Sucking them in

The James Dyson Foundation aims to encourage pupils to pursue a career in engineering.

When Dyson was at school he favoured the arts over science because there was nothing like design and technology available. When he left, he considered becoming an estate agent, painter, surgeon or actor; he really had no clear path. He says that his career in engineering - which led to him creating the bagless vacuum cleaner, Airblade hand drier and other products - was something he fell into when he was creating his first product, the Sea Truck, while studying interior design at the Royal College of Art. He hopes that his foundation can interest young people in engineering much earlier.

What is it?

A series of resources are available, including:

Manifesto: explaining the aims and objectives of the foundation. These sheets can be displayed in the class and have loads of inspirational quotes from Dyson and other engineers.

Three production analysis lessons (for key stages 3, 4 and 5) exploring the key concepts of the DT curriculum through step-by-step activities to develop pupils’ analytical skills. Lessons include a design brief.

Design process poster: display on the wall or use as a handout to remind pupils of the steps they need to translate their ideas into reality by ensuring their products are suitable for production.

Check out the Dyson Foundation’s profile on TES Resources.