Technicians Make It Happen is on a mission to champion technical careers and encourage more young people to become technicians. The aim of the programme is to address the skills gap facing the UK’s technical workforce in the near future.
By exhibiting at WorldSkills UK LIVE every November, the organisation showcases technical career roles to thousands of young people whilst also expanding its professional network.
Technicians Make It Happen is a national campaign to encourage more young people to consider a career as a technician. The campaign has worked with WorldSkills UK for a number of years, joining forces to celebrate technical careers and support young people as they join the industry. Technicians use science, technology, engineering and mathematics to solve practical problems in the workplace.
The campaign was developed by the Gatsby Foundation and helps organisations work towards Gatsby Benchmark 4 – linking curriculum learning to careers.
Technical skills in action
Technicians Make It Happen chose to exhibit at WorldSkills UK LIVE – the UK’s largest apprenticeship and skills event – to celebrate the fantastic work technicians do across a range of sectors. The organisation uses the three-day event and 70,000+ footfall to showcase jobs young people may not have considered, bringing along games and imagery to explore the skills they need to become a technician. Through an interactive, hands-on stand, it demonstrates the variety of career paths available for budding technicians.
“We bring simple, fun activities that show young visitors that the skills they use every day could be the very skills that would make them an excellent technician,” says Agnes Donnelly, Communications Officer for Technicians Make It Happen. “Our activities and resources are complemented by the event as a whole. There are connections between our work and the other exhibitors, employers and competitions on show – from BIM to welding and everything in between. Competitions are a great way of showing technical skills in action, helping young people understand how their skills can be used in the real world.”
Growing a stronger network
Technicians Make It Happen knows that engagement with teachers and lecturers is critical to helping young people kick-start their careers. By getting involved with the Parent and Teacher Hub at WorldSkills UK LIVE, the organisation is able to share information on benchmarking and highlight resources that will help support young people.
“We find that after the event teachers are more aware of our work,” says Agnes. “Our newsletter distribution list always grows and traffic to our website increases, with more people getting in touch for resources or further information.”
LIVE is also a great opportunity for Technicians Make It Happen to network with apprentice employers. The organisation relies on employers to share case studies and promote the initiative among young learners, and so relishes the opportunity to engage over 200 employers at the event.
“WorldSkills UK is a beacon for technical skills, technicians and apprenticeships,” concludes Agnes. “We hope in future to expand the work we do with the team to grow a mutual partnership and support as many young people as possible into technical careers.”
