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The Design & Technology Association is proud to enter its second year supporting Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow competition.  Solve for Tomorrow is a free-to-enter, tech-for-good competition which empowers students aged 11-18 to solve real-world problems in one of three carefully selected design contexts. Its objective is to empower young people, regardless of their background, to develop the future-ready skills required not just for employment, but for modern life.  In this podcast, we are joined by Jessie Soohyun Park (Head of Corporate and Social Responsibility for Samsung Electronics UK), and Amanda Moffat, Head of D&T and STEM, and Lucinda Holmes, Art, Design and Technology teacher at Alderman Peel High School in Norfolk.  Alderman Peel entered all Year 9 students in the competition last year, and a group of Lucinda's students not only made it to the final but also won overall in their age group.  This year, Solve for Tomorrow is timed to coincide with Green Careers Week, which is scheduled to run nationally from November 2nd to 6th. This week highlights sustainable career pathways, emerging green technologies, and eco-friendly skill sets for young people, teachers, and parents.  Whether you want to learn more about Solve for Tomorrow and enter your own students, or follow the journey of two experienced teachers who successfully immersed themselves and their students in last year's competition, this podcast has something for everyone.  So, sit back, relax and listen to Designed for Life - In Conversation discussing Samsung Solve for Tomorrow & Green Careers Week.  To find out more about Solve for Tomorrow, please follow this link: https://solvefortomorrowuk.com/?utm_source=D&TA&utm_medium=Hark&utm_campaign=Oct_2026-Podcast-DesignTechnologyLeads-Secondary-UK-&utm_content=shownotes And a press release celebrating last year's winning team from Alderman Peel High School: https://www.wensumtrust.org.uk/aldermanpeel/news-and-events/aphs-news/alderman-peel-students-impress-at-samsung

For the second year running, I am delighted that Designed for Life was recorded live at New Designers in London in early July.  I know some listeners won't be familiar with New Designers (https://www.newdesigners.com/), so what is it, and why is it so important?  New Designers is the UK's leading annual graduate design exhibition, showcasing the work of over 2,500 emerging designers across disciplines like product design, textiles, graphics, and contemporary crafts. Held in London every summer, it's a chance for newly graduated students to showcase their work, meet other students, and hopefully meet industry professionals who can help them enter the industry and sometimes assist with arranging interviews and work placements... It's a big deal!  This year, the quality of work demonstrated was, in my opinion, as varied across sectors and as high in quality as it has ever been (interestingly, that's not the opinion of some people online).  In this podcast, you'll hear a range of short conversations with students presenting at the show. I wandered the show, taking in all the presentations, and then went back to those that caught my eye, subjective, I know but hopefully I have managed to pick a pretty diverse group to talk to across materials and sectors.  Obviously, to gain full benefit from the pod, you also need to see the products described. We will put these on our website and add a link at the bottom of the show notes when it goes live.  Just two of the designers featured on this pod:  Freddie Bowhill Fbowhilldesign. com  A purpose-built, fully inflatable rooftop tent for the weekend warrior to embrace the outdoors without the faff. Designed for the 17-year-old fresh from their test. The grandparents on kid duty. The full-time worker chasing two days out of seven. Structured weeks, narrow windows, every hour to count. Grab it from the closet, throw in the boot, pull over, pump it up, sleep anywhere.  At 12kg and pitched in under two minutes on any roof bar, A-FRAME is the lightest, fastest, and most compact rooftop tent on the market. Built to be repaired. Built to CHASE THE FEELING. Freja Malle Høyer  Instagram: frejamalle.embroidery .  Sit back and listen to Designed for Life, recorded live at New Designers 2026 To see some of the images mentioned on this podcast, visit Designed for Life - New Designers 2026 | D&T Association

3D printing has gone from strength to strength in recent years within UK schools and is now firmly established as one of the major tools used by students to fast prototype.  The majority of D&T departments now have at least one printer, and with the market now dominated by Bambu Lab, these new machines are making 3D printing available to all (including many students now having their own machines at home); it is clear that the use of 3D printing will continue to grow and develop within education.  Phil Cotton saw an opportunity some years ago, and, as a teacher and Head of Department, was an early adopter of 3D printing. As he used it more in his own school and shared his experiences online, he noticed other teachers reaching out for help and advice...in this way, Learn by Layers, an online 3D printing educational platform, was born.  Over the years, the platform has grown and developed into a small business supporting educational printing worldwide. A Bambu curriculum was added as Phil adapted the content to meet teachers' needs and requests. LearnBylayers provides ready-to-teach 3D printing resources for schools and is currently taught in over 1500 schools in 33 countries.  We pick up this conversation as Phil readies himself to diversify his online offering into online revision, supporting STEM subjects with the release of the Studylayers platform (more information within the pod). As we prepare for the start of a new term, grab your earpods, grab a tea or coffee, put your feet up for 50 minutes, and listen to Designed for Life, in conversation with teacher and founder of Learn by Layers, Phil Cotton.  www.learnbylayers.com   Studylayers link https://www.learnbylayers.com/studylayers/

In part two of this two-part mini-series, we dig deep into what system changes might be necessary to make teaching the attractive profession that it once was. One-third of all teachers who have qualified across all subjects in the last decade have already left teaching; here we ask why that might be the case and what needs to change.  We also talk to more students graduating from their PGCE qualification and find out what excites and frustrates them from their experience to this point. I have to say that, despite the worrying statistic mentioned above, I sense nothing but excitement and optimism from the students that I met on the day. I have it in mind to follow these teachers up a couple of years in and see how things panned out for them. I, for one, am excited by the quality of graduates entering D&T classrooms in September. Goldsmiths, University of London is one of the longest-established providers of D&T teacher education in the country and, over the years, has been instrumental in helping shape the subject that we now know. In this short mini-series of two episodes, we spent a day at Goldsmiths talking with Alice Hellard, who leads the PGCE programme at the university and some of this year's graduates who, at the time of recording, were just days away from completing their course.  As you hopefully relax on your well-earned summer break, I hope you can find time to grab a cold drink, sit back and listen to Designed for life - In conversation with Alice Hellard and graduating PGCE students from Goldsmiths University London.  Alice Hellard completed her PGCE in Design & Technology at Goldsmiths, University of London almost 20 years ago before teaching in two south London schools. She is now back at Goldsmiths where she leads the PGCE D&T programme. In these podcasts we also hear from students on the programme: Josie Beardsmore, Nikki Blustin, Steve Cheung, Tyla Garrett, Rajinder Kalsi, Patrick Readings, Ed Thomas, Nick Thomas and Noah Thompson. https://www.gold.ac.uk/pgce/secondary-design-technology/?https://www.gold.ac.uk/&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23383165810&gbraid=0AAAAADF9-XDCJh-u42U6ADj7hpY1fdMdD&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjb3SBhDgARIsAMKiWzjwgb20eW9Alyla9YqQrNCAzA1MixdXYmxs1y1djagUpKf_BuX3oNsaAg91EALw_wcB

Goldsmiths, University of London is one of the longest-established providers of D&T teacher education in the country and, over the years, has been instrumental in helping shape the subject that we now know. In this short mini-series of two episodes, we spent a day at Goldsmiths talking with Alice Hellard, who leads the PGCE programme at the university and some of this year's graduates who, at the time of recording, were just days away from completing their course.  At a time when trained D&T teacher numbers are at a record low following years of under-recruitment and a central neglect of the subject's curriculum value, this seems as good a time as any to get 'under the hood' of one of our major teacher training organisations and see how things really are and, just as importantly, how they feel to the new teachers about to enter schools as Early Career Teachers (ECTs).  As you hopefully relax on your well-earned summer break, I hope you can find time to grab a cold drink, sit back and listen to Designed for life - In conversation with Alice Hellard and graduating PGCE students from Goldsmiths University London.  Alice Hellard completed her PGCE in Design & Technology at Goldsmiths, University of London almost 20 years ago before teaching in two south London schools. She is now back at Goldsmiths where she leads the PGCE D&T programme. In these podcasts we also hear from students on the programme: Josie Beardsmore, Nikki Blustin, Steve Cheung, Tyla Garrett, Rajinder Kalsi, Patrick Readings, Ed Thomas, Nick Thomas and Noah Thompson. https://www.gold.ac.uk/pgce/secondary-design-technology/?https://www.gold.ac.uk/&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23383165810&gbraid=0AAAAADF9-XDCJh-u42U6ADj7hpY1fdMdD&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjb3SBhDgARIsAMKiWzjwgb20eW9Alyla9YqQrNCAzA1MixdXYmxs1y1djagUpKf_BuX3oNsaAg91EALw_wcB

At the end of 2025, I was privileged to be asked to visit the JLR plant in Gaydon in the West Midlands to attend their Creative Showcase. I don't hide the fact that I am a car enthusiast, so I must admit that letting me loose amidst the creativity, design and engineering excellence on show was a little akin to letting a child with a sweet tooth free in a sweet shop.  One of the highlights of the day for me was meeting a group of apprentices from a range of creative disciplines. As far as I am aware, these good people put their hands up and volunteered to meet with me to explain their roles at JLR and how they got there. I added one request to the conversation before we started: "Please tell me what your experience of D&T was at school, good or bad, and did this have any influence on you wanting to do what you now do at JLR?" One by one, every young person in the room told me of a D&T teacher that had connected with them, and all of the students confidently stated they would be very unlikely to be doing what they do today, were it not for the influence of the named teacher and Design and Technology.  One of those young people was Jasmine Allen. Jasmine is a second-year Creative: Technical, Studio Engineering Graduate who, in her own words, works at the intersection between design and engineering, and whose task it is to make sure those two disciplines work in harmony.  In this podcast, we follow Jasmine's journey from school to earning a 1st Class Honours in Product Design and Technology (BSc) at Loughborough University, and find out a little more about her role at JLR and how she successfully applied for it, without a plan B.  This was a really easy and guest-led podcast which I hope you will not only find interesting, but which I feel has the potential to help so many young people currently at school or university and considering a creative career, possibly with a multi-national company such as JLR.  So grab the dog, grab a coffee and a comfy chair, take us to the gym, or maybe to a sun lounger this time of year and enjoy Designed for Life, in conversation with Jasmine Allen.

Ilā is a British artist, producer and vocalist. When you are approached by an agent stating, "Would you like to speak with an artist who operates at the intersection of quantum computer music,  AI and the human voice, well, you kind of say yes straight away! I spend a lot of time researching my guests. If someone is good enough to give up their time to be a guest on the podcast, then the very least I can do as the host is spend some time getting to know them a little before we actually meet. I have to admit to being intrigued by Ilā's background. The education that could so easily have led to an academic career has instead led to a career in which creativity takes precedence, barriers are explored, and walls are knocked down.  There is no doubt that music is the major influence in their professional life. But in talking with Ilā, it became clear that there are no categories, sectors, or topics that are off-limits; curiosity feeds their professional development, and there is definitely an element of, say, "yes" and work out the details later. In this podcast, we cover education, music, and creativity, their importance in a technologically driven world, and the importance of helping instruct young people on how to use AI responsibly as an assistant to learning.  Towards the end, we discuss Ilā's contribution to the BBC Bitesize guide to AI for young people, which is both timely and comprehensive. At a time when education's response to AI and its use by students ranges from "You won't be using that here" to "We welcome students to use AI so long as they reference where and how it has been used, this feels like a very timely conversation.  I loved our hour in conversation, and I believe you will too. So get those ear buds in and enjoy Designed for Life, in conversation with Ilā Kamalagharan. BBC Bitesize guides to AI can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/groups/cgk3rj0kl55t Thanks to Arachne.digital for their continued sponsorship of the podcast, which allows us to bring these conversations to you. Contact Arachne https://www.arachne.digital/ or us for a free evaluation of your school’s cybersecurity.

Leia Milburn is an industrial designer working at Tone Product Design in London. Leia was born in London but grew up in Hong Kong and Singapore. Her father is a D&T teacher and trained as a furniture designer, so she was raised around strong design influences, but has developed her own unique identity as a designer through her degree at Loughborough University and subsequent work at Tone.  In this podcast, we follow Leia's journey from her school education and parental influences to where she is today, what is important to her as a young designer, the comparative isolation of being a woman in a still-male-dominated sector, and what she is proactively doing about it.  It's a flowing and very informative conversation that I feel has much to offer everyone listening, from students, through teachers, to professionals.  So give yourself 50 minutes, put those earbuds in, and listen to Designed for Life in conversation with industrial designer Leia Milburn.  Leia's LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leia-milburn Leia's design Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/design.byleia And if you want to learn more or get involved in the female designer community (Revision), then follow the links below:  REVISION LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revision-design/ REVISION Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revision.bydesign Thanks to Arachne.digital for their continued sponsorship of the podcast, which allows us to bring these conversations to you. Contact Arachne https://www.arachne.digital/ or us for a free evaluation of your school’s cybersecurity.

The countdown is on – the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition closes on 1st February 2026!  This podcast takes on a different format as we talk to Jessie Soohyun Park, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Samsung Electronics UK,  about the Solve for Tomorrow initiative, why a multi-national company such as Samsung believes this work is so important, and how design and technology education naturally fits the knowledge base, skillsets and design curiosity required for the competition.    Bring this challenge into your design and technology classroom and give students aged 11-18 the chance to tackle real-world problems, think creatively, and see their ideas make a difference. @SamsungElectronicsUK have ready-to-use resources, expert mentoring and the Imagination Lab to guide every step.   Students could be designing and prototyping tech-for-good solutions, building confidence and future-ready skills. At the same time, your school could win Samsung technology, mentoring, work experience opportunities, and even national recognition, with your students seeing their work splashed large on Piccadilly Circus.  Short on time? Your students’ NEA or STEM Club coursework may be eligible for submission. We’re proud to be supporting this flagship education programme. Opportunities like this don’t come around every day! Enter before the 1st February 2026 to make sure your students don’t miss out 🔗 www.SolveforTomorrowUK.com   Huge thanks to Archne.digital for their help and continued support, which enables us to continue to bring these conversations to you. Reach out to them today to arrange a free audit of your school’s cybersecurity.

On the first day of 2026, and if we are honest, a touch later than planned due to the Christmas break, we are delighted to open the New Year with a conversation with the Co-founder of Applied Design (https://helloapplied.com), one of New York's leading branding and design agencies. A short while back, Applied Design was commissioned for what, at first, appeared to be a relatively straightforward and exciting branding brief. Braille was 100 years old (a fact tI find challenging to comprehend in itself), and to mark the centenary, the Braille Institute of America (https://www.brailleinstitute.org) commissioned Applied Design to carry out a rebrand.  As the design team at Applied dug into the task, they were unable to find a typeface that was both functional and exciting enough. With the Braille Institute's permission, the team took on the task of designing a new and exciting typeface.  Following extensive research, testing, and development, Atkinson Hyperlegible emerged as the typeface emanating from the identified design task. A typeface that the Braille Institute waived all claims to ownership of early in the process; a visible demonstration of the charitable cause taking over from any desire to create profit.  Google, Microsoft, Canva, and others have since adopted the typeface. It is estimated that Atkinson Hyperlegible is now downloaded at least 70 million times per week, being utilised by blind, partially sighted and able-sighted alike.  In this podcast, we talk about the processes that led to the creation of Atkinson Hyperlegible, the importance of design education for all young people, AI adoption, why we shouldn't fear it, and more. Thanks to Brad's willingness to dig deep on these subjects, this is a deep and fascinating conversation that I know you will enjoy.  So, start the New Year as you mean to go on, grab those earplugs, give yourself 56 minutes to yourself and enjoy this episode of Designed for Life.  Thanks to Arachne.digital for their continued sponsorship of the podcast, which allows us to bring these conversations to you. Contact Arachne https://www.arachne.digital/ or us for a free evaluation of your school’s cybersecurity.  Links to Atkinson Hyperlegible: https://www.brailleinstitute.org/freefont/ https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Atkinson+Hyperlegible https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Atkinson+Hyperlegible+Next

One pattern that has repeated across the 108 podcasts published since Designed for Life launched in the summer of 2020 is the role of serendipity in aligning people and their careers.  Today's podcast is a case in point. Driven by a primal desire to help people, Olivia set her heart on a career in medicine. School and academia did not come easily to her, and she realised at a very early stage that if she were to have any hope of following her dream, she would need to roll her sleeves up and work harder than most.  With this in mind, this is precisely what she did, sacrificing aspects of her social life and doing whatever was asked of her at school to achieve her goals, and more. Outstanding GCSE results followed, with Olivia being featured on her school's website front page as a success story. Here, the rhetoric changed as teachers now looked upon her as an 'academic' and as such, started to point her towards A Level success and University.  Some careers are no doubt easier to enter if you come from the middle or upper classes. Finance is a factor if you want to enter architecture, medicine, law and many other career pathways; who you know and your access to work placements and internships are also significant factors.  Olivia took a year out to rethink her future and, at first, saw Amazon as a way to earn money while she refocused. She is now a Mechantronics Engineering Apprentice at Amazon and is in her flow state in this position.  I first came across Olivia at a recent Women in Manufacturing Conference, where she was on a panel alongside equally impressive fellow apprentices, and I had to ask her to share her story on the podcast. There is so much to learn from both her journey and where she is today. So sit back, take an hour for yourself and enjoy Designed for Life - In conversation with Olivia Lane.  Huge thanks to Arachne.digital for their support that makes this podcast possible. To get a free check on your school's cyber security email [email protected] For more information, please see Girls Gone STEM on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@girlsgonestem?_r=1&_t=ZN-91udctoZ8WE. Or check Olivia's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-lane-02bb802a2?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

You can cover so much learning within the confines of the classroom, but with design & technology education, whether at the primary or secondary level, a carefully planned educational visit can add so much. At the Design & Technology Association, we are always seeking potential visits to recommend to teachers and their students. With this in mind, we are delighted to talk with Julie Brierley, Head of Learning and Engagement at the excellent RAF Museum, Midlands.  In this podcast, Julie takes us back to a mixed experience at school. Loving her primary school experience, and then finding secondary school to be less than welcoming to a shy, introverted student. Design and Technology education proved to be a sanctuary within this environment, and being one of the few female students was not a barrier to her loving the subject. Set on a career in nursing, she surprised everyone (parents included) by leaving school as soon as she could and joining the RAF as an apprentice flight engineer. Here she found her 'tribe' and was immediately at home, but as we will hear in the podcast, this was before equality of opportunity reached the forces. As a woman, there were several challenges to overcome. Julie is now Head of Learning and Engagement at RAF Museum Midlands, a perfect setting to study all things D&T, maths, science and across most of the curriculum.  This is a tale of perseverance, about finding what you love, sticking with it, and finding a working role that plays to your strengths and brings you fulfilment and joy! I loved the conversation, and I think you will too. Thanks to Arachne.digital for their continued support, which enables us to bring these conversations to you. Please reach out to request a consultation to secure your school's cyber presence by emailing [email protected] or visiting arachne.digital https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/midlands/schools-and-colleges/ https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/midlands/schools-and-colleges/learning-events/

We have been offline for a short while whilst we evaluate, reconsider where the podcast is heading and reset. This is the first of what will be a regular series of brief updates between the main podcasts.  In these, we aim to tell you what we are up to at the Design & Technology Association, highlight any primary areas of work you might not be aware of, discuss what's going on with the subject, and occasionally bring in guests to help inform the conversation. These pods will never be more than 12 minutes in length and will be released between the main Designed for Life podcasts...but only when there is something relevant to say! Let us know what you think.

In this podcast, we are going to test your knowledge of UK manufacturing, your memory, and empathy for items that, by their very nature, invoke nostalgia, as we take you through a journey that transcends technological change and leads through a combination of determination, an 'old-fashioned' desire to be the very best in a field, and contains equal amounts of passion and innovation.  Sound Leisure is a truly unique company. Built on one man's dream and passion for combining engineering and music, Sound Leisure is now the leading manufacturer of jukeboxes, not just in the UK but arguably worldwide. Sound Leisure started in 1978 with a custom-designed jukebox, and today is the only manufacturer in the world producing classic jukeboxes for all major formats, including CD, Digital, Vinyl 45 and Vinyl LP, with all jukeboxes coming fitted with Bluetooth. And all of this comes not from Nashville or Germany, but proudly from Leeds.  In this conversation with Chris Black, who, with his brother, leads the company founded by his father, inventor and electrical engineer Alan Black, the company remains owned and run by Alan and his family, making it the oldest, single-ownership jukebox company anywhere in the world. From its foundation to the present day, Sound Leisure has remained a brave and forward-thinking organisation. From becoming the first British company to design, develop and build a commercially viable and widely adopted jukebox platform in the 1970s, they went on to pioneer the early development of digitised music platforms in the 1980s and were responsible for the reintroduction of vinyl jukeboxes in 2016.  They remain a globally recognised and respected leader in their sector, with countless patents and industry-firsts to their name. Their consistent success and growth over a 40-year period, which saw the demise of many long-established jukebox manufacturers such as Seeburg and Wurlitzer, is based on an ongoing commitment to developing better products and technologies and an unfailing focus on high-quality British manufacturing. Chris has heavily invested in his local community, keen to grow his company with local talent, and has reached out to schools and colleges to identify young people who possess the drive, determination, and passion to join Sound Leisure's journey.  This podcast was an absolute pleasure to record. Chris and his team are on a mission to make every jukebox they create unique. Handcrafted and featuring the latest carefully assembled technologies, you are not just buying a machine from Sound Leisure; you are joining a family. To view Sound Leisure's Classic Jukebox range, visit  www.soundleisure.com.  To view their operations webpage, visit  https:/www.operations.soundleisure.com/ And for their kids division visit – www.Slkids.co.uk Huge thanks to Arachne.digital for their sponsorship and support, which make these podcasts possible. Reach out to them, free to ensure

New Blades is an annual model-making exhibition and recruitment fair held in London each year, showcasing the work of graduating students from various UK universities and colleges. It's a key event for connecting emerging talent in the model-making industry with employers and professionals. The event is organized by 4D Modelshop, a major supplier to British model makers.  This is the first time the Design & Technology Association has attended this exhibition but it certainly won’t be the last. In this podcast we talk with students, university lecturers and industry professionals as we seek to follow each student interviewed on their journey from inspiration, through school and university, to a career in architecture, film and other exciting related industries.  This podcast was recorded in a crowded exhibition on mobile recording equipment, I believe it successfully captures the excitement and bustle of a crowded centre, but the sound may not be on a par with our usual standard; I hope you can appreciate why. We reference many of the student models on show in our conversations, these can be seen in their full glory through this link: https://www.designtechnology.org.uk/news/new-blades-2025-celebrates-the-next-generation-of-modelmakers/ Huge thanks to Arachne.digital your cyber threat intelligence platform for their support that makes these podcasts possible. Contact them for a free appraisal of your school’s cyber security.  This is a very different venture for Designed for Life.  It’s one we are keen to replicate should you, the listener feel it appropriate. We would really appreciate your feedback, positive or otherwise to [email protected]