school/industry liaison: A teacher's view

I was recently given a May 1978 copy of Industrial and Commercial Training by Stuart Sinfield who, as Education and Development Manager of A A Jones and Shipman Ltd, Leicester, was interested in my reaction to his article on ‘The Engineering Option’. This article, along with some of the points raised by Professor C H Dobinson and more particularly John Wellens' ‘Comment’ have prompted me not only to put a teacher's point of view, but also to attempt to draw together a number of ideas that may explain the paradox of practical subjects teaching in school. Nearly a year has passed since the May 1978 edition was published, but in relation to the time scale of changes in education this is not so long ago.