Business

Richard Browning urges overhaul of UK school curriculum to boost innovation and entrepreneurship

Wednesday, 29 October 2025 5:04AM UTC

Richard Browning, inventor of the jet suit and founder of Gravity Industries, calls for mandatory business and financial literacy in UK secondary schools to prepare the next generation for a rapidly changing economy.

Richard Browning, the British entrepreneur famed for inventing the world’s first jet suit, is advocating for a significant overhaul of the UK’s national school curriculum to address what he sees as a critical failure in preparing young people for the future economy. Browning, whose company Gravity Industries is valued at approximately £82 million and supplies jet suits to special forces, emergency responders, and rescue teams globally, stresses the necessity of embedding business, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy into compulsory education for all secondary school pupils by 2030.

Browning, a former Royal Marines reservist and oil trader, argues that the current curriculum is outdated, having last been fully revised before the rapid advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation. Research indicates that a third of schools still do not offer GCSE Computer Science, and only one in four young adults report receiving any financial education during their schooling. Reflecting on his own experiences, Browning warns that the UK’s risk-averse culture hampers innovation and economic growth. He stresses that innovation should be a fundamental part of education, not a concept reserved for business leaders, citing the stark difference he observes between the UK and more entrepreneurial environments like California, where new ideas are enthusiastically embraced.

Browning’s call to action is deeply personal. His father, an inventor of mountain bike suspension, tragically took his own life when Browning was 15, a loss he attributes partly to the unsupportive environment for entrepreneurs in the UK at the time. This tragedy fuels Browning’s passion to foster a cultural shift that celebrates invention and entrepreneurship rather than viewing it with scepticism. He advocates for a more hands-on, experimental approach to learning, encouraging children to embrace failure as part of innovation—“rip open a Lego box and build a crazy thing that falls apart and then learn and rebuild,” he suggests. Through this, Browning hopes to revive the pride and self-confidence seen in Britain’s historic "Brunel era," when making and creating were sources of national pride.

Gravity Industries itself represents the cutting edge of innovation, having gained international attention for its jet suit technology which enables human flight using micro gas turbines. Since founding the company in 2017, Browning has conducted over 100 flight demonstrations across 33 countries, with his suit reaching speeds over 85 mph and setting Guinness World Records. The technology, praised by figures such as Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, is already being used in practical applications such as emergency medical response and military operations. Gravity Industries is actively developing future iterations of the jet suit, including electric versions and exploring alternative fuels like bio-diesel.

Browning’s viewpoint aligns with broader concerns about the UK’s ability to maintain economic competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global landscape. Industry data highlights a gap in skills related to technology and entrepreneurship that could hinder the country’s ability to capitalise on emerging opportunities in AI and automation. By making business education mandatory, Browning believes the UK could nurture a new generation of innovators equipped to thrive in complex, fast-changing environments.

His campaign is supported by a petition aimed at influencing the government’s approach ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ upcoming Budget. The petition urges policymakers to reconsider the national curriculum’s focus, aiming to equip students with practical skills and entrepreneurial mindsets essential for future prosperity.

In essence, Browning’s call is both a reflection on personal tragedy and a visionary plea for education reform that embraces the spirit of innovation. By doing so, he hopes to ignite a “Brunel era” of creativity and pride in making things—a transformation he sees as vital to restoring Britain’s economic confidence and leadership in the global innovation landscape.

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Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/uks-iron-man-demands-major-36147326 - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/uks-iron-man-demands-major-36147326 - Richard Browning, the British entrepreneur behind Gravity Industries, has called for business lessons to be made mandatory in schools. He argues that the UK is failing the next generation by teaching outdated subjects and neglecting skills that drive innovation and economic growth. Browning supports a petition urging the government to make business, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy compulsory for all secondary school pupils by 2030. He believes that innovation is critical to national prosperity and should be taught to everyone, not just business leaders. Browning's passion is driven by his father's invention of mountain bike suspension and his tragic death when Browning was 15. He contrasts the UK's risk-averse culture with the US, where new ideas are embraced. Browning advocates for a mindset shift in schools, encouraging children to experiment and learn through failure, similar to the 'Brunel era' of making things. He emphasizes the importance of teaching innovation and entrepreneurship to prepare students for the complexities of the modern world, including advancements in AI.
https://www.ddskunkworks.com/gravity - Gravity VR, in partnership with Richard Browning's Gravity Industries, offers a full-motion virtual reality experience that simulates the sensation of flying in a jet suit. Users are lifted into the air and transported through exotic locations and rescue missions, providing a thrilling and immersive experience. The system combines VR hardware with haptic drivers on a full-motion base to create one of the most immersive VR experiences available. Gravity Industries, led by Browning, has garnered significant attention for its innovative approach to human flight, with hundreds of millions of views on Instagram and a growing presence in the field of aeronautical innovation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Browning_(inventor) - Richard Browning is a British entrepreneur and inventor, best known for creating the Daedalus Flight Pack, a jet suit that uses micro gas turbines to achieve vertical flight. He is the founder and chief test pilot of Gravity Industries, the company behind the invention. Browning was educated at Queen's College in Taunton and Cardiff University, where he studied engineering and exploration geology. Before his venture into human flight, he served as a Royal Marines reservist and worked as an oil trader with BP for 16 years, where he implemented major new technologies and won the BP Group innovation Award. In 2017, he founded Gravity Industries, which has since conducted over 100 flight events across 33 countries. The jet suit has been recognized by Guinness World Records for the fastest flight in a body-controlled jet suit, reaching speeds of 85 mph. Browning's work has been featured in TIME magazine as one of the best inventions of 2018, and he has demonstrated the technology to figures like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.
https://www.imaginesolutionsconference.com/speakers/richard-browning/ - Richard Browning, founder and chief test pilot of Gravity Industries, has pioneered a new era of human flight with the development of the jet suit. Prior to founding Gravity Industries, Browning was a Royal Marines reservist for six years and an oil trader with BP for 16 years, where he implemented major new technologies and won the BP Group innovation Award. The jet suit, which Browning invented, utilizes a lightweight exoskeleton and micro gas turbines to achieve vertical flight. Browning set the Guinness World Record for the fastest speed in a body-controlled jet engine-powered suit in November 2017, traveling at approximately 32 mph, a record he and his team have since broken multiple times, exceeding 85 mph in November 2019. Gravity Industries continues to develop the technology, with plans for an electric version of the suit and exploration of using bio-diesel fuel.
https://www.wired.com/sponsored/story/how-to-achieve-the-impossible-with-richard-browning/ - Richard Browning, founder and chief test pilot of Gravity Industries, discusses the journey of achieving human flight with the development of the jet suit. He highlights the challenges faced, including the need to balance and control the body in flight and the technical hurdles of integrating micro gas turbines. Browning emphasizes the importance of innovation in the process, stating that the technology has been used to improve the mobility of paramedics and special forces, especially in emergency situations where deploying a jetpack can help rescuers access hard-to-reach locations quickly. He also discusses the future of the technology, including plans to create an electric version of the suit and explore the possibility of using bio-diesel fuel.
https://www.evelyn.com/insights-and-events/insights/reimagining-human-flight/ - Richard Browning, founder of Gravity Industries, has transformed the concept of human flight from science fiction to reality with the development of the jet suit. The suit utilizes a lightweight exoskeleton and micro gas turbines to achieve vertical flight, with speeds exceeding 80 mph. Gravity Industries has conducted over 100 flight events across 30 countries, and the technology has been used in military and medical applications, including rescue operations in the Lake District. The company is also developing an electric version of the suit and exploring the use of bio-diesel fuel. Browning's background includes a successful career as an oil trader with BP and service as a Royal Marines reservist.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative appears to be original, with no evidence of prior publication. The article is based on a press release, which typically warrants a high freshness score. However, the Mirror's website is currently inaccessible due to a robots.txt restriction, preventing direct verification. The earliest known publication date of the narrative is October 29, 2025. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were found.

Quotes check

Score: 9

Notes: The direct quotes from Richard Browning are unique to this narrative, with no identical matches found in earlier material. This suggests potentially original or exclusive content.

Source reliability

Score: 7

Notes: The narrative originates from the Mirror, a reputable UK news outlet. However, the current inaccessibility of their website due to a robots.txt restriction limits direct verification. The Mirror is generally considered a reliable source, but the inability to access the specific article raises some uncertainty.

Plausability check

Score: 8

Notes: The claims made in the narrative align with known information about Richard Browning and Gravity Industries. Browning has previously advocated for educational reforms and has a history of public speaking on innovation and entrepreneurship. The narrative's tone and language are consistent with typical corporate and official communications. No excessive or off-topic details were noted.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM

Summary: While the narrative appears to be original and aligns with known information about Richard Browning and Gravity Industries, the current inaccessibility of the Mirror's website due to a robots.txt restriction limits direct verification. This raises some uncertainty regarding the source's reliability. Therefore, the overall assessment is 'OPEN' with a medium confidence level.

Education reform
Innovation
Entrepreneurship