Become a Technician
Technicians undertake varied roles that underpin a wide range of activities in almost every career sector. Helen Sharman - Britain's first astronaut in space describes that role as being a “space technician”!
More specifically, in Universities, technicians play a fundamental role in delivering and supporting every aspect of their research and teaching. To give you a better idea of the kind of roles that technicians play in our colleges and universities, technicians from across the UK have come together to showcase their roles.
From 3 November 2022, a free interactive gallery will be launched in the David Sainsbury Gallery at the Science Museum in London allowing you to "Step into the fascinating world of Technicians and take a peek behind the scenes". The gallery will let you experience what it’s like to create visual effects on a blockbuster film set, analyse blood samples in a medical laboratory, operate a robot in a manufacturers workshop, fix a fault atop a wind turbine and much more.
How do I become a technician?
There are several different routes into a technical career; jobs with a technical specialism are advertised in a specific section on the University of York’s jobs webpage.
Secondment opportunities may be possible if you are already an employee at the University: discuss the option with your line manager. Secondments can be a fantastic opportunity to try something very different and start a new chapter to your career.
Apprenticeships are also a route to a career as a technician and you can browse and apply for apprenticeship opportunities on the government’s Find an Apprenticeship website.
If you are interested in becoming a technician and need any further information, please contact techyork@york.ac.uk and we will be happy to help you.