Design Engineer Construct! 2018 never looked so good...

Going back to the establishment of COYO back in 2009, the reasoning behind such an ambitious venture was predominantly to raise awareness of the breadth of careers that young people could access in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC). I believed the only route was to create a modern, applied curriculum that utilised the creative and digital skills of young people and offered a clear opportunity to nurture talent and intelligence throughout a young person’s secondary education. 

Sadly, the very mention of anything applied, creative and digital in the national curriculum had its issues:

• ‘Applied’ is still at odds with ‘academic’, and any subject that offers practical activities to give a purpose to abstract reasoning is still considered by many to be only for those children who post school destination is FE college or the workplace, pursuing a vocational route rather than A levels in sixth form and on to university. From my own point of view, be it right or wrong, if a child asks a teacher, “when will I ever use Pythagoras Theorem in my life beyond school?”, a teacher has a duty to give an answer that means something to that child. Given that many teachers have never had access to the workplace outside the classroom, I also believe that industry has a duty to support a teacher through any means possible, to ensure that answer is clear and inspirational - an answer that inspires a child to believe they might actually use it one day in the world of work. I stand by my firm belief that DEC can offer context to just about every subject in the national curriculum, not just mathematics. Furthermore, our teachers tell us that their DEC students are improving numeracy and literacy skills, that they are more confident, communicative, creative and responsible, and able to work independently and in a team to solve problems.
• ‘Creativity’ presents a similar challenge in schools. Google it, and you’ll find dozens of scholarly articles arguing for and against creativity, and the frustration of eminent experts is tangible. In his 2013 book “Finding Your Element’, Sir Ken Robinson, whose name is widely recognised on the world’s creative education stage (his 2006 TED Talk entitled “Do Schools kill Creativity talk has attracted nearly 49 million views), claims creativity to be 'the crucial 21st century skill we'll need to solve today's pressing problems’. I couldn't agree more, and suspect the AEC professionals who fathom technical solutions to the desperate needs of developing countries, the infrastructure of cities and the housing crises, might agree too. Consider however, that the introduction of the English Baccalaureate has seen the demise of traditional creative subjects such as Art and Design Technology in schools, so there is a pressing need for teachers to demonstrate the creative elements of STEM/STEAM subjects. A number of leaders of industry have called for DEC to be included in the English Baccalaureate (it’s very definitely a STEAM subject and integrates Geography, English and other subjects too, but you can’t pigeon hole it into a subject silo), and that COYO should move away from technical (vocational) qualification status altogether by offering GCSEs and A levels in DEC. Whichever way DEC goes, it’s survived four changes of UK government, and I hope this will continue. I prefer to measure in terms of “does this subject inspire and prepare young people for one of the most creative industries in the world?” A very definite YES.
• ‘Digital’. Back in 2015, a report from the Digital Skills Committee ("Make or Break: The UK's Digital Future”) called for a joined up approach across schools and universities. Baroness Morgan, who led the Committee, said "Digital is everywhere, with digital skills now seen as vital life skills. It's obvious, however, that we're not learning the right skills to meet our future needs.” Sadly, in secondary education circles, the need for digital skills seems only to be talked about in the context of the new Computer Science GCSE curriculum. Despite offering the UK’s digital natives the exciting opportunity to learn computer coding, animation and games design, it seems, according to the British Computer Society, that the number of students studying for a computing qualification could halve by 2020. The biggest challenge, surprise, surprise, is to attract more girls to take up the subject. In addition, teachers who previously taught ICT complain that their transition to teachers of computer science needs significant training and support. We hear similar concerns from new teachers of DEC who are similarly thrust into an unfamiliar digital space. As such, appropriate training and support is in place from day one, and we also set up a teacher network where teachers can gather in a collaborative digital space and lean on each other as their confidence and expertise develops. Furthermore, the Adopt A School scheme ensures that practising industry professionals are on hand to help. My born of contention, despite all this, is equipment. I am still having to beg industry, through Twitter campaigns and otherwise, to release redundant IT to schools to ensure they have adequate hardware. I’m not sure of the specification needed for Computer Science, but DEC requires industry standard software to enable the development of our students’ digital skills. From London to East Lancashire, Essex to Ayrshire, access to decent equipment remains one of COYO’s greatest challenges, despite government recommendations that speak of digital literacy being 'as important as English and maths'. Thankfully, the schools that have invested in teacher training and overhauled their IT are now seeing a return on their investment through students getting jobs and/or going to university armed with digital competency way beyond their young years. If we are to replicate this, and enable the Construction industry to hang onto this incredible young talent, it’s crucial that schools are given the right advice, and incentive, to provide the right equipment for their children. We can hardly lead in the tech world if we’re not providing leading tech! 

Given the challenges above, and add these to the perception of the construction industry by the general public (yes, those hard hats and muddy boots must get a mention somewhere!), its hard to imagine that a subject that focuses on the theme of the digital built environment would have any traction in schools. 

And yet, Design Engineer Construct! is gaining that traction. The outcomes of DEC students, in meeting the needs of the modern employer, completely justifies its existence in the school timetable, but those who think DEC is simply a final grade on a piece of paper are very much mistaken.

DEC is a hugely significant, holistic teaching and learning programme, and in 2018, we’ll be working once more in collaboration with leading consultancies, universities and professional bodies to develop a complementary new curriculum, giving DEC students further opportunities to focus their skills in a particular sector post 16.

Our students have had some great successes, progressing into both technical and degree apprenticeships and traditional university routes, accessing careers in architecture and architectural technology, building services, mechanical and electrical engineering, civil and structural engineering, project management, geospatial surveying and many more. They have won university scholarships, and made the finals of apprentice awards (with some results still pending! Watch this space…). Their knowledge and skills are in demand by some of the great names of industry, and COYO is regularly asked for access to our schools for the purpose of recruitment.

Some of our post students celebrated their post 16 successes at the House of Lords, joined by their teachers, head teachers and industry sponsors. The event was a great success, once again demonstrating the value of DEC to industry and academic leaders alike. Considering the recent UK Industrial Strategy (aptly subtitled “Building a Britain fit for the future”) sets out to “help young people develop the skills they need to do the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future”, I aim to ensure that our students are guaranteed access to the technology that will give them the best possible start in their careers. Part of this provision includes access to the ReconstructEDTM virtual environment, a project that I’ve been working on for the past 18 months with leaders in the field of VR. Soon, any DEC student will be able to visit their chosen construction site from the comfort of their classroom. A strategic partnership will be announced in 2018 to take this VR innovation to full launch.

We will create a standalone platform providing remote access to the DEC Learning Programme and cutting edge technologies for teachers and students to use wherever they are in the world. This will come into its own as we launch a pilot programme for ex military staff with the enduring support of St Ambrose Barlow RC High School, enabling Royal Engineers to retrain and teach DEC in prisons across the UK. It will also enable us to provide DEC to schools and other education establishments in areas where the face to face training and support will be a challenge to implement. 

Our relationships with professional bodies have increased significantly, and their support is appreciated more now than ever as our students look them for advice on routes to Chartership. We must offer sincere thanks especially to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Chartered Institute of Civil Engineering Surveyors, the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Building who continue to champion our cause, directly supporting our projects financially, and our schools through access to their resources and their members. This will undoubtedly increase following a number of exciting developments to be announced in the coming year.

The support of Universities has grown to an extent whereby pilot programmes of mentorship are taking place in a number of schools, giving undergraduates and post graduates the opportunity not only to inspire the next generation, but also to improve their own interpersonal skills. Conversely, DEC students are gaining much from the support of their older peers, and the knowledge transfer from one to another is tangible. We expect this mentor programme to roll out across the UK this coming year, and must give a special mention to the work of Salford, Heriot Watt, Loughborough and Napier universities for the work they are currently doing to support DEC students and teachers. Heriot Watt University has also led a study entitled “Mutual Benefit: Investigating how DEC delivery in schools can be supported by industry and higher/further education partners” and found that there is “evidential, replicable, measurable value to all parties”. The report will be published in the new year.

The Industrial Strategy leads with an introduction from the Prime Minister that will “make our United Kingdom a country that truly works for everyone.” The coinciding launch of the government’s Social Mobility Action Plan will enable COYO to work more strategically with schools, industry, universities, local authorities and LEPs in areas of the UK where communities feel ‘left behind’. Since the DEC Learning Programme was designed to work for everyone, no matter where they come from, and already has a track record of improving the life chances of learners in areas of high deprivation, I look forward to widening our offer through a dedicated government scheme.

Since COYO was established back in 2009, I’ve had some real obstacles to overcome, and had to make some particularly tough decisions in 2017 about the future of the DEC programme. I stand by these decisions, in the interest of our schools, and ultimately our students and our teachers, as I sincerely believe DEC is a disruptive force for good. I lead a dedicated team that first and foremost cares very much about what we do and the people we do it for. We listen and we act, always with the best of intentions. We are capable of so much more, but as a small social business with limited funding and capacity, it can be a slow process. However, we are highly motivated, having a collective vision to inspire all young people to reach their full potential through world class education and opportunity.

On a final note, in the forthcoming Year of Engineering and Year of Young People, I am thrilled to have been selected to receive an MBE for services to education in the 2018 New Year Honours List. This is not only recognition for myself, but for my team and all those who believed in Design Engineer Construct! from the beginning, who continue to make it what it is today, and what it will be in the future. There are now over 30 globally recognised organisations supporting 68 schools through the Adopt A School scheme to deliver DEC throughout England and Scotland, with another 138 in the pipeline. Add the opportunities we’re exploring to deliver the programme internationally, I sincerely believe 2018 will be the Year of DEC.

I wish all our friends a happy and productive new year, and sincerely thank each and every one for the support they give to help our students grow and prosper in 2018.

Alison