An edition of the Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ produced during Industry Year 1986, an initiative to promote the importance of manufacturing and to establish closer links between industry and education. The programme follows pupils from schools and colleges from across the region who have the chance to experience industry and business first hand and to learn more about the world of work. Title: Tyne Tees Briefing Learning for Life In a hall at Seaburn Dene...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ produced during Industry Year 1986, an initiative to promote the importance of manufacturing and to establish closer links between industry and education. The programme follows pupils from schools and colleges from across the region who have the chance to experience industry and business first hand and to learn more about the world of work. Title: Tyne Tees Briefing Learning for Life In a hall at Seaburn Dene Primary School in Sunderland forty 10 and 11-year-old pupils sit listening to teacher John Barrett explain how they are all going into business for themselves setting up their own mini-company. Sitting in groups around tables they work on writing letters of application, some of them read them out. John Barrett explains that the project offers the pupils real problems that require real solutions. The children read out some of the applications and decide upon the positions they need and selection candidates for interview. One of the girls holds an interview for the position of Finance Director with one of the boys, at the end of the process she appoints someone to the post. John Barrett says there’re is a gap in education in the awareness and understanding of industry and in the world of work. Sitting around the tables the pupils work to develop a product to sell using cardboard, pencils and ping-pong balls. Laid out on a table several designs the pupils have made, they made a decision which items they will put into mass-production and sell. At George Stephenson High School at Killingworth a swan swimming in a nearby pond. Headmaster Neville Palmer arrives at the school and speaks in his office with regards the work of the school to be known by local industry and equipping his pupils for employment. At the Metro Radio station in Newcastle a Mini car pulls up outside. Three female pupils from George Stephenson High School get out and walks inside followed by Neville Palmer. One of the three girls talks about a radio commercial they have written for a building society, in the recording studio all five girls in the group watch as the commercial is recorded featuring British radio personality James Whale. Following the recording they all give their opinion on their advert and about the work they did in creating it. Producer Roger Harvey is impressed with the girl’s commercial which he describes as both powerful and not boring. Onboard a Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma helicopter sixth formers Susanne Hendy, James Pierce, Lynne Sharpe and Edward Stanwick looking out the window as they approach a North Sea gas rig. They are the winners of a British Gas Northern competition to write a future gas industry policy. As the helicopter comes into land on the platform, two of them talk about their experience being in a helicopter. Safely landed the group climb of and are given a tour of the Expro rig with some of them talking about the experience and what they know about how the platform works. Their tour over they take off in the helicopter, those giving the tour waving at them as they leave. Pupils from Farringdon School in Sunderland sit and listen to a representative of Grundfos Pump provide an itinerary of their time at their factory and production line. The pupils leave the school building climbing aboard a minibus. As they are driven away Peter Revell from Science and Technology Regional Organisation states that he believes this is an opportunity for the pupils to meet and work with people other than teachers, it is bringing them out into industry. At the Grundfos Pump factory also in Sunderland three of the girls work the production line, one of the boys in a white lab coat comes over to look at the work they are doing. In voiceover the Tyne Tees presenter explains this is part of the Technical and Vocation Education Initiative (TVEI) with an emphasis on technical and vocational learning. Two of the trainees describe to the camera what it is they are doing and about working in the factory. In a conference room the 10am production meeting with one of the pupils providing details of shift problems. Others from the school are also part of the meeting and ask questions. In voiceover they talk about how working at the factory has given them more of an insight into working with older people and being part of a team. Back on the production line an older woman places instruction leaflets into boxes of finished pumps. On an industrial estate in Washington a pupil from Seaburn Dene Primary School takes a telephone call for the company she helped create, ‘Bit’s and Bob’s’. On the factory floor the production line with six pupils sitting along a table producing stick figures made from pencils and ping-pong balls. Some of the pupils on the production line explains what they are doing. As they continue to work Peter Revell explains that from an educational point of view it is about bringing out from the experience of running their own company all the learning possibilities that are inherent within it. In an office at the factory two boy brings a problem to their manager, also a pupil. They talk about swapping job, all three sit and discuss the issue coming up with a solution. On the production floor two girls talk about better ways of making their stick figures. Peter Revell explains that in children don’t get a lot of opportunities to practice and develop some of these communication and negotiation skills in the classroom. Sixth form students Susan Dunn and David Kennedy from Guisborough arrive at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) on Teesside where they have been asked to work on a fibre material called APC. Inside a laboratory Research Scientist Judith Peacock provides details of what APC is and about a new type of test they wish to carryout on it. With both Susan and David sitting at microscopes, Judith explains the work they are doing to help out. In voiceover both Susan and David talk about the research work they are undertaking. In another laboratory they test the strength of the polymer on a machine with details being printed onto sheets. In a meeting room Judith thanks Susan and David for their report and goes through some of the details. Standing inside a British Steel blast furnace Jeffery Carter and David Ryan from Hartlepool Sixth Form College watches as air is blown into a ladle full of molten steel. In a laboratory Design Engineer Ben Humphrys explains the task that has been given to the boys to improve housing for a microphone on lances that blow air into a blast furnace as part of the basic oxygen steel making process. Jeffery and David speak with Ben providing details of the results of the test they have carried out and give suggestions of how designs could be improved. Back in the blast furnace Geoffrey and David watch as molten steel is poured from one ladle to another with sparks and flames lighting up the darken furnace. In voiceover the two boys talk about the work they did. They are given a tour of the facility and are shown the steelmaking control desk. The boys go onto explains that working at British Steel has given them a real insight into industry and an experience of pure research. Outside Mel Haig from British Steel explains that industry hasn’t had the best reputation for sixth form students and graduates, but they’ve put themselves out to get this kind of co-operation. He explains that this Year of Industry is a good opportunity to do its bit to help industry and the students. Peter Revell explains that the work done to link industry and education will be ongoing into 1987 and the future. Bill Hay Chairman of Industry Year (Northern) states that there is evidence of the success of getting the message across that if industry is going to succeed in creating wealth it must be done through the educational system. He ends the programme by saying that the end of 1986 will only be the beginning of a long struggle that will take a generation to put right. Over the closing credits molten steel being poured again from one ladle to another. Credit: Executive Producer Michael Partington Cameras Fred Crone, Mark Lavender, Steve Ilston Sound Ian Richardson Film Editor Peter Telford Associate Producer Vivienne Shlosberg Director Bernard Preston Producer Phil Martin End title: Tyne Tees. © Tyne Tees Television Ltd. MCMLXXXVI