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03/06/2025
DBA Members’ Forum | June Summary
In June’s DBA Members’ Forum we had an interesting and inspiring conversation on the topic design education particularly in higher education. We heard from:
- Sandra Booth, Director of Policy and External Relations at Council for Higher Education in Art & Design (CHEAD.
- Debbie Inman, Talent Partner at Bulletproof.
- Dr Jacqueline Butler, Dean and Head of the School of Arts and a member of the College of Arts, Technology and Environment Executive team at UWE Bristol
- Karl Hurn, Senior Lecturer and Director of Industry Internships at Loughborough Design School.
- Fergus Inns, who is graduating from Imperial College this week, he’s also the founder/host of tomorrow’s designers podcast.
- Toni Arbova, who graduated from Lancaster last year, where she also founded and co-directs the Northern Design Festival.
Here’s a summary of what was discussed in the meeting, prepared under Chatham House Rule.
- Universities in the UK are under financial strain. Tuition fees are frozen but costs are rising, and international student numbers are down due to visa restrictions. Many institutions are restructuring with some closing courses altogether.
- Research excellence helps attract global talent, but this has led to practitioner-led teaching and industry experience among teaching staff facing decline in some areas, weakening the bridge between education and professional practice.
- Success metrics for courses often hinge on short-term graduate earnings, which don’t reflect the longer time careers in the creative industry can take to become established.
- A recent graduate discussed how six months of experience in industry brought more value and impact than years of study – and given the £100k debt some are leaving university with, there has to be a better way for those who can’t afford the fees.
- Alternatives like apprenticeships and internships are gaining momentum, but they need industry support.
- Strong industry relationships with local higher education institutions are vital – especially where placements are part of the course.
- Graduates still face a saturated job market with unrealistic demands for experience. Many bring broad, interdisciplinary thinking, but encounter employers seeking narrow specialism.
- Core design skills of empathy, vision, craft, intuition remain constant. Younger designers are highly adaptive and open to self-learning. They need space to explore, problem-solve and engage with real-world issues, not polish portfolios.
- Design leaders have a role to play – closer ties between industry and education benefit everyone. If we want a future talent pool ready to meet the demands of a changing world, we need to support more flexible, inclusive and practice-rich pathways into our industry.
Coming up
Our next DBA Members’ Forum is on Monday 7 July at 4pm BST. Further details available soon.