DT Department at St David's College
St David’s College has always been at the forefront of Design education. In 1986, having spent some time in industry (Engineering) Mr Martin O’Leary joined an already successful and ground-breaking Design Technology Department.
Some years later, Mr Jon Demery joined the department bringing in industrial experience (Product Design). Mr Sion Jones, a very experienced DT teacher joined a few years ago giving final shape to the current very strong teaching team.The staff within the department bring a wide range of diverse skills and expertise to the table. The Team is always encouraged to undergo constant Continual Professional Development (CPD) in order to keep up with ever-changing and developing technologies.
Our DT facilities are the dream of many pupils and teachers. Design and Technology (Product Design) is our main design subject at both GCSE and A Level. Many of our pupils are taking the subject and go on to pursue careers in design-related fields. Throughout the years, most pupils gain places at their first choice of university, and many are given unconditional offers based on their experience/portfolio gained at St David's. WJEC have an annual competition/exhibition that features the very best projects at A Level across the whole exam cohort. We are fortunate to have had pupils selected for inclusion in the awards ceremony every year since its inception, and we have won several categories over the years.
Technology continues to move at a rapid pace, and we are more than keen to keep up with it. Working with global software houses, we have been keen to beta-test Augmented Reality systems and are now beginning to integrate this technology into our curriculum. Similarly, we are developing Virtual Reality and are working closely with one of the world’s leading visualisation companies to develop VR in an educational context. We already train both teachers and industrialists in CADD and will further develop this as our continuing expertise in AR and VR develops.
As manufacturing processes progress, we were keen to introduce 3D printing from the outset and have developed great expertise in this field. We have a bank of 3D printers, and these complement our 3D (CNC) facilities and laser cutting.
Traditionally, we have always offered Engineering as a discrete subject, and to supplement our GCSE courses we have invested heavily in plant and equipment. We have just purchased a new milling machine (with digital readout), and a second new centre lathe. These two new pieces of equipment are welcome additions to our state-of-the -art facilities. We have three fully-equipped workshops with dedicated computing facilities in each.
Our CADD facilities are unrivalled, and we have a dedicated CAD room with a suite of powerful CAD workstations, 3D printers, photocopiers, industrial 3D laser scanners, VR headsets and AR capabilities. We offer the full range of City and Guilds CADD courses (nine in all) and have made the CAD facilities open-access to all pupils so that they can hone their skills and produce industry-level portfolios.
Due to our many years of success delivering City and Guilds qualifications and the undoubted popularity of the courses, we decided to raise the bar and in 2020, we introduced our first HE course, in CADD. We now offer the SQA Advanced Certificate in CADD. This is an SQA Level 7 course, equivalent to the first year of undergraduate study (HNC).
If you would like more information about our Design Technology Department and the courses on offer please visit https://www.stdavidscollege.co.uk/learning/design-technology