Research on impact of A level D&T on Civil Engineering graduate performance

The negative impact of the decline in D&T GCSE entry, and the subsequent decline in A-level uptake becomes all the more significant now that new figures show D&T is a key contributing subject for success at university level engineering disciplines.

Figures freshly compiled by Paul McCombie, Admissions Tutor and Deputy Head of Department at the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at University of Bath, indicate that D&T is one of the top three factors underpinning graduate success. Based on an internal analysis of 200 graduates of Civil Engineering, 2013 to 2016, the figures correlate A-level subjects to degree performance.[1]

While local to University of Bath, these figures echo the experience of many in engineering and design education, as Prof. Kel Fidler comments:

“There is a growing realisation in the UK, and indeed within international engineering higher education, that engineering is not simply a body of knowledge, but is a process - a process that incorporates creativity, design and innovation in providing solutions to the challenges and needs of society. The significance of the background provided by the designing skills inculcated through an A-level Design & Technology course is manifest”.

[1]http://people.bath.ac.uk/abspfm/analysis/ALevelAnalysis.htm