ABSTRACT
Summary: This chapter draws on 30 years of projects and initiatives across England and the other three states of the United Kingdom intended to increase the relevance of the curriculum to life outside the school, to promote creativity and enterprise and to foster innovation through ‘minds-on’ as well as ‘hands-on’ teaching strategies. Through an analysis of both successful approaches and a discussion of ‘lessons to be learned’, there is a consideration of the Technical and Vocational Educational Initiative (TVEI) in the 1980s, the introduction in the 1990s of the manufacture of innovative products through the new subject ‘Design and Technology’ for all students aged 5-16 years and, recently, the collaboration with other STEM subjects. There is much to celebrate in promoting and facilitating innovative Product Design for students of all ages across UK, but there have been many obstacles to overcome at national and local levels too. This chapter explores both.
