Technicians Make it Happen

As part of our support for the Technicians Make it Happen campaign, we speak to Kelly Vere about why it's high-time to give technicians the recognition they deserve. 

Tell us a little bit about your career to date. I became a research technician at the University of Nottingham at the age of 18 way back in 1999. Admittedly, I didn’t know what a technician was when I was younger and I came across the job quite by accident. From day one I loved it. Over the years I’ve been lucky to work with two fantastic research groups and be involved in some fascinating work in the fields of biophysics, immunology and dementia. I’ve also really enjoyed the student facing side of the role – interacting with students on a daily basis means no two days are the same! I’m very passionate about improving recognition and opportunities for technicians in higher education and more recently, my role has moved away from the lab to focus on technician development, both locally at the University of Nottingham and nationally through a secondment to the Science Council.

Why is it, do you think, that technicians tend to be unsung in science? Technicians traditionally work ‘behind the scenes’ of science and innovation – in fact the technicians of the past were servants to the academic elite and this is where our roles originated from (though I would hope we’ve progressed a lot since then!). Scientific endeavours are frequently attributed to individuals and yet there are often a number of talented technicians working ‘backstage’ to advance science. The problem is, we don’t hear about them. Technicians have been described as science’s ‘invisible workforce’ and that needs to change. Current estimates suggest the UK needs 70,000 new qualified technicians across the STEM workforce each year. How can we encourage young people to aspire to a role they’re unaware of?

In what ways can we change this? We need to make technicians visible! Formally recognising the technical contribution to science is vital. The introduction of the RSciTech and RSci registers (in addition to the existing CSci register) has been a vital step forwards. They enable technicians to gain professional recognition for their skills and expertise and have been a catalyst for an increase in development opportunities. Organisations are recognising and celebrating their technical talent. This is fantastic progress for a community that have traditionally experienced invisibility. Science doesn’t happen without technicians – they really do ‘make it happen’.

Part of the current problem seems to be convincing young people that this is a genuine, rewarding career – is it? Technical careers can be incredibly rewarding and personally I’ve had some fantastic experiences; travelling abroad to present at conferences, working with students, learning new skills and working with cutting edge research and technology. In terms of how we highlight technical careers to young people – I think one of the problems is the term ‘technician’ – it conjures up a stereotypical image that isn’t always accurate! Many people probably don’t appreciate the diversity of technician roles and the crucial contributions they make across society. Think about it; the International Space Station, Formula One, Glastonbury, the NHS – all impossible without skilled technicians. It comes back to visibility and the Science Council and my own institution have been doing a lot to showcase the technical role to young people. For example, technicians at the University of Nottingham recently came together to support the Department of Work and Pensions’ #NotJustForBoys campaign and we are also supporting Technicians Make it Happen – a multi-channel campaign that is raising awareness and perceptions of technician roles. In addition the Science Council has led on the development of careers resources dedicated to technical roles (which were non-existent when I entered the profession!).

While the public might not always be aware of the important work that technicians perform, do you think that senior academics or scientists recognise their contribution? In my own experience, certainly. Success in research and innovation is a team effort and I’m sure that academic colleagues are acutely aware that technicians are key members of the team.

Kelly Vere is a Senior Technician at the University of Nottingham where she began her career as a trainee technician in 1999. Alongside her scientific role, she leads an award winning programme to enable the professional development of the University’s 700+ technical staff across the UK and Asia. Kelly is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Registered Scientist (RSci). Kelly is currently on secondment with the Science Council leading on their engagement with the HE sector to promote a professional identity for technicians and scientists through the professional science registers.