Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery is a permanent, interactive exhibition at the Science Museum which gives young people aged 11-16 the chance to step into an interactive world of careers and take a look behind the scenes, to explore a variety of different technician roles.
Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery
About the gallery
Visitors and school groups can try hands-on exhibits that bring to life a wide variety of workplaces, from a blockbuster film set to a pharmaceutical lab, allowing them to experience the hidden yet vital careers of technicians.
At the gallery, you can:
- Set foot inside Shuri’s Lab from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther to re-enact the role of a lighting technician on a film set
- Have a go at making lifesaving medicine as an NHS pharmacy technician
- Operate a robotic arm and try your hand at welding a rollercoaster track
- Step into the world of renewable energy and solve problems faced by a wind turbine technician
If you would like to visit with family or friends, you can book tickets here, or if you are interested in bringing a school group, please read on…
School visits
Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery is free to visit and suitable for Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 students.
The gallery recreates the workplaces of technicians across multiple sectors – health science, creative arts, manufacturing and renewable energy. Your group will have the chance to get hands-on with interactive exhibits that simulate job-related tasks, from trying welding and measuring precise medicines, to operating an underwater ROV and trying your hand as a lighting and sound technician on a blockbuster movie.
There is also the opportunity for KS3 and 4 students to book Meet an Employee sessions where students can meet a real technician and experience what it’s like to do their job through hands-on activities linked to the technicians’ day-to-day tasks. Students will be able to ask the technician questions in a Q&A session, and find out more about how to become a technician, what inspired them and more.
Visits to the Technicians Gallery can also support you with achieving the Gatsby benchmarks for Good Career Guidance by providing opportunities to experience workplace environments and encounter employers and employees.
What teachers say
“The workshops were truly fascinating, and the technician presenters created an excellent rapport with our pupils. They loved the idea that they were doing activities that working people actually do every day. Several of them told me that they could see themselves in those roles.”
Katrina McGrath, Head of Careers, The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
“Students found the wind farm workshop (a Meet an Employee live activity with a technician) exciting, especially as they got to make their own workable version. The students were very excited about the exhibits and spoke about returning with their family.”
Laura Snow, Director of Careers, Paddington Academy