Design Exchange 2025 provides 'invaluable experience' for student architects and designers
By Jon Duckworth | Published on 7 March 2025
Categories: Current students; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment;
On 27 February, the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment welcomed 90 industry and alumni guests and around 500 students to our Design Exchange 2025 event.
The annual event is designed to provide an opportunity for NTU students from Architecture, Architectural Design, Interior Architecture and Product Design to showcase their work and engage with industry professionals.
Chris Jones, Employability Manager for the School, explained:
"The day kicked off with a morning of mock interviews, portfolio reviews and one to one professional discussions for over 200 students. This provides invaluable experience for students to help prepare them for the recruitment process and give them a chance to talk about themselves and their work with an industry professional."
To further support students, a free photography service was available. Over 125 of our students took the opportunity to get professional headshots taken for their LinkedIn profiles.
A networking lunch enabled industry guests and NTU staff to engage with students and browse the exhibition which, this year, featured over 400 pieces of design work. It was also a chance for students from different courses to explore the work of fellow students from other disciplines.
This year's exhibition featured over 400 pieces of design work.
The afternoon was given over to industry talks and panel discussions.
Asher Erskine, Head of Design at E1 Series shared his inspirational personal design journey, culminating in his current role leading design for the world's first all-electric raceboat championship. Meanwhile David Shaw, National Design Director for Pick Everard gave students an insight into the workings of a successful multi-disciplinary team working in the built environment.
The well-attended panel discussions covered 'Getting a Job in Design', 'The Future of Design' and 'Diversity in Design'.
Students attended industry talks and panel discussions as part of the Design Exchange.
Chris Jones, who chaired the panel discussion on employability, said:
"It was great to witness the buzz of conversations, individual interactions and 'lightbulb' moments of inspiration throughout the day. As one student told me, 'I made new connections and discovered new opportunities that fit my skillset that I didn't even know about'. And it wasn't just the students who benefited - it was great to hear from industry partners and alumni how much they enjoyed the opportunity to connect (or reconnect) with NTU and students, look at the work that is being created, and have the opportunity to give something back to the next generation of architects and designers."
Among the industry professionals attending was Kate McCormack, a furniture designer with Habitat, who said:
"The event was a great opportunity to get face to face time with students. It’s a lovely opportunity to give them some reassurance and hopefully some confidence. There were some great students who showed how passionate and inquisitive they were. It was also great to get the chance to meet other industry professionals."