We aim to increase the number of people with Level 3 and 4 STEM skills by promoting the status of science, engineering and IT technicians and supporting technician training pathways and qualifications that deliver real benefit to those who pursue them.
The UK has a shortage of technicians and without significant and sustained action this shortage will worsen in the coming decades, threatening our future economic prosperity.
We believe that the science and engineering professional bodies have a key role to play in tackling this shortage by developing professional registration standards for transferable skills that meet employer needs. We are working with the Technician Council to support efforts to create a common framework of professional registration across the STEM sectors. We wish to reinvigorate the existing technician registration schemes in engineering and IT, and also extend the reach of registration to the science and health sectors.
With work underway to create a technician registration framework, we are turning our attention to the routes people will take to reach registration level. Expanding the number of apprenticeships is clearly central to creating a strong technician class. But so too is ensuring qualifications exist which genuinely meet the needs of employers and therefore bring enhanced employment prospects in the labour market.
These qualifications will typically be delivered in schools and colleges, at least for 14-19 year olds. We are supporting the development of the excellent University Technical Colleges initiative, but the scale of need for high-quality technical qualifications is such that traditional schools and colleges will continue to be critical to improving technical education. It is therefore essential that these institutions have both a clear understanding of the skills landscape and access to the infrastructure necessary to deliver education and training in an accurate and engaging way. This includes not only qualified teachers and lecturers, but also suitably equipped workshops and laboratories that reflect the modern technician workplace.
Our work in supporting the supply and status of technicians will grow significantly in the coming years. We understand the challenges are far from trivial and change cannot be brought about quickly. But the prize we are chasing - improved social mobility for many and increased prosperity for all - is so great that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions that work for the long term.
Featured Projects
We believe a common framework of registration for STEM technicians will ensure the skills and knowledge learnt within technician pathways develop in line with industry’s needs. We are working with professional bodies to build this framework.
We are supporting the Science Council to develop and pilot a registration scheme that will ensure there is appropriate professional recognition for science technicians.
We are working with the Engineering Council and others to expand the EngTech registration scheme, which aims to recognise the critical role played by engineering technicians.
We have commissioned research to map technician roles in the healthcare sector. The research will explore whether a registration scheme would work within the sector and fit into a wider framework across STEM.
See all projects promoting technical skills