Pictured: Martyn Hale (centre), a director of HME
Technology, with Nadhim Zahawi (left), MP for Stratford-upon-Avon,
and Sajid Javid, MP for Bromsgrove
Britain needs to keep design and technology at the forefront of
manufacturing and innovation if the country is to escape its
economic woes, Conservative MPs Nadhim Zahawi and Sajid Javid were
told by a leading Midlands businessman.
Martyn Hale, a director of HME Technology, was showing them
round his factory at Saxon Park in Bromsgrove following a string of
order wins.
Mr Zahawi and Mr Javid, whose constituencies are
Stratford-upon-Avon and Bromsgrove respectively, thanked him for
making them aware of the issue.
Mr Hale's comments came as the Coalition's review of the
national curriculum in schools continues, with only English, Maths,
Science and Physical Education guaranteed to remain. Currently
Design and Technology, Art and Design, Citizenship, Geography,
History, Information and Communication Technology, Modern Foreign
Languages and Music also have national curriculum status.
"It is absolutely vital to retain D&T as part of the
national curriculum rather than allow it to become optional," said
Martyn Hale.
"We have a world leading design industry and it is critical we
continue to re-build our economy by majoring on our strengths. If
we are to remain competitive in a global economy, with many
challengers, then we need to develop our future design
capability.
"Dropping D&T from the national curriculum would be a big
mistake - catastrophic. As the Prime Minister said in his recent
speech to the Conservative Party Conference about the origins of
Britain in Inventing-Creating-Exporting, without students
experiencing D&T our future would be bleak."
HME Technology was founded in 1984 and is the leading supplier
and installer of design and technology and science equipment for
schools.
Its range of products include forges, brazing hearths, furnaces,
welding tables, fume extraction systems, kilns, woodworking
equipment, wood dust extraction systems, metal finishing and CNC
machines. It also supplies fume cupboards and ventilation systems
for science departments.
However, another element of the Government's education changes
has brought a satchel-full of orders.
HME Technology is in particular benefiting from the expansion of
the academy programme.
With academies enjoying greater autonomy and decision-making
powers HME Technology's ability to be flexible in shaping each
project to individual school requirements is paying off, a major
factor in its success.
Recent order wins have included a £299,000 flagship
contract to supply and install design and technology equipment for
Landau Forte Academy, Tamworth; working with Sangwin Educational
Furniture and construction group Willmott Dixon on the Hope Academy
scheme in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire; and a £40,000
contract to support a new Leicestershire education centre - Melton
Vale Post 16 Centre at Melton Mowbray.
It also won a major contract in Abu Dhabi - a £230,000
order from ALDAR Properties on the new 1,300-pupil Al Bateen
Secondary School, part of a massive on-going school construction
programme.
The MPs congratulated Martyn Hale on the export success.
And in true innovative fashion the pair were treated to a silver
service lunch in one of HME Technology's workshops.