Support for Bristol & the South West
Industry-funded support for schools across Bristol, Avon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Devon
Bristol and Southwest Regional Support
The new Regional Membership movement from the Design & Technology Association connects schools with industry, curriculum support, and high-quality professional development to strengthen design and technology across the region.
Funded by local industry partners such as Samsung UK, the James Dyson Foundation and Royal Ballet and Opera and delivered locally, the movement removes financial barriers for schools while giving teachers access to practical support, curriculum resources, CPD, and meaningful industry engagement.
This is a long-term regional partnership designed to support schools, strengthen teaching, and help pupils understand the real-world relevance of design and technology through connections to engineering, manufacturing, digital technologies and creative industries.
What is the Regional Membership Movement?
The Regional Membership movement is a new industry-funded model designed to support schools in delivering high-quality design and technology education.
Launching initially across Bristol, Avon and Gloucestershire, alongside parts of Somerset and Devon, the movement brings together schools, employers and the Design & Technology Association to strengthen curriculum delivery, teacher confidence and career-connected learning.
The focus is on supporting teachers with practical, high-quality guidance while helping pupils better understand where design and technology can take them.
Supporting schools across the region
This initiative is about more than resources and training. It is about creating stronger links between schools, industry and future careers while supporting teachers to deliver excellent design and technology with confidence.
By connecting classrooms with industry and supporting teachers with practical, high-quality guidance, the Regional Membership movement helps strengthen design and technology across the Bristol region for the long term.
Supporting schools across the region
For schools, this means
- Stronger curriculum support
- Reduced financial barriers
- Improved teacher confidence and subject knowledge
- Greater access to industry engagement
- More relevant, future-facing learning for pupils
- Ongoing support from the Design & Technology Association
For pupils, it means greater awareness of future pathways
- Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Product design
- Creative industries
- Digital technologies
- Emerging industries and sustainability-focused careers
If you have any questions, take a look at our FAQs where you’ll find helpful answers and guidance
This regional membership is funded through local industry partnerships, which must be secured on a region-by-region basis. Bristol is the first area where funding has been confirmed for a minimum three-year period.
We are starting carefully and deliberately, learning from each pilot so that future regions can benefit from what works best.
Every region has different:
- Local industries
- Education needs
- School contexts
- Funding opportunities
These partnerships take time to develop. The absence of funding in a region is not a reflection of need or importance. It simply means funding has not yet been secured there.
Our ambition is to reach all regions over time, and further areas are already planned for 2026.
We believe fairness comes from long-term benefit to the profession, not short-term equality of access.
Paying members remain essential to the Association and:
- Continue to receive full national benefits
- Enable innovation and pilots like this to exist
- Strengthen our case when approaching industry funders
This pilot does not reduce or replace the value of paid membership.
No. Paid membership remains vital to the Association’s sustainability.
Industry-funded regional memberships are designed to complement, and over time, replace, national membership. They allow us to reduce cost barriers where possible, while ensuring the Association remains independent, teacher-led, and sustainable.
To do this responsibly, funding must be:
- Secure
- Multi-year
- Regionally appropriate, addressing each areas individual needs
- Aligned with our educational values and the industry values in the area
Launching nationally without guaranteed long-term funding, in each area, would put the Association and teacher support at risk. A phased, regional approach ensures stability and quality.
All regional memberships are planned with sustainability in mind.
Before any funding period ends, we will:
- Review impact and teacher feedback
- Explore continuation or renewal of funding
- Communicate clearly and early with affected schools
No region will be left without notice or support.
No.
Regional members receive the same core Association benefits as national members. Any additional activity will be locally relevant and additive, not exclusive or inaccessible to others.
Decisions are based on:
- Availability of committed local industry partners and their commitment to funding for a three year period
- Regional education needs
- Capacity to deliver meaningful support
- Insights gathered from teachers and members
We actively seek input from teachers to help shape future regions.
You can help by:
- Sharing local challenges and priorities
- Connecting us with local employers or industry groups who you feel may be interesting in getting involved
- Expressing interest by emailing membership@designtechnology.org.uk or through this survey link
Teacher voice is a critical part of building successful regional partnerships.
Absolutely not.
National advocacy, curriculum support, CPD, and expert guidance remain central to our mission. Regional pilots strengthen this work by grounding it in local realities.
That feeling is completely understandable.
We ask teachers to see this as a step toward a better long-term outcome for everyone, rather than a finished solution. Transparency and trust matter to us, and we are committed to communicating openly as this work develops.
Our team is always available to listen.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact us via membership@designtechnology.org.uk Your feedback directly informs how this initiative evolves.