Mainly because of its history, Design and Technology is often perceived as being a

vocationally-based subject. Whether you support that view or not, Design and

Technology – like all other subjects – must take responsibility for preparing pupils for life

after school. For most pupils this means employment, and so some thought needs to be

given as to how to best prepare pupils for the world of work. This chapter considers the

contribution that Design and Technology makes to this. The chapter is an edited version of a paper presented at IDATER 98 and develops ear-

lier work carried out by the authors. The work reported here was presented in a final report, Learning through making – executive summary (The Crafts Council 1998).