‘Inspired by Industry’ Mamas & Papas project brings real-world design into the classroom

Published 11th December 2025

Students at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park have taken creativity and problem-solving to the next level with the Mamas & Papas ‘Inspired by Industry’ project, developed by the Design & Technology Association for KS3.

Connecting classroom learning with industry

‘Inspired by Industry’ challenges students to design products for a real client, guiding them through research, ideation, prototyping, and the production of final concepts. From surveying parents to exploring sustainable materials and ergonomic solutions, students learn to create functional, user-focused designs while developing essential D&T skills. Using tools like Autodesk Fusion and 3D printing, pupils bring their ideas to life with precision, building confidence and understanding professional design standards. Year 9 student Maria reflected, “I loved creating a portable baby bottle warmer to help parents on the go. It was exciting to see my ideas come to life.”

Work from art, textiles, coding or personal projects is also valuable, especially if it shows creativity beyond school.

The project emphasises collaboration and communication, encouraging students to present ideas, justify design decisions, and respond to constructive feedback. It demonstrates the power of contextualised learning, showing how ownership of a project and real-world relevance can boost creativity, engagement, and problem-solving skills.

‘Inspired by Industry’ is free to all Secondary D&T teachers and comes with a collection of member-only Focus Tasks (FTs) and Investigative & Evaluative Activities (IEAs), designed to enrich teaching and provide students with authentic, industry-linked challenges.

Teachers can download the PDF version of this article, featured in Practice 2 2025, or get your digital copy here.