Could the government’s curriculum review save the D&T GCSE and fix the green design skills gap?

With young people across the UK having recently returned to school, ministers and civil servants from the Department for Education have launched a curriculum and assessment review.

The new Labour government has promised a revival of creative and vocational education. This could not be more critically needed. Entries to creative GCSE subjects have halved since 2010, with entries to Design & Technology (D&T) falling by a staggering 68%.

Industry is crying out for people with creative problem-solving skills, critical thinking, adaptability and resilience. D&T is one of the few spaces on the school curriculum where science and creativity meet, and students get to solve real-world problems in innovative ways.

Without action, the decline in design education has concerning implications for the future of the UK’s design and built environment industries and their ability to address global challenges, like the climate and biodiversity crises. In response, the Design Council has led a coalition of more than 20 organisations to back a Blueprint for Renewal, setting out a positive future for the subject.

The importance of D&T GCSE

Professor Becky Francis’s curriculum and assessment review presents a once-in-a-decade opportunity for education and industry leaders to secure a positive future for design education in England. The review aims to create a “broader, richer, cutting-edge curriculum” which “sets all young people up for life and work.”

We know design education can deliver against these objectives. D&T provides students with an opportunity to design, make, prototype and test products that solve real people’s problems. This combination of creative and technical capabilities is vital for fostering innovative thinking and nurturing essential skills for life.

Pupils who do not study D&T at GCSE are very unlikely to continue studying design and technology post-16 (only 1.6% do). This is impacting both universities and industry. Universities report a significant and growing gap between what they expect from first-year students and what first-year students are capable of. Meanwhile, industry leaders across design, craft, architecture and engineering report significant skills shortages.

People who use design skills are 49% more productive. The UK’s design industry itself contributes £97.4 billion in GVA, is growing at twice the rate of the economy as a whole and sits at the heart of our future green economy. It now needs new and diverse talent to lead us forward.

The Design Council’s Skills Mission

We have recently launched an ambitious mission to upskill one million designers in green skills by 2030. Our research shows that, while 66% of designers have worked on environmental projects in the past year, only 43% feel confident in their ability to do so effectively.

Schools are a vital part of mission delivery, aiming to increase the uptake of D&T GCSE, while also refining the curriculum so that it provides more inclusive innovation and green design skills.

As well as updating the D&T curriculum, we’re calling for government to develop and implement a funded strategy for D&T teacher recruitment, training, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and retention. This will not only help stem the flow of D&T teachers leaving the profession (from 15,000 in 2009 down to fewer than 6,500 today), but ensure they have the sustainability knowledge to teach students well.

A reason for hope and a call to action

Despite the troubling decline, recent developments offer a glimmer of hope. The number of students taking D&T GCSE increased by 543 students in 2023 (+0.6%) and 1,767 students in 2024 (+2%) – a modest but significant flattening of the downward trend.

We must capitalise on this change of tides rather than step back. As we gear up to host the World Design Congress in London in September 2025, we have a unique opportunity for the government and industry to demonstrate global leadership in harnessing the power of design for the green transition.

With the world facing significant environmental challenges, the UK has the chance to lead by ensuring its two million-strong design industry has the skills to address the most pressing issues of our time.

Recognising the D&T GCSE as foundational to the development of green design skills in the UK is a fundamental part of the solution. Ultimately, design must be placed at the heart of a reformed, broad, balanced and creative curriculum.

Our Skills Mission is a crucial step in the right direction, but it cannot succeed without the support of the entire design ecosystem – from schools and universities to industry and government. By working together, we can ensure the next generation of designers is equipped with the skills to lead the way in creating a more sustainable and equitable future.