Across science and industry, technicians work
behind the scenes to keep everything going and
make the next breakthrough possible. But their
contribution can often be overlooked. The
Technicians Make it Happen (TMiH) campaign
exists to champion technicians and address the
preconceptions of the general public.
The campaign uses case studies of real-life
technicians, working in a wide range of fields,
to help young people, parents and teachers
understand who technicians really are. The
covid-19 crisis has shone a light on technicians,
many of whom are working tirelessly to meet
needs like producing PPE, testing, and keeping
digital infrastructure running.
Throughout the pandemic, TMiH has
collected and promoted the contributions of
technicians across the UK, which you can read
on their Twitter (@technicians_mih) and their
website technicians.org.uk. They want to
ensure that when the world comes out ofthis crisis, the vital work of technicians
doesn’t fade back into the background.
As well as outreach, TMiH supports the
Technician Commitment, an initiative to
ensure visibility, recognition, career
development and sustainability for technicians
working in higher education and research.
Universities and research institutes become
signatories and pledge action on the key
challenges affecting their technical staff.
In the UK, 90 institutions have already
committed to the initiative and work is
underway to develop a culture where
technical careers are recognised, respected,
supported, developed and aspired to asSignal Boost
professional careers.
Learned societies and professional
bodies are also engaging in the Technician
Commitment, and organisations are working
collaboratively to influence policy around
technical roles and careers to support the
technical community. Since the initiative
launched in the UK, the Technician
Commitment has gained interest from
institutes in the USA, China, New Zealand
and Australia, amongst others.
If you would like to learn more about
technicians, Technicians Make it Happen or
the Technician Commitment, you can visit our
website at technicians.org.ukDo you need your signal boosted?
If you are a charitable organisation working in science, medicine, technology,
education or conservation, and would like to find out more about this project
contact Chris Martin on [email protected]Welcome to our Signal Boost project. In these difficult times,
we are offering charitable organisations the chance to take out a page in
New Scientist, free of charge, so that they can get their message out to a
global audience. Today, a message from Technicians Make It Happen