a chartered engineer with experience providing safety assurance, risk and reliability management expertise for various engineering s...2025-01-1355 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - 2024 Wrapped CompilationSomehow, another year has passed, and it's time to look back on Designed for Life across 2024. Over the year, we released sixteen new episodes, reached over 31,000 streams, reached new audiences in Asia and America and, most importantly, got to speak with some amazing and inspiring guests. In this end-of-year episode, we look back and have selected clips from a range of conversations, including fashion and textile expert Amanda Riley, AUB lecturer and modelmaker Claire Holman, Denimolite founder and designer Josh Myers, Marloe watch co-founder and designer Gordon Fraser, Pipsqueak founder and owner Nick Ford, Head of Learning an...2024-12-301h 05Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Hepzi RattrayImagine accidentally being put off from a career in engineering by your brilliant grandfather who, without realising, made a career in the sector sound unreachable. Hepzi Rattray is a structural engineer with the global engineering company Ramboll, but for many years, she attempted to avoid following this career trajectory.In this penultimate podcast of 2024, we follow Hepzi's journey from school, where she turned down the offer of a top private school to attend Lady Margaret's, a church-state school in Parsons Green, West London. Some unexpected AS results forced something of a rethink and pointed her towards a...2024-12-2951 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Barnabas ShelbourneBarnabas is the CEO of The Greenpower Education Trust. This charity works with young people nationally to introduce them to using their STEM education in a very practical way to create battery-driven vehicles that then compete in regional and national heats. Having experienced 'Greenpower' as a teacher, headteacher, and now as CEO of the Design & Technology Association, I was desperate to get behind the scenes with its new CEO and explore the people and passion that make Greenpower so compelling to so many students (and their parents nationally).In this podcast, we follow Barnabas through s...2024-12-1358 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Maria Dunbar (Leith's Education)In this episode, we turn to Food and Nutrition in the school curriculum and look at the challenges facing this aspect of National Curriculum education. Over the last few weeks, I have been fortunate to be introduced to Leith's Education and walked through their curriculum resources from KS1 to Post 16 (and extracurricular). These come at a cost (see below), but having seen them, I believe these are resources that every school should at least consider. See https://leiths.com/We also discuss how Leith's has partnered with Roehampton University to create a new PGCE course aimed at...2024-11-0859 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Dr. Hilary LeeversIn this week’s episode of Designed for Life, we are fortunate to speak with Dr Hilary Leevers, the Chief Executive of Engineering UK. We break from the usual show format to explore some of the data surrounding entry to engineering as a profession and discuss Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, which this year runs from November 11th to 15th. EngineeringUK drives change so that more young people choose engineering and technology careers. You can join us by getting involved in Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2024. This annual celebration is dedicated to showcasing the am...2024-10-2855 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Jonty Deeley WilliamsonTalk about battery power and people's attention automatically turns to electric vehicles, but in reality, this is one sector of a rapidly growing market. With this growth, there is an increasing need for young people to enter the sector and help design and make the power plants of the future. In this episode, we talk with Jonty Deely Williamson, who heads up learning and development at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) Previously a science teacher, he has worked in Learning & Development for more than a decade in the rail construction, high-speed rail, food manufacturing an...2024-09-2057 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Nick FordIn this episode, we talk with Nick Ford, founder of the design studio Pipsqueak and IP development specialist. Nick talks us through his school education, which took place at a time when neurodiversity was not so easily recognised or accounted for. Several very diverse jobs followed as Nick sought to find his way in the world of work from a mechanics role that wasn't quite what he thought it would be to a cleaner in an engine machine shop and a motorcycle courier. Whilst it is safe to say that none of these roles offered Nick wh...2024-09-0358 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Bill WilliamsIn this episode, we start a series in which we will talk with Design & Technology Association Trustees about their careers to date and the reasons why being a Trustee of the Association and being connected to its work is important to them. We start this series by talking with Bill Williams, Chair of D&TA Trustees.Bill is an experienced CEO across the manufacturing and engineering sectors. He was formerly a member of the Board of Group Lotus plc, the CEO of the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME) in London, and is presently t...2024-08-0951 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Alex Ball BA (Hons) New Designers 2024This is the first episode with young graduates met recently at New Designers 2024 in London. Alex graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a second-class BA (Hons) in Product Design. I was struck by the simplicity of his design project and the clear communication of intent within his work. It is clear that Alex is very passionate about combating climate change and helping people to live more sustainably; his comment that "I want to utilise my design background to help to bring solutions to this sector" is, in my experience, representative of a significant percentage of hi...2024-08-0736 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Trudi BarrowIn this episode, we are delighted to converse with Design education specialist, advisor, teacher and CLEAPSS consultant Trudi Barrow. It seems like a strange statement, but we rarely have a design and technology teacher and leader on the podcast, so in this episode, we follow Trudi's journey into teaching but then spend a good part of the conversation talking about the subject, its challenges and where it may be heading to. I have to say it was a pleasure to hold this discussion with someone passionate about the value of design and technology education and what it c...2024-06-1152 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with the Textiles Skills Centre (Report released April 24)In this episode, we are delighted to talk with Dawn Foxall and Roy Ballam about the recently released paper commissioned by the Textiles Skills Centre, 'Unravelling the Fabric of Textiles Education'. As we seek to move the subject forward, building from the bottom up being our approach at the Association, we need to carefully look at where textiles fits into primary and secondary education. Our view is that we want to keep textile education within design and technology, a position that is perhaps challenged by the large number of textile teachers who are n...2024-04-2653 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Gordon Fraser (Marloe Watch Co)In this conversation, we follow Gordon Fraser, Co-founder of the Marloe Watch Company, on his journey from a difficult school experience to co-founding a successful British-designed watch company. With his Co-founder Oliver, whom he met online, the two founded The Marloe Watch Company and produced their first two watches without meeting (and living in two different countries). As the company grew, Oliver was the first to 'give up the day job' and concentrate 100% on the success of their venture, followed closely by Gordon. Gordon discusses the importance of understanding user requirements while designing a watch th...2024-04-021h 02Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Claire HolmanIn this episode, we are in conversation with Claire Holman, modelmaking professional and lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth. We follow Claire's journey from a fairly nomadic start as her family moved first to Zambia and then to England, closely followed by Scotland as her father's work dictated their journey. This was followed at age sixteen by Claire leaving school and taking on a YTS course (if you are old enough, you know. If not, a government initiative to direct young people into training and employment). Here, she was subjected to some deplorable practice as the college concerned...2024-02-061h 04Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Sophie HagueThis episode sees us in conversation with Sophie Hague - 2022 RSA Student Award winner and UX Designer. Sophie found school difficult, not so much academically, but she found it over-stimulating, crowded and overall, just not an enjoyable experience. The one exception to this was design and technology lessons, where she enjoyed the 'open-endedness' of problem-solving activities and just 'clicked'. As she progressed on her learning journey, Sophie found out just how she liked to learn. Experiential learning worked for her and she realised that to truly understand a topic, she needed to touch it, to...2024-01-2655 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Josh Myers (Founder Denimolite)Denim jeans have become an integral part of modern-day life. The majority of us own at least one pair (I personally have to confess to seven)! But how are these garments made? At what cost to the environment? And when they reach end of life how many of us give proper thought to where our once-loved products end up?Josh Myers is on a mission to turn these discarded garments into aesthetically beautiful products that see the material being given a second life, good news for the environment, and with his patented product Denimolite providing beauty, strength a...2024-01-2651 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Amanda RileyAmanda was somewhat destined to work in fashion from an early age. Influenced by her grandmother, who placed her in front of a sewing machine at age eight, she quickly learned how to use the machine and how to make her own clothes. Her grandmother's throwaway comment, having made her own dress only a short time after being introduced to the sewing machine, stuck, and Amanda's journey into the fashion industry was set. A combination of sheer determination, ability, grit, and, it has to be stated, a degree of bravery saw Amanda experience the industry from almost e...2024-01-1256 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Reianna ShakilIn this first podcast of 2024, we are delighted to be in conversation with Reianna Shakil, UKRI Young Innovators Awards 22/23 Winner | Multidisciplinary Designer | Founder + Director of Studio ZRX.In this conversation, we cover Reianna's journey from school through how she overcame problems when her funding ran out part way through her sixth form course and then how she had to find ways to manage her way through her degree, being diagnosed with Combined Type ADHD part way through her studies.This is a story of perseverance. Many people, faced with some of the issues that Reianna h...2024-01-031h 00Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - End of Year Compilation 2023So that was 2023! Twenty-four episodes of Designed for Life were recorded and published over the course of the year, fulfilling our promise of at least one podcast every two weeks. In these pods, I have been fortunate to speak with a wide range of innovators, founders, designers, engineers, academics, teachers and students, and here in this (admittedly longer than usual podcast), we pick out some of the best moments of 2023 and put them in one place for your listening delight.I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single guest from the almost e...2023-12-281h 45Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Becky Pell, Sound EngineerWhere was the first music concert you ever attended? Who was the artist? Who did you see this artist/band with? And finally, how did you feel as you left the gig? If you are like me and love your live music, these are questions that will roll off the tongue. For me, it was the Police. I was fifteen years old and with my best mate from school, the gig was at Hammersmith Odean, and it left me buzzing and wanting more!In this podcast, we are in conversation with Becky Pell. Becky is a sound...2023-12-0654 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - BBC/Beano episode with Mike Sterling and Alex HarrisHow many of you reading this have fond childhood memories of reading the Beano? I am guessing many of you could name most of the characters from the Beano now; some of you may still have Christmas Annuals tucked away somewhere in the loft. Well, the good news is the Beano is still alive and well...in fact, it is in rude health. So when I received an email asking if I would like to speak with Alex Harris (BBC Teach) and Mike Sterling (Creative Director at Beano...although he also has another job title), the answer w...2023-11-231h 04Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - Hethersett Academy (Part Two)This is part two of a two-part mini-series in which we explore the development of the design and technology curriculum offer at Hethersett Academy in East Anglia. If you have not yet listened to part one, I suggest you go back and listen to this first, as there is something of a sequence. In this episode, we follow on from our conversation with Kate Finlay, Head of Department and Trust Curriculum Lead by talking with students, parents, the design and technology staff and the Headteacher. Through these conversations we gain a full picture of how the curriculum ha...2023-11-161h 27Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - Hethersett Academy (Part one of two)In the second of our focus podcasts within a specific school, we are delighted to bring you 'Designed for Life' in conversation with Hethersett Academy in East Anglia. The intention within these podcasts is to provide listeners with a complete 360 journey around the design and technology department in the school, with interviews and thoughts from students, teachers, parents and senior leaders. From these conversations, you can piece together the value of the subject to the curriculum within these schools. This is part one of a two-episode podcast, and here we talk with Kate Finlay, the Cu...2023-11-1452 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Jenny Body CBEIn this episode, we are delighted to be joined in conversation by Jenny Body CBE. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at Aerospace Bristol on the morning of our annual awards ceremony on the 13th of October this year. The recording was made almost within touching distance of Concorde, an aircraft that Jenny had the privilege of working on some years ago.Jenny Body is a British Aerospace engineer and former President (the first ever woman to hold this post) of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Jenny grew up in rural Gloucestershire; he...2023-10-3156 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Jennifer Campbell (MD Giles Agency)In this episode, I was delighted to be in conversation with Jennifer Campbell, Managing Director of Giles Agency Hong Kong. In the pod, we track Jen's journey from rural Berkshire through the discovery that her natural penchant to quickly strike up conversations with people, together with an ability to sell and the tenacity to hang on in there when sales didn't go as planned, could actually become a career. A move to a large agency in London (she wasn't aware quite how big a deal this was until friends were surprised that she had secured th...2023-10-2458 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Charlotte ChapmanThis podcast was recorded in front of a live audience at The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle. This is the first of a series of live podcasts to come as we take Designed for Life on the road to meet not only our stunning guests but also teachers, students and their parents.In this podcast, I was fortunate to be in conversation with Charlotte Chapman, CEng. MIMechE. Charlotte is a project manager at Royal IHC. In the pod, we follow Charlotte's journey through school to decide between a love of Engineering and a passion for English Literature. We...2023-10-1249 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Larry SullivanLarry Sullivan is a serial entrepreneur, business founder, angel investor and social philanthropist. In this podcast, we track Larry's journey from humble beginnings growing up in Essex to a sudden awakening to academia in sixth form, leading him to be the first in his family to attend university. A chance conversation led him to travel to America during his summer break with BUNAC https://bunac.org an experience that he feels offered as much, or more, to his personal development than his university experience alone. This podcast has taught me that entrepreneurship can be taught, an...2023-10-031h 15Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Joshua BruceThe joy of this podcast is that through it, we get to talk with designers, engineers and innovators at the very peak of their game and often informed by years or even decades of experience. At the same time, we have spoken with people at the very start of their careers, and are privileged to explore how they are shaping themselves and their careers for the future.In this episode of Designed for Life, I am privileged to talk with Joshua Bruce, Aeronautical Engineering undergraduate, Mission 44 Youth Advisory board member and founder of the Young Engineers Summit. 2023-09-0659 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Ben EdmondsBen Edmonds is a designer, inventor, entrepreneur, engineer and self-confessed 'tinkerer'. In this episode, we follow Ben from school where aged twelve and asked what he wanted to do when he grew up; he answered, "I want to be a lead designer for Dyson". Almost twenty years later, that's exactly what he did, becoming a Principal Designer at Dyson. But Ben's story is oh so much bigger than that. He has sold or donated almost every possession he owned twice as he upped sticks to start life elsewhere in the world. Left one job four times...yes, fo...2023-08-151h 18Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Ifeoma OkolieIn this episode of Designed for Life, we speak with Ifeoma Noelin Okolie. Ify is a Chartered, FSEng (SIS) Certified, Product Safety Manager, Choral Singer, Poet & Abstract Photographer. Ify has 13 years experience delivering innovative state-of-the-art safety engineering solutions across a variety of safety-critical industries, where she has held various leadership positions. She devotes her time in and outside the workplace to sharing lessons learnt from her ‘Triple Minority Career’ as a Black, Female and Artistic Professional in Engineering and tech and de-bunking gender-career biases. Ify lends her voice to EDI and STEM campaigns by raising awaren...2023-07-2658 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Clara ChuIn this latest episode of Designed for Life, you get to meet the Young V&A’s first designer in ‘The Shed’, Clara Chu. The Young V&A opened its doors on Saturday, 1 July 2023. Young V&A is a powerhouse of creativity for the young, from infants to early teens. It is a national museum dedicated to children and young people, a place to imagine, play, create, debate and design for tomorrow.Clara is the first designer placed within the Young V&A for a six-month term. Clara is a London-based multidisciplinary artist and designer. She cre...2023-07-1246 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Alex Knight (STEMazing)In this latest podcast, we are in conversation with Alex Knight, award-winning founder and CEO of the amazing STEMazing initiative. The best way to introduce you to STEMazing's mission and work is to take this quote directly from their website:"STEMAZING is a Call to Action to collectively amplify the voice of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths so we can create a more diverse and inclusive STEM future".In the podcast, we track Alex's journey from school to a successful career as an engineering consultant. We explore the passion to m...2023-06-2756 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - Baysgarth School An engineering journey (Part 2)This is the second part of a two-part series of podcasts, and the first of its kind recorded live in a school. We are excited to be able to bring you what we plan will be a series of spotlight sessions focused on D&T departments nationally. If you have stumbled across this episode without listening to Part One of the mini-series, I politely suggest you go back, as sequencing is quite essential. Baysgarth School is a Co-educational secondary school located in Barton-on-Humber, North Lincolnshire. The school was formed in 1975 by merging Barton Grammar School and Beretun S...2023-06-161h 04Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - Baysgarth School An engineering journey (Part 1)This is the first in a two-part series of podcasts and the first recorded live in a school. We are excited to be able to bring you what we plan will be the first in a series of spotlight sessions focused on D&T departments nationally. Baysgarth School is a Co-educational secondary school located in Barton-on-Humber, North Lincolnshire. The school was formed in 1975 through the merger of Barton Grammar School and Beretun Secondary Modern School. The school moved into new buildings within the last seven years.Ofsted visited the school in January this year, and t...2023-06-151h 03Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Gill FitzpatrickIn this episode, we follow Gill's journey from church school, where her dad was the local vicar and knew 'everyone', through to training as a structural engineer, a job that Gill loved and thought she would work in for the rest of her working life. As a young graduate engineer with a degree in applied geology and engineering, Gill took the first tentative steps into the adult world, testing, monitoring and evaluating the structural integrity of concrete structures and piled foundations. This job took her around the world, and she was involved in many prestigious projects, including t...2023-06-091h 01Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Cecile Searle (CEO Magway)Magway is a values-driven startup technology business situated in Wembley, North West London. Started in 2017, their staged vision is to take cargo off our roads and instead run the bulk of this cargo emissions-free on magnetic motor-driven 'trains' either set above or below ground. They are working to drive an electrical revolution, unlock new economies and connect cities, towns and communities like never before.Cecile Searle took over as CEO in 2022, convinced by the founders that she "was already effectively doing the job anyway". In this podcast, we follow her journey from a degree in civil engineering th...2023-04-2554 minDesigned for LifeTeachers in Residence Mini-Series (3) Stephanie TomlinsonThis is the third and final episode in our short mini-series on Teachers in Residence, the initiative within the Design and Technology Association that places teachers in business and industry placements, within which they gain a detailed perspective of the company, learn more about the sector that the business works within, thus allowing them to return to school empowered with this experience and with a knowledge base that enables them to answer that question "Miss/Sir, what's it like to work in..." This episode sees us catch up with Stephanie Tomlinson, Assistant Head of Technology at Queen E...2023-03-0624 minDesigned for LifeTeachers in Residence Mini-series (2) Debbie Inman (Bulletproof)This is the second of three in our short mini-series on Teachers in Residence, the initiative within the Design and Technology Association that places teachers in business and industry placements, within which they gain a detailed perspective of the company, learn more about the sector that the business works within, thus allowing them to return to school empowered with this experience and with a knowledge base that enables them to answer that question "Miss/Sir, what's it like to work in...). This episode sees us catch up with Debbie Inman, talent partner at Bulletproof design agency, a l...2023-02-2726 minDesigned for LifeTeachers in Residence Mini Series (1) Mario de FreitasAround three years ago, the Design and Technology Association recognised a problem which many teachers expressed. Many D&T teachers had entered the profession through the traditional route, school-university-school and as such had no experience of working in business or industry that could inform their teaching. We tried a few trials with teacher placements into industry. We instantly saw that there was gold dust within this work as both the teacher and the industry host came back with glowing accounts of what they gained from the placement, and so Teachers in Residence was born. This sh...2023-02-2038 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Nick GreyIn this episode, we are delighted to be in conversation with Nick Grey, founder and Managing Director of Grey Technologies, better known to most of us as GTech. GTech manufactures cordless tools, with the range running from vacuum cleaners through to garden tools and equipment. In this podcast we follow Nick's journey from his earliest years and what sounds like a few idyllic years when his father's work brought Nick and his six siblings to Ireland, through a problematic secondary education and then a range of jobs that eventually led to a technicians role at vacuum manufacturer V...2023-02-0159 minDesigned for LifeDesigned for Life - in Conversation with Dr. Lynne BianchiIn this episode, we are delighted to be joined by Dr Lynne Bianchi. Lynne is Vice Dean for Social Responsibility, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility, Director of the Science & Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub & Senior Lecturer at Manchester University. A staunch advocate of STEM and vocational education, we track Lynne's journey from her school days, which did not pass without challenge, to her current role at Manchester University and how this came to her through a slightly unorthodox process. We also dig deep into the outreach work Lynne is leading across a range of sectors and h...2023-01-311h 03Designed for LifeDesigned for Life - In conversation with Richard JosephTwin brothers Richard and Antony Joseph are founders and owners of one of the world's most iconic and innovative kitchenware brands. In this podcast, we are fortunate to be in conversation with Richard Joseph, who takes us through his journey from school, where design and technology played a key role in setting his future direction as a designer, through the early days of Joseph Joseph selling glass chopping boards made from a raw material donation from their father's factory. Through to today and running a successful and innovative design business with over two-hundred mission-driven staff across continents. 2022-12-2352 min