by Hannah Stanwix, Gatsby Foundation

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The need for newly qualified technicians has never been greater.

The UK currently struggles to replace those retiring each year, let alone fill the new opportunities opening up to meet the demand of employers. The pathways to becoming a technician are often confusing and young people are not aware of the tens of thousands of great technician jobs that could be open to them.

To try and address this, Technicians Make it Happen will be launched in April 2016 and seeks to challenge outdated notions of who our nation’s technicians are and what they do. The campaign, commissioned by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, aims to raise awareness and perceptions of the role technicians play in driving the UK economy, and encourage and inspire young people with a talent for STEM subjects, their teachers and parents, to consider the benefits of a career as a technician.

There are technicians doing vital jobs across UK industry and this campaign aims to showcase the exciting work they do – whether that be in games design, aerospace engineering or pharmaceutical development.

The campaign will launch with a unique exhibition of photographs, paintings and aretefacts at the Mall Galleries in London from the 4^th to 9^th April. The Technicians Make it Happen campaign will then go on the road and take a virtual reality exhibition to events around the country.

Alongside the exhibition and events, the Technicians Make it Happen website will showcase technicians stories, interviews, images and videos to inspire young people, parents and teachers.  A live feed of apprenticeship vacancies and local labour market intelligence will be available to all. The technician stories will also feature prominently across social media using the hashtag #techniciansmakeithappen.

Case studies, videos and other content will be developed and shared for the next two years. If you are interested in learning more about the campaign, get in touch. 

Image credit: Gatsby/photographer Paul Worpole