Design education has always needed support from industry, and AI adoption is making that need even more urgent, writes Stephen Holmes. A little help can go a long way and there are many ways for organisations to get involved
The dog days of summer are already drawing to a close. Dealing with heatwaves and pleading for aircon will soon be cast to the back of our minds, as we all try to fathom where we stored our Big Coats in time for the inevitable cold snaps to come.
With the start of autumn comes the return to education; not only for wide-eyed youths aiming to acquire the skills needed to join the product design and engineering workforce, but also for some of you heading back to your regular roles in the sector.
These educators include teachers, lecturers, workshop and IT support staff and those who juggle day-to-day design work with the occasional provision of training or advice to others, perhaps to top up the household coffers for a new car or an extension, for example.
All of them play an important role in this industry. Without them, we’d be at a loss to identify the skills and talents needed just to prop up the industry’s ranks, let alone advance it.
Reasons to be cheerful
Some of the most supportive educators were to be found this summer at the graduate design showcase, New Designers. Whether they were accompanying graduates competing in the challenge, or bringing along a class to learn more and hopefully focus their minds on a career in product design, it was genuinely heartening to see the levels of pride on display at Islington’s Business Design Centre in late June/early July.
Equally encouraging is the number of STEM staff who are getting actively involved with extracurricular secondary school projects. Going into 2027, DEVELOP3D will be supporting Scalextric4Schools again, an event that sees teams of students design, engineer, build and race a slot car to perform on the legendary Scalextric tracks.
The enthusiasm around this event is infectious and the students pick up so many skills that rigid curriculums and limited teaching timeframes often skirt past. Seeing young students bring their ideas to life by blitzing through Onshape and modelling up design like old pros is a sight to behold.
But all educators know that guiding the next generation through the education system and popping them out into the world as skilled adults is increasingly an underpaid and under-resourced task, squeezed from all sides. Yet now there’s a looming difference that looks set to exacerbate the issue: AI.
Architecture isn’t the only sector cutting back on new graduates and replacing them with automation. So what is the product development industry going to do about it?
Take action
The mass onboarding of AI tools is already decimating the hiring of new graduates in other industries such as architecture. But that’s not the only sector cutting back on new graduates, and replacing them with automation – and the same impact will soon be felt in product development. So what are we going to do about it?
I was lucky enough to once work at an engineering company that saw the huge benefit of having a community and education engagement team. That team arranged for engineers to give presentations at schools and colleges, ran branded STEM days, and backed any and every relevant local initiative.
That made sense for the engineering company involved. It needed local talent. Big wages alone will never be enough to attract the brightest talents to an isolated, post-industrial corner of the country to work in an unglamorous sector.
Support your local community and its educational resources and, while some young people will inevitably leave the area, others may choose to remain. Those who stick around will already have an idea of what your business does and what the local area offers, helping to avoid the revolving door of staff defections and skills loss and hopefully building long-term success.
Sadly, this (or any engagement) is often the first thing to be binned by companies that are tightening belts, especially small and medium-sized organisations.
Giving back
So here’s my proposition to you: with a new educational year upon us, please look to put something back into the system.
The huge number of students at New Designers this year who have been unable to find an industry placement was painful to see. Bright, talented, willing to learn and possibly even to hang around after graduation if they secure gainful employment, the vast majority are simply looking for a first step on the ladder.
If offering placements isn’t a possibility right now, perhaps your company could offer an ‘industry project’ to get a university class involved? If so, do it.
At a lower level, reach out to STEM teachers at your local schools. Ask if they’ve heard about Scalextric4Schools, offer to sponsor their team, perhaps volunteer some time and guidance.
These little acts will be valued. And they’ll be remembered, too, as a sign that your organisation recognises its responsibility to new talent and to the local area, and is actively working to foster the talent needed to develop future products that can change and advance lives.
This article first appeared in DEVELOP3D Magazine
DEVELOP3D is a publication dedicated to product design + development, from concept to manufacture and the technologies behind it all.
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