Technicians: We Make the Difference is a campaign researched, developed and launched by Gatsby, stemming from our belief that a strong technical education system can open up good career opportunities for young people and adults, as well as driving economic performance.
Dame Mary Archer, Chair of Trustees at the Science Museum Group, Gillian Keegan MP, Secretary of State for Education, David Sainsbury, Michelle Donelan MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, and Sir Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum, at the official launch of Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery.
We have also partnered with the Science Museum to create Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery, a free, permanent, interactive gallery to showcase the wide variety of technician careers available for young people. Aimed at 11-16 year olds, the gallery seeks to change perceptions of technical careers and inspire the technicians of the future.
Although an estimated 1.5 million technicians currently work in the UK - from archaeological technicians to veterinary nurses - too few young people aspire to be technicians or know about these roles and the pathways to them. Demand for these highly skilled roles continues to increase, with 800,000 technicians and apprentices desperately needed across the STEM sector. Recent research by Gatsby Charitable Foundation illustrates the need for the gallery and its potential impact, showing that, once young people know more about technicians, 71% feel that becoming a technician is achievable. The Technicians gallery will help address demand for these important roles, providing a one-of-a-kind space for young people to explore a wide variety of technician roles and discover more about the varied routes into these important careers.
Together with the Science Museum, Gatsby have worked with organisations such as Marvel Studios, NHS, National Grid, and the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, to provide unique access into the world of technicians via interactive exhibits. These include a reconstructed set of Shuri’s Lab from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther which forms a centerpiece of the gallery. Visitors can re-enact the role of a film-set lighting technician, tasked with adjusting the lighting brightness, colour and intensity to correctly light the set; work as a post-production sound technician to seamlessly match sound and dialogue to a real scene; or use the precision of a post-production visual effects technician to skillfully integrate virtual objects into the film footage.
Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum, said: ‘Technicians are long overdue their time in the spotlight, as one of the country's most vital teams, driving economic growth in an amazing range of sectors. In generating excitement among 11–16-year-olds about technical roles, and challenging out-dated perceptions, this interactive gallery encapsulates our core mission of inspiring futures. We are hugely grateful to David Sainsbury and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation for enabling the Science Museum to shine much needed light on these important career choices, particularly at a time when young people are demanding better and earlier careers advice and the chance to shape a greener and more diverse economy.’
David Sainsbury said: ‘The purpose of the Technicians gallery is to tell young people that the country now has, for the first time, a high-quality system of technical education, and to showcase the personally fulfilling and economically critical jobs which this system can enable them to take up. It has been made possible by many people, including Sir Ian and his team at the Science Museum, the many industry partners involved, and my own team at the Gatsby Foundation. I would like to thank them all for the creativity and enthusiasm they have brought to the project.’
Visit the Technicians website
Book free tickets to Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery
