The design education pledge.

Providing unique learning experiences for the next generation of designers

In recent years, the UK’s Design and Technology (D&T) education sector has faced significant challenges, leading to a concerning decline in GCSE and A-Level entries. Earlier this year, the Design Council reported a 67% decrease in GCSE Design and Technology entrants between 2011 and 2023, (Design Council, 2024). A series of factors are believed to have led to this, including but not limited to; curriculum and qualification changes, recruitment challenges and funding cuts (Design and Technology Association, 2023). As resources become more limited, students are more likely to miss out on the opportunity to fully develop the knowledge, skills and personal experiences that this subject offers.

As Product Design graduates who studied Design and Technology throughout our secondary education, we understand the importance of hands-on learning and recognise the crucial role that D&T plays in fostering creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills. Without the support of our design and technology classes at school, we wouldn’t have built the skills or had the opportunity to set the foundations of our careers and be where we are today.

In support of the ‘Blueprint for Renewal’ (Design Council, 2024) we have put together a package of context-based learning solutions aimed at assisting the adjustment towards a broad, balanced and creative curriculum. We understand that our offer will not cause a drastic change to student uptake however, we truly believe that our training and Gravity Sketch’s capabilities can act as a stepping stone to increasing numbers and bringing a new generation into Design and Technology.

Our offer.

To support an uptake in Design and Technology and inspire students to take on design in their academic careers, we are pleased to announce the launch of our Education Pledge.

At Mesh Training, we pledge to prioritise support for Design and Technology education in schools and colleges to help inspire the next generation of innovators and designers.

The education pledge is very much a dynamic project and will develop as time goes on. To support this we would like to actively encourage open conversation across industry and education to optimise the services that we can provide. If you have any suggestions or would like a 1:1 conversation with the team, please do not hesitate to get in-touch.

Cost Effective Training

All training whether bespoke or standardised is discounted for the education sector. Simply email the team at info@meshtraining.co.uk from your education email address to unlock your discount code.

Teaching Resources

Once you’re up to scratch with the software, you’ll be ready to share it with your classes across the school. To help you out, we can advise on creating context-based syllabus content, mixed method design challenges (combining VR and real-world design practices) and provide teaching material such as presentation rooms and interactive learning experiences that are ready to be ‘dragged and dropped’ into your workspace. Contact the team for further information: info@meshtraining.co.uk

Free workshops

We would also like to provide your design and technology class (years 10-13) with an in-person ‘Gravity Sketch for Beginners’ workshop at no charge*. The session runs for 4 hours and will give your students a solid foundation of the fundamental Gravity Sketch tools. Headsets for 10 members of the class are also provided, allowing students to collaborate on contextual design challenges in a digital studio environment. The session also aims to demonstrate to students how immersive technology is currently being used in industry, whilst giving them the opportunity to try something new and look at solving design problems from a new point of view. We are currently offering this workshop to one class per academic term however, we intend to open the opportunity to more schools in the future.

Advent Term (September 2024): Booked

Lent Term (January 2025): Booked

Trinity Term (April 2025): Available (Application Deadline: 15/03/2024)

* The workshop is free of charge however, we kindly ask clients to cover travel expenses to allow us to continue providing this service. To reduce the risk of damage to our headsets, a £50 deposit is required per headset borrowed which will be refunded within 14 days after the session is completed if no damage is found. Please note that the group may have to be split up into smaller class sizes due to logistics and safety which will require you to book additional sessions to facilitate the entire class.

Please read this session disclaimer before submitting an application: Disclaimer

To apply for a free workshop, please fill in this short application form