Realising a vision - a partnership approach to education capturing the enterprising spirit of the young people of North Tyneside

This paper describes and explains how three separate initiatives, for linking education with business and industry, were integrated to give a model for action in widely different types of school. Each author worked on one initiative, and this model was then the outcome of combining their expertise and experience. The rationale and philosophy behind the following three initiatives was explored. Provision of training days for advisory staff on the potential use of the Banking Information Service multi-media resource "Financial Planning and Management of Design Technology Projects". An interdisciplinary enquiry by the Advisory Team for Technology of North Tyneside Education Authority into the delivery of the National Curriculum within the context of a local initiative entitled "Schools Mean Business". Commissions undertaken by student teachers in connection with the TVEI/Initial Teacher Training Programme of Newcastle Polytechnic. The outcome was the provision of a model for action, to be described fully in the paper, within five local authority schools; a first school, a middle school, two special schools and a comprehensive school. Each school established its own partnerships between one another, with higher education via student commissions, with local industry, with initiatives led by local councils, and in a number of other ways. Schools set up programmes of study using the process of technology, exploring the implementation of the National Curriculum beyond subject boundaries - programmes requiring trust, flexibility, and a vision of education as a whole. The work done in the schools will also be illustrated in our poster presentations at the conference.