Making a difference with design

Bernard Smith, head of the CSIR's National Advisory Council on Innovation, says: "Economies that have a strong design culture and use their human resources and creativity to develop and sell products using indigenous technology are the most successful. Design holds the key to economic growth in South Africa."

'Making the Difference through Design' is an innovative design education resource guide that will be used by educators in a new Further Education and Training (FET) subject in Design. Replacing the current Senior Certificate Examinations in various design-based disciplines, this is one of the new choices to be offered in the learning field of Arts & Culture for Grades 10-12.

'Making the Difference through Design' is being developed with input from many of South Africa's leading designers and creative people and in association with the Department of Education, Design Indaba and Sappi.

Charmaine Huet, Head of Marketing at Woolworths, says: "Design is a core focus for
Woolworths, and it was largely our sponsorship of the Design Indaba and our on-going involvement with the MySchool initiative, that prompted the Western Cape Education Department to offer us this exciting opportunity to make a valuable contribution to education in South Africa.

"As a resource, 'Making the Difference through Design' will not only assist educators in helping learners to express their own creativity, but to appreciate creativity wherever they
find it."

According to Jenny Rault-Smith, the Director of Curriculum Development for
the Western Cape Education Department, this collaboration between the business sector, the design industry and the formal education sector not only emphasises the importance of attracting young learners to a career in design but also paves the way for establishing the foundations for a creative, innovative and strong South African design industry: "The
contribution of design to the South African economy - in the formal and informal sectors - cannot be underestimated."

'Making the Difference through Design' will be piloted at 121 schools in the Western Cape, from January 2006, before being rolled out nationally. The pilot programme will be aimed at Grade 10 learners, with the aim of extending to Grades 11 and 12. The programme comprises 23 modules divided into four broad categories and including subjects as diverse as advertising design, textile design, stained glass design, weaving and tapestry design, puppetry, jewellery and ceramic design, and environmental design disciplines ranging from architectural design to theatrical set design.