London IoTs Take Over the Science Museum

Last week saw Institutes of Technology (IoTs) take over the Technicians: the David Sainsbury Gallery, an interactive careers gallery aimed at young people, at the Science Museum. Our three London IoTs – East London, London City, and West London Institute of Technology – collaborated to bring real technicians to the gallery and give hundreds of local key stage 3 and 4 pupils an insight into their work and the importance of technicians now and in the future.

The three-day takeover was the first collaboration of its kind between IoTs in the network and aimed to bring technical education and careers to life for young people and inspire them to pursue a path as a technician.  Nearly 600 pupils attended, and had the chance to try their hands at STEM activities and use techniques used by technicians in interactives across the gallery that included programming robots, getting hands-on with process automation equipment and using their problem-solving skills to protect an egg dropped from a height. Students also had the opportunity to engage with the gallery’s permanent interactive exhibition to learn about the wide range of technician roles and how integral these are to so many industries, including advanced manufacturing, creative, energy, and health.