A Story About Technicians: Our unsung heroes

Largely invisible, but business would certainly grind to a halt without them.

Where on earth are they and what's my beef?

Technicians have been a pivotal part of Cambridge’s ground-breaking research for centuries. Within the plethora of organisations we have on our doorstep today, their need has never been greater.

Without doubt, there is a worrying shortfall and it has never been so challenging to find these amazing, talented people.

Why?

Yes, leaving the EU has definitely had some effect. But it’s more than that.

Where, a few years’ ago you could ‘stick an ad out’ at 10am and have had several applications by 2pm, now, we have to labour so much harder for our clients because Technicians (who are both available and have right to work in the UK) are so much harder to find.

The problem:

As Cambridge continues to thrive, whilst science becomes more complex and interconnected, attracting, educating, training and retaining more STEM technicians is categorically vital to the success of our city and the wider UK economy.

So often paid at a measly national minimum or living wage, these talented people are a highly skilled army with a diverse range of expertise. They are often teachers in their own right, playing a critical part in the development and training of the future STEM personnel by passing on their skills through mentoring their peers.

Despite their significance, their role is frequently not well recognised and under-appreciated, and alongside this, their career and professional development is often overlooked and neglected.

With some skills, such as hand soldering, we have an aging technical workforce, meaning that inevitably large numbers of highly skilled technicians are retiring every year. This identified shortage of possesses a serious threat to our innovative strength and global competitiveness.

Why does this irk me so much as an individual and not just as a recruiter??

Firstly, Technicians are often referred to as ‘low-level roles’.

And I think even that language is damaging.

That's a very young ME in the picture.

After completing my A’ Levels at Long Road VI Form College, I decided to take ‘a year out’ (I’m still in it, 30 years later, by the way). I worked as a Production Technician; firstly, within surgical supplies and then within engineering. Call it a factory, manufacturing plant, production environment; I don’t care.

It was good old fashioned manual labour and I did it for five years.

I started in Summer 1995:

John Major was still PM; it was the eve of a new Labour government. But that's boring when you're 18.

Steve Wright was on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.

Oasis were about to have a giant hit with Wonderwall, which was much preferred to Robson & Jerome - Unchained Melody, which had been on the radio for about 9 years.

EastEnders was 10 years old and Sharon had just returned.

In Cambridge, the revamped Grafton Centre had just reopened with a Burger King and an 8-screen cinema. You could watch Toy Story or Goldeneye.

If you were more into your live music, you could go and watch Pulp or The Stone Roses at Cambridge Corn Exchange or a Drum 'n Bass club at The Junction.

You've pictured the scene, now back to the job:

In 1995, the UK experienced a period of investment growth in manufacturing. It was easy to get these jobs and there were plenty of them. You could fall out with your Production Supervisor on a Thursday, interview at the factory up the road on a Friday and start your new job on the Monday. Paid weekly. No dramas.

After a few weeks’ work I could afford my first car; a 1981 Ford Fiesta. And fill it up with Four Star and Two Stroke every week.

If you were lucky and worked a double day shift, you could get ￡6.00 per hour basic. But that meant every other Friday you were working late and not in the pub with the other comrades. Not ideal for a young 18 year old who had just discovered that lager can be fun.

I believe I started on ￡3.50 per hour and I remember being elated when my hourly rate started with a 4 and would grab every hour of overtime I could, so that it started with a 6.

I often worked 12 and a half hours a day and would still be in at 8am on a Saturday for a 5-hour shift. This was usually with a hangover, which I knew would be gone by 1pm when we would all be back in the pub again for lager and a bowl of chips. This was life; whilst many of my friends had gone off to University to do their Media Studies degrees, probably also having lager and a bowl of chips for their Saturday lunch.

I remember my mum saying “you can do so much better than this, Jen”, which actually felt quite degrading. Not only to me, but to the people I worked with.

Also, I enjoyed it! For quite a few years, this was not only a way I could afford cigarettes and alcohol (yes, the bad habits, as well as the Oasis CD), but it was a way of life.

Not only was I excellent at my job, but I acquired some vital skills. I learned to be nimble fingered and could work to a lightning-fast pace. I honed working effectively in a team. I could take instructions. I could give instructions. I learnt about Manufacturing. I learnt about the Supply Chain. I learnt about Quality. I learnt about medical devices. I learnt about tungsten bloody carbide and how sore it can make your fingers, particularly in the winter, when you are working in an icy cold factory with the shutter door open. I learnt about the real world and what hard graft is.

And how important was my role?

It was critical. Heart and brain surgeons depended on these surgical theatre packs and it was my responsibility to ensure they were perfect. For accountability, they had my name on. I had built them, quality checked them, packed them, sealed them and printed the hospital and surgeon's name on the box. If a needle, syringe or swab was missing, that would be significant for both surgeon and patient and it totally would’ve been ON ME.

I took it seriously and I took pride.

Eventually I needed more money and left manufacturing. You can check my Linkedin profile for the next part of my journey.

??

If you have read this far (thank you).... This is what we need to do to help:

If we are to meet the technological challenges of the coming decades not only here in Cambridge, but across the UK, we need to start viewing and treating Technicians differently.

Long term change can only be achieved through sector-wide commitment, but the change can happen straight away with the employer.

Attract and (importantly) RETAIN Technicians by:

Paying them more. Are they worth more than ￡11.44 or even ￡12.21 per hour to you? Does this mean you might lose out on your margins? ?Yes, probably. ?Does it mean you will save on hiring and recruitment? ?Yes. Will the Technicians care more and do an awesome job? Yes.

Upskill, develop and retrain them:

These are smart human beings who perhaps may not have had the benefit of a great education. Had they continued (or even completed) their academics, they may have gone on to be successful engineers. These people could be extremely useful for your product’s development and success. They could also be your next Production Manager.?

Value and appreciate them and SHOW them:

If you want your Technicians to "work closely with the R&D team", then give them some identity and make them part of the R&D team. Bring them into the meetings. Bring them into the breakout areas and canteens.

If you want them to be "focused on continuous improvement", then value them and ask them ideas and treat them like their ideas matter.

If you need Technicians to carry out a repetitive intricate task “without deviating from quality”, then acknowledge the skill and concentration required and treat them like the heroes they are.

So. Can I get a WHOOP for Technicians?

Chat GPT was not used to write this article.