Year 9 Design & Technology Careers Morning
We hosted a fabulous Design Careers Day last Friday 15th November allowing our Year 9 students to meet an inspiring team of designers from a variety of design backgrounds.
The designers ran 6 sessions over a period of 4 lessons on Friday morning. The girls learnt about sustainable fashion with Jody Plows, CEO of Nobody’s Child; lighting impressive buildings and spaces with Simon Thorp; zero-waste design and pattern; designing new apps with Product Designer / lecturer Neil Melton; keeping the customer always in mind with Matt and Ali Grey, a husband and wife who are both designers in their own fields and who together are responsible for the repurposing of an industrial water tower in Tonwell into a very stylish and modern Airbnb.
The morning was very successful, with students coming away feeling much more able to make informed choices about their GCSE D&T options.
The D&T team would like to thank all the designers who gave their time to be with us and to work with our Year 9 students at this very important time for them.
Student comments …
On the 15th November 2024 Year 9 had a Careers Day which showed us the different job routes you could take if you decide to do a Design & Technology subject as a GCSE option.
We had six inspirational sessions which were different from usual Design & Technology lessons because we got to speak to people who actually do a Design job.
We had a session with Matt Grey who showed us what you can turn things into to make them more useful. For example Matt and his wife Ali converted a water tower into an Airbnb.
We then had a session with Ali Grey. She explained to us all the things a customer specification should include and how important it is to know your customer when designing a product.
Next we had Jody Plows (the CEO of sustainable clothing range Nobody’s Child) who spoke to us about the fashion industry and how to make it more sustainable. We then experienced the chance to design something with a zero waste ethos so it doesn’t have a negative impact on the environment with Mrs Hayhurst.
Our next session was with Neil Melton from Middlesex University who talked to us about how to create a successful app and the importance of having a persuading pitch.
We ended the day speaking to Simon Thorp – a lighting designer who delivered a session on creative lighting where he showed how a variety of lighting concepts light up different spaces. Overall we really enjoyed the day and learnt lots from it.
Chloe Butler and Marley Hattam
I was very excited for the D&T morning because it is something I really enjoy and was already considering as a GCSE option. I enjoyed all of the activities we did, they were very interesting. I loved the practical as well as the discussions. I felt like I learned some important things such as how to be sustainable. I really enjoyed learning about all of the careers people chose and how they got to where they are today. The D&T morning helped me realize that taking D&T as a GCSE is something that I would like to do.
Bea Caudle
The Design Speakers
Neil Melton
BSc CertIOSH RDTHSC
Senior Technical Tutor / Safety Advisor
Middlesex University
Faculty of Science and Technology
A senior University Tutor based in North London (Faculty of Science and Technology), teaching on the BSc undergraduate programmes for both Product Design and Design engineering. Neil holds a first class degree in Occupational Safety a NEBOSCH certificate in Fire Risk Management lecturing on both the under and post graduate programmes for Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental sciences.
Jody Plows
Jody Plows has led the Nobody’s Child team since 2019. Prior to Nobody’s Child, Jody held senior positions at 4 major retailers. After university and working on the retail shop floor, Jody joined River Island where she discovered a passion for product and trading.
Jody has a daughter in Year 8 at Presdales, and is extremely committed to our D&T Careers team. She knows the importance of showing our young designers of the future what there could be out there for them if they make the right subject choices at school.
Matt and Alison Grey
Matt has over thirty years of experience in the application of Product, UX, Web, UI, Architectural, Packaging, Brand and Graphic Design.
He works in the medical, consumer electronic, fashion, retail, exhibition, print, hospitality and FMCG industries.
He enjoys company, he loves people, he loves work, and works to make a difference.
He has a family, many hobbies, a backlog of personal projects and an ongoing industrial building conversion.
Ali has been developing physical and digital products for over 20 years. The first 10 years were spent working in product design engineering and interaction design and Ali founded and ran a software product business for 5 of those years.
The next 10 years were embedded within the satellite communications industry.
Ali led Inmarsat’s Product Strategy and Innovation team before leaving in 2022 to pursue her family business in property development and experience design.
In terms of what makes Ali tick, she says it’s a combination of being a catalyst to innovation and giving others a chance to show how exceptional they are and can be.
She is a proud mother of two wonderful girls who inspire her every day.
Simon Thorp – Director at LAPD Lighting Design Consultants
Creating beautifully illuminated places and spaces for people across the world. Lighting design projects range from small, intimate interiors to the conception of lighting design strategies to illuminate major cities.
