School technicians discover more at CCCG’s first STEM Technicians Conference

School technicians had the chance to find out more about the latest developments in science education at a conference hosted by Capital City College Group (CCCG).

More than 100 staff from schools across London and the South-east attended the first CCCG Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Technicians Conference.

The event at City and Islington College (CANDI), which is part of CCCG, was an opportunity for technicians to network with experts, suppliers and their peers, learn about new industry innovations and discuss ideas at a series of presentations and workshops.

Education consultant David Swinscoe, a former Director of CANDI’s Centre for Applied Science, gave a speech at the conference about science education policy including the introduction of T Levels.

Addressing the technicians at the event, he said: “I believe that young people ought to be doing practical work when they are studying science, and not just reading and hearing about it. The UK has a good record of young people getting their hands dirty, rolling up their sleeves and doing science, and that is no small part down to what you do.”

Workshops at the event included various practical sessions on chemistry, physics and biology and others on using artificial intelligence, chemical storage and stock control, electronics and soldering, making and labelling solutions and data logging.

CANDI Science Technicians Britney Ofori and Melissa Nagas gave a presentation on their careers and how they support students through various practical activities including setting up a crime scene.

Julie Nicholson, Senior Technician at Harris Science Academy East London, said: “I’ve got to know more technicians and picked up some ideas in the workshops to take back to my school when I am setting up practical experiments for students, which will inspire and improve their learning.

“I was very impressed with the knowledge of the science technicians here and will be keeping in touch.”

Aaron Augustus, Science Technician at Kensington Aldridge Academy, said: “It’s been great to learn new STEM techniques and hear from other technicians about how they work in their schools, and having an insight into how the science and ethics around our jobs is advancing and changing.

“It was good to learn from other people about their experiences and other career paths you can take as a science technician. It doesn’t have to be strictly one route. It can be with schools, but it can also be applied to industry as well.”

Among the organisations and suppliers at the conference were the Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Society of Biology, LaBLiFe, Nickel-Electro, Philip Harris, Data Harvest, VITTA Education, Labexpert UK, SLS Select Education, Breckland Scientific and Samples for Schools.

Chris Pambou, Chief Science Technician at CANDI, who organised the event, said: “Technicians play a vital role in education. Without them, teachers would find it very difficult to teach the practical side of their courses. They organise labs, set up and maintain equipment for practical assignments and support students in class.

“However, there is very little training out there for technicians, which is why events like this are so important to keep them up to date with the latest developments in science and technology.

“Today has been very successful. Many of the technicians here have come up to me and said how much it will be beneficial to their careers.”

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