Technical excellence
What comes to mind when you hear the term “technicians”? Perhaps it’s the construction workers helping deliver the next generation of affordable homes, or an apprentice starting out in the clean energy sector, or even those who work in our country’s world-leading life science laboratories, turning insight into the practical breakthroughs that are reshaping the world we live in.
While they rarely splash the front pages, over 1.5 million technicians are at work every day doing the critical jobs that keep the country running, growing successful UK businesses and staffing the front line of public services.
Yet new Gatsby Foundation-funded analysis by The Burning Glass Institute shows that one in three of the technician roles most closely tied to the eight priority areas outlined in the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy are facing acute shortages, holding back the UK’s long-term growth.
Demographics add urgency to this problem. In many technician occupations, a substantial share of the workforce is nearing retirement. In some strategically important roles, the proportion aged 55 and above is particularly high. A large cohort of experienced workers will leave over the next decade with no clear mechanism to replace them. Whether it’s maintaining diagnostic equipment used in our NHS, installing the heat pumps that will help our transition to net zero, or upgrading our defence infrastructure, none of this will happen without an adequate supply of technicians, and current shortages are already beginning to bite.
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All this is despite technician roles being an increasingly attractive proposition to young people who have concerns about entering a labour market being reshaped by artificial intelligence, while potentially burdened by tens of thousands of pounds in student debt. Technician roles offer well-paid, stable employment without the need for a university degree, and are often less vulnerable to being automated due to their reliance on physical dexterity, on-site problem solving and interdisciplinary judgement.
Indeed, the current above-inflation increases in pay for technicians – with salaries of £40,000 or more now common in areas such as aircraft maintenance and electrical trades – are one symptom of the current scarcity of people ready to fill these roles.
So how can the government go about tackling this systemic challenge, and help unlock higher productivity and wage growth for decades to come? Here are three suggestions that could be implemented quickly and wouldn’t break the bank, yet would make a real difference.
Raise awareness and build confidence
Because so many technician roles work behind the scenes, too many people simply do not know these careers exist, and the roles and routes to them are poorly understood. This leads to incorrect assumptions being made, that these are roles that are insecure, poorly paid, or “grimy”, and so we end up preventing young people from finding out about the opportunities technician careers offer.
Yet the evidence shows that where technician careers are made visible and tangible, interest and uptake respond. Findings from national engagement and tracking work shows that young people who encounter real technician stories are more likely to recognise the roles, see them as skilled and aspirational, and consider them as viable futures. Parents, too, become more confident advocates when they understand the routes and outcomes. Platforms such as technicians.org.uk, which bring together clear information on roles, pathways and progression, show how visibility can be built at scale. With awareness still far too low among parents, teachers and employers of the routes designed to meet the needs of employers and strengthen the technician pipeline – T-levels and Higher Technical Qualifications – government should learn from existing best practice and invest in awareness as an urgent priority.
When technical routes are well defined, aligned with real labour-market demand and supported by meaningful employer engagement, confidence grows among learners, parents, employers and providers alike. Clear occupational standards, visible progression and pay pathways, and closer alignment between education and workforce demand, give learners confidence that their technical education will lead to a job.
Close the gender gap
The drastic under-representation of women across technician roles must urgently be addressed. In most of the occupations facing the sharpest shortages, female participation is below 5 per cent. In some of the highest-paid and most strategically important trades – including welding and electrical maintenance – it is below 1 per cent.
By contrast, women account for around 17 per cent of graduate engineers, showing that the technician workforce is even more skewed than parts of engineering that already struggle with gender balance.This should be a red line for any Labour government. Not just because equity matters, but because there is no credible plan to close technician shortages without widening participation for women and girls. Even modest gains would unlock tens of thousands of additional skilled workers.
Where sustained effort has been made to challenge stereotypes and broaden participation, progress is possible, even in highly male-dominated occupations. Apprenticeship data shows that in some trades, female participation among new entrants is higher than in the existing workforce, though from a very low base. However, without deliberate action, the technician gap will harden into a permanent structural weakness.
Focus apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are the key to unblocking the technician pipeline. Where apprenticeship standards are built around real technician roles, where employers are supported to deliver high-
quality on-the-job training, and where apprentices can see clear progression and recognition, the model works.
When we imagine an apprentice, it’s invariably a young person that comes to mind. But we are an international outlier, with around half of our apprenticeships undertaken by adults who are already in work. Apprenticeship policy needs to prioritise addressing the barriers that
are preventing young people from embarking on technician careers. Government needs to work with employers to ensure that they are providing enough apprenticeships to meet future demand and that the roles and apprenticeships are promoted to young people.
Apprenticeships must once again become a national engine of opportunity, focused on priority technician roles and playing a key role in building the workforce of the future.
Gatsby Education champions and supports the delivery of a world-class education and skills system – one that drives opportunity, boosts productivity, and supports a stronger, future-facing economy. www.gatsby.org.uk
