Designed for Life – Details, episodes & analysis

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Designed for Life

Designed for Life

Tony Ryan CEO Design & Technology Association

Kids & Family
Arts
Education

Frequency: 1 episode/17d. Total Eps: 105

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This is the official podcast of the Design and Technology Association. 'Designed for life' aims to entertain, inform and inspire, bringing the worlds of business and industry together. Design and Technology is a wide-ranging curriculum subject that, along with qualifications in other facilitating subjects, can open doors to students across an ever-increasing breadth of career. England was the first country in the world to introduce this subject to its mainstream curriculum offer in 1988. Where we led others, have followed and in various guises, it is now taught in countries around the world including India, Australia, China, USA, France and Finland. This podcast consists of a series of short, informal conversations with people from across the worlds of education, industry and design. The intention is to help to link business, industry and education, as the solutions to tomorrows problems are being educated today!
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Apple Podcasts
  • 🇬🇧 Great Britain - educationForKids

    22/07/2025
    #100
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    21/07/2025
    #98
  • 🇬🇧 Great Britain - educationForKids

    20/07/2025
    #92
  • 🇬🇧 Great Britain - educationForKids

    19/07/2025
    #83
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    18/07/2025
    #65
  • 🇬🇧 Great Britain - educationForKids

    17/07/2025
    #51
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    16/07/2025
    #37
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    15/07/2025
    #29
  • 🇬🇧 Great Britain - educationForKids

    14/07/2025
    #38
  • 🇬🇧 Great Britain - educationForKids

    23/06/2025
    #98
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RSS feed quality
Good

Score global : 73%


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Designed for Life - In conversation with Bill Williams

Season 3 · Episode 9

vendredi 9 août 2024Duration 51:24

In this episode, we start a series in which we will talk with Design & Technology Association Trustees about their careers to date and the reasons why being a Trustee of the Association and being connected to its work is important to them. 

We start this series by talking with Bill Williams, Chair of D&TA Trustees.

Bill is an experienced CEO across the manufacturing and engineering sectors. He was formerly a member of the Board of Group Lotus plc, the CEO of the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME) in London, and is presently the Group CEO of Alloy Fabweld, a UK group of manufacturing and innovation companies based in Essex.

During his career, he has worked in the automotive and motorsport industries (including Formula 1 and MotoGP), as well as the pharmaceutical and food manufacturing sectors. He holds an MBA from Cranfield, is an Honorary Fellow of University College London (UCL), a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET).

He commenced his career by completing a Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship with Michelin Tyre Company and is deeply passionate about apprenticeships and the need for design and technology in the national curriculum. 

Bill is currently in his third year as Chair of the Association and has been a Trustee for over six years. 

So relax, grab 51 minutes to yourself and enjoy Designed for Life - In conversation with Bill Williams. 

As always, huge thanks to The Edge Foundation for their continued support of the podcast.


Designed for Life - In conversation with Alex Ball BA (Hons) New Designers 2024

Season 4 · Episode 9

mercredi 7 août 2024Duration 36:57

This is the first episode with young graduates met recently at New Designers 2024 in London. 

Alex graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a second-class BA (Hons) in Product Design. I was struck by the simplicity of his design project and the clear communication of intent within his work. 

It is clear that Alex is very passionate about combating climate change and helping people to live more sustainably; his comment that "I want to utilise my design background to help to bring solutions to this sector" is, in my experience, representative of a significant percentage of his generation who recognises the massive challenges facing mankind and wants to be part of the solution, not a contributor to the problem.  

In the conversation, you will hear how Alex has mapped out a pathway to becoming a talented air source heat pump engineer. He is undoubtedly a talented and driven young designer, and I know he would welcome 'reachouts' from anyone who feels they may be able to contribute to his journey. 

Linkedin.com/in/alex-ball-439339224

Designed for Life - End of Year Compilation 2023

Season 3 · Episode 19

jeudi 28 décembre 2023Duration 01:45:35

So that was 2023! 

Twenty-four episodes of Designed for Life were recorded and published over the course of the year, fulfilling our promise of at least one podcast every two weeks. In these pods, I have been fortunate to speak with a wide range of innovators, founders, designers, engineers, academics, teachers and students, and here in this (admittedly longer than usual podcast), we pick out some of the best moments of 2023 and put them in one place for your listening delight.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single guest from the almost eighty who have given their time to be on the podcast since we started in summer 2020. This really has turned into a passion project; speaking with such talented and creative people has become one of the joys of my role as Chief Executive of the Association. 

I would also like to thank the Edge Foundation for their continued support. As I have stated so many times on the podcast, without their support, we simply would not be able to produce these conversations. 

And last, but not least, I would like to thank you...our listeners. You have streamed the pod almost 25,000 times, and you are the reason we do this work. The feedback that you provide is our fuel not only to continue, but to make this podcast bigger and better. 

We have ambitious plans for next year, including bringing the pod live to more schools across the UK. If you would be willing to host an event for students and their parents at your school (or at a local business), then please do reach out to designedforlife@designtechnology.org.uk

So one last time for 2023, grab the dog lead but prepare the hound for a long walk, take us to the gym but don't go too hard, too soon, or just grab a coffee and a mince pie and listen to the best bits of Designed for Life 2023. 

Designed for Life - In conversation with Becky Pell, Sound Engineer

mercredi 6 décembre 2023Duration 54:13

Where was the first music concert you ever attended? Who was the artist? Who did you see this artist/band with? And finally, how did you feel as you left the gig? If you are like me and love your live music, these are questions that will roll off the tongue. For me, it was the Police. I was fifteen years old and with my best mate from school, the gig was at Hammersmith Odean, and it left me buzzing and wanting more!

In this podcast, we are in conversation with Becky Pell. Becky is a sound engineer touring internationally with some of the biggest names in music. In this conversation, we trace her journey from school to a career that drew her in from her very first concert as a fifteen-year-old, where she saw A-ha live and found her attention split between Morten Harket and the other band members and the engineers working the sound desk in front of her. As she left that concert with her dad, her mind was made up; this was the career for her!

Through this conversation, we gain a glimpse of what life ‘on the road’ is like, explore what it takes as a woman to carve out a career in what is sadly still a male-dominated profession and hear from Becky about the pure joy of her job as she watches thousands of people enjoy the night of their lives...partly because she has done her job well, allowing the performers to do what they do to the very best of their ability.

This is a joyful podcast and one that will change the way that you look at the engineers working at a concert the next time you listen to live music. So grab the dog lead and plug us in your ears, take us to the gym, or just sit back and relax and listen to Designed for Life in conversation with Becky Pell.

To find out more about Tomorrow’s Engineers Week and access their free teaching resources and on-demand schools broadcast, you can visit www.teweek.org.uk/ 

To find out more about EngineeringUK’s work to drive change so that more young people choose engineering and technology careers, visit www.engineeringuk.com

As always, thanks to The Edge Foundation for their continued sponsorship of this podcast. 

Designed for Life - BBC/Beano episode with Mike Sterling and Alex Harris

Season 3 · Episode 18

jeudi 23 novembre 2023Duration 01:04:16

How many of you reading this have fond childhood memories of reading the Beano? I am guessing many of you could name most of the characters from the Beano now; some of you may still have Christmas Annuals tucked away somewhere in the loft. Well, the good news is the Beano is still alive and well...in fact, it is in rude health. 

So when I received an email asking if I would like to speak with Alex Harris (BBC Teach) and Mike Sterling (Creative Director at Beano...although he also has another job title), the answer was an immediate yes!

What followed was an absolutely joyful conversation, sometimes the chat just flows, and we almost forget that the microphones are on and rolling, and this is one of those occasions. 

These two organisations have come together to create a truly inspiring resource aimed at primary school teachers. Comic creativity inspired by Dennis, Gnasher and Minnie the Minx 

The new BBC Teach Beano – how to create a comic set of resources provide a step-by-step guide to help children to make their own comic, from creating characters, to constructing worlds to developing stories. 

Three classroom videos featuring Beano Studios’ mischief makers introduce children to visualising characters as stick people, creating a story mountain, and building a soundscape with words like ‘clang’ or ‘squelch’. 

The new resources are rooted in Beano’s 85 years of expertise in comics and creativity. Featuring Beano creatives Mike Stirling, Ed Stockham, Rhiannon Tate and Craig Graham, the free videos are designed for teachers to use with their primary classes at Key Stage 2, 2nd Level and Progression steps 2 and 3 across the UK. They include everything needed to create a comic as part of a whole class project. The resources are accompanied by teacher notes, templates (thought balloons, head shapes and story mountains) and a specially designed comic book layout.

To access Beano – how to create a comic, visit: https://tinyurl.com/yx7c37x9

So sit back, put your earphones in, grab an hour to yourself and enjoy Designed for Life in conversation with Mike Sterling (Beano) and Alex Harris (BBC). 

Designed for Life - Hethersett Academy (Part Two)

Season 3 · Episode 18

jeudi 16 novembre 2023Duration 01:27:02

This is part two of a two-part mini-series in which we explore the development of the design and technology curriculum offer at Hethersett Academy in East Anglia. If you have not yet listened to part one, I suggest you go back and listen to this first, as there is something of a sequence. 

In this episode, we follow on from our conversation with Kate Finlay, Head of Department and Trust Curriculum Lead by talking with students, parents, the design and technology staff and the Headteacher.  Through these conversations we gain a full picture of how the curriculum has developed at Hethersett, the value of D&T to all concerned and gain some wonderful insights from students. 

So sit back, relax and listen to Designed for Life - In conversation with the staff, students and parents from Hethersett Academy. 

Huge thanks to all the staff and students at Hethersett for their help and co-operation to make this pod possible, and as always thanks to The Edge Foundation for the continued support that makes these podcasts possible. 

 https://www.hethersettacademy.org/

Designed for Life - Hethersett Academy (Part one of two)

Season 3 · Episode 18

mardi 14 novembre 2023Duration 52:27

In the second of our focus podcasts within a specific school, we are delighted to bring you 'Designed for Life' in conversation with Hethersett Academy in East Anglia. 

The intention within these podcasts is to provide listeners with a complete 360 journey around the design and technology department in the school, with interviews and thoughts from students, teachers, parents and senior leaders. From these conversations, you can piece together the value of the subject to the curriculum within these schools. 

This is part one of a two-episode podcast, and here we talk with Kate Finlay, the Curriculum Leader for design and technology for the Inspiration Trust, who run several schools (primary and secondary) in the area. 

In this podcast, you will hear a very open conversation with Kate in which she discusses the steps taken to build a department and how she has built a strong team around a shared vision. She talks about the highs and the challenges that she has had to face and how the vision in place at Hethersett Academy is being shared across other schools both within and outside of the Inspiration Trust. 

So grab the dog and put those earbuds in place, take us with you to the gym, or find a cosy chair and a coffee, sit back and enjoy Designed for Life in conversation with Hethersett Academy. 

https://www.hethersettacademy.org/

Designed for Life - In conversation with Jenny Body CBE

Season 3 · Episode 17

mardi 31 octobre 2023Duration 56:12

In this episode, we are delighted to be joined in conversation by Jenny Body CBE. 

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at Aerospace Bristol on the morning of our annual awards ceremony on the 13th of October this year. The recording was made almost within touching distance of Concorde, an aircraft that Jenny had the privilege of working on some years ago.

Jenny Body is a British Aerospace engineer and former President (the first ever woman to hold this post) of the  Royal Aeronautical Society. Jenny grew up in rural Gloucestershire; her father was an aerospace engineer, and her mum worked hard to qualify as a dispensing chemist. Growing up, Jenny was naturally good at maths/physics but also developed a passion for English, which still stays with her to this day. 

Told by her headteacher that engineering was "not a suitable career for a young woman", she thankfully ignored this advice and, throughout her career, has worked to demonstrate that gender should be no barrier to progression in her chosen profession. 

Working in the avionics group at British Aerospace, Jenny was part of the team that generated some of the first 'fly by wire' software. She established and led the Next Generation Composite Wing Programme, one of the most extensive and expensive research programmes in the history of British Aerospace. In 2002 Jenny was made engineering lead on the Nimrod wing design team. 

In 2013, Jenny became the first female President of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Whilst she very humbly places this in our conversation, this was hugely significant as not only her gender was in play here, but also her route to this role and the fact that she came from a civilian background and not through the RAF, where many of the previous holders of this post had graduated from.  

Already an OBE. Jenny was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours list this in recognition of her services to aerospace engineering.  

This is a fascinating conversation with a groundbreaking engineer as we trace her journey from school to working with government to secure funding and lead a huge engineering team to advance British Aerospace. 

So sit back, grab an hour to yourself and enjoy Designed for Life in conversation with Jenny Body CBE. 

Designed for Life - In conversation with Jennifer Campbell (MD Giles Agency)

Season 3 · Episode 16

mardi 24 octobre 2023Duration 58:04

In this episode, I was delighted to be in conversation with Jennifer Campbell, Managing Director of Giles Agency Hong Kong. 

In the pod, we track Jen's journey from rural Berkshire through the discovery that her natural penchant to quickly strike up conversations with people, together with an ability to sell and the tenacity to hang on in there when sales didn't go as planned, could actually become a career. 

A move to a large agency in London (she wasn't aware quite how big a deal this was until friends were surprised that she had secured the position) allowed her to really learn the business of marketing, enhancing her natural abilities and, along the way, having fun doing so. 

A strong desire to somehow be involved in the 2012 London Olympics saw Jen shift jobs and work on the marketing campaign for one of the event's major sponsors. Then came a move abroad with a desire to be closer to family in Australia, seeing Jen move to take up a role in Hong Kong, where she has laid routes and is now MD at The Giles Agency, a role that she has held since October 2018. 

Jen has also teamed up with colleagues to run a business marketing podcast, 'The Disconnected,' available wherever you stream your podcasts (Looking at social and tech trends in marketing). 

If you are interested in digital marketing and want to learn more about the journey from mainstream education into the industry, do give this a listen. 

Thank you to Jen for reaching out and being such a great guest to chat with and, of course, to the Edge Foundation, whose support allows us to keep creating these conversations. 

Designed for Life - In conversation with Charlotte Chapman

Season 3 · Episode 16

jeudi 12 octobre 2023Duration 49:31

This podcast was recorded in front of a live audience at The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle. This is the first of a series of live podcasts to come as we take Designed for Life on the road to meet not only our stunning guests but also teachers, students and their parents.

In this podcast, I was fortunate to be in conversation with Charlotte Chapman, CEng. MIMechE. Charlotte is a project manager at Royal IHC. In the pod, we follow Charlotte's journey through school to decide between a love of Engineering and a passion for English Literature. We look at how life's events may sometimes appear to block your way forward, but, with hindsight, sometimes things happen for a reason!

Charlotte designs, tests and commissions some incredible machines designed to lay cabling and infrastructure underwater in some very challenging environments. In the podcast, we discuss how such a complex machine moves through the journey from identification of the initial problem to exploration of this problem and the desired solution, through to initial thoughts, ideas and prototypes, then modelling and building of prototypes until eventual build, testing and commissioning of the final solution.  

Videos of some of the machines that Charlotte has been involved with over the years can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Tfq6L_wiQ For a more comprehensive picture of the engineering footprint of Royal IHC, see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_96s0vkYMc&list=PLouhu6zaw0crd6bT7wrGiGkTFIP874oHL

It was an absolute pleasure to hear Charlotte's story and to share it with the students and their parents on the evening. I know you will enjoy it too, so sit back, relax and listen to Designed for Life Live - In conversation with Charlotte  Chapman. 

Thanks to staff, students and their parents at The Royal Grammar School for being such excellent hosts. 

https://www.royalihc.com/


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