What do IT technicians do?

A new Gatsby-commissioned report from Dr Michaela Brockmann (Southampton Education School, University of Southampton) and Dr Arti Saraswat explores the roles of IT technicians as well as the training that prepares them for these roles.

The findings in this report are based on documentary research and semi-structured interviews with sector-level organisations, employers, further education colleges, private providers, and apprentices. It addresses the following questions:

• What are the roles carried out by technicians in the IT industry?
• What are the current qualifications and training routes to prepare for IT occupations at intermediate levels (3, 4 and 5)?
• What are the knowledge, skills and competences that employers are looking for in IT technicians?
• How is the underpinning knowledge required for these occupations developed in a context of rapidly advancing technology?
• How do IT tutors perceive the content and structure of the courses they teach, and do they see them fitting with employment demands?
• What are the learners’ views on their training courses and relevance to the workplace?

The report can be downloaded here.