Richard

Uk for now

Designer

What crisis?

My area used to be famous for its hi-tech design and manufacturing companies. In recent years, most of these have closed "releasing" a wealth of highly-skilled talent which no other local employers seem to want. No firms have move into the area to tap this skills pool or to use the redundant industrial sites. Instead, yet more houses are being built on the former industrial estates.

So people are having to commute further and further; at higher and higher cost to themselves, their family lives and to the environment.

According to the latest official structure plan, the local council is planning a fancy aquarium (jobs for ticket sales & car-parking), an indoor holiday camp (jobs for cleaning & catering staff), a mountain-bike track, a canal and rowing-lake (in place of a much needed East-West railway); and of course, a bigger council office!

So, with such limited scope for hi-tech careers around here, why would youngsters bother to learn the "hard" subjects?