FE Technician Careers – Meet a CRC Technician in Art & Design

It’s #TECHOGNITION Day! 8th March

#TECHOGNITION is a national celebration of technical support staff, recognising the importance of their essential roles in school and college education.

The seventh annual #TECHOGNITION event is being held on Friday 8th March 2024. We want to celebrate our technicians and the great work they do for the CRC community.

We are shining the spotlight on our amazing technicians in a series of blogs: Meet a CRC Technician! Read on to find out about their career route, what a typical day looks like and much more. As it’s National Careers Week they will be sharing some top tips for people considering a career as a Technician in Education.

Meet Art and Design Technician, Jessica Hutchinson

What department(s) / subjects do you support?

Art and Design Department

How did you come to be a technician? (What career/educational route have you taken to get here?)

I am a working illustrator and artist and wanted a job that would work well alongside this career. As a technician working in the art department, the daily work fuels and inspires my own creativity and puts my experience and knowledge to good use to help other aspiring artists.

What does a typical day look like as a technician?

As someone who is fairly new to this role and is constantly learning new things, processes and techniques, there is no such thing as a typical day as an art technician. One part of my day I can be working on the administrative side such as health and safety and stock ordering, the next I am using a band saw or learning to create work on a 3D printer, or running maintenance on a piece of equipment, or emptying a kiln of beautiful ceramic work. It is a very varied and exciting job!

What are the key skills of a great FE technician?

As it is such a varied job, adaptability is a really important skill to have. A willingness to learn new things and techniques. Listening and cooperation with your colleagues and lecturers, the better the communication, the better the department will run. Organisational skills really do help the whole department run smoothly as well. And of course the ability to think outside the box, your creativity is your best asset here.

What do you particularly like about being a technician / being a technician at CRC?

As mentioned, I love the variability of it. It is a privilege to work in such a vibrant and interesting department and have the responsibility of looking after it, and help make it a fantastic space for the students and staff to work in.

What advice would you offer anyone considering becoming a technician?

Although it might feel like you are chucked in at the deep end at first, there is an awful lot to learn when you are part of a small team with such a vast array of art techniques and fields to manage and facilitate, no one is expecting you to know everything at first, it’s ok to ask for advice and guidance. And remember to have fun, what a privilege it is to work in such a creative place.

CELEBRATE TECHNICIANS!

We want to thank our technicians for all the great work they do supporting CRC staff and students.