The British Toy & Hobby Association is keen to work with universities to encourage design students to think of the toy industry as a destination career.

The toy business is a fast moving, fashion industry that has to keep pace with children's ever-changing tastes and create new, exciting toys for children to play with and enjoy.

Although a lot of the manufacturing process is undertaken in the Far East, the UK remains a vibrant source of  innovation in the design and marketing of toys.

The industry is constantly on the look out for young, innovative designers who can bring originality to the toys and games market.

Since 2008, the BTHA has invited a number of university design students and their professors to the Toy Fair each year to attend a seminar and to have a look around the fair and meet the industry.

In the meantime if you are a course leader or a student wishing to attend the Toy Fair  please email majen@btha.co.uk

If you are considering the toy industry as a career you may wish to think about the following points;

• See if you have a toy company local to your college or home where you could try to get work experience while you study.
• A final year project based on a toy may demonstrate what you are capable of.
• Think about your intellectual property if you are showing a finished design to the toy industry. Many companies will not look at your design without secure IP arrangements. Visit http://www.ipo.gov.uk/

If you would like to find out about available positions within the industry you could try visiting the jobs pages of the trade publications;

http://www.toynewsmag.com/job-of-the-week

http://www.toysnplaythings.co.uk/recruitment_dir.php

Other useful links:

The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys
http://www.cipa.org.uk

The World Intellectual Property Association WIPO
www.wipo.int

Ideas 21
www.ideas21.co.uk 

Espacenet, for searching published patent specifications to determine whether an idea is new
http://gb.espacenet.com