In the old days, someone who created wigs would probably have been called a 'Wig Master' whereas now they are more likely to be a 'Wig Technician'. The same applies to costume and makeup, and pays tribute to the enormous technical expertise involved and the lengthy training technicians go through to meet the needs of this demanding and rapidly changing industry.

There are common threads throughout all technical grades in that they each require some form of training to carry out the job. This may take the form of a degree course or a diploma or BTEC in technical theatre studies at a drama school or college.

Some time ago, technicians began their working lives doing the lowliest job and working your way up and often without any formal training or qualifications. Whilst this can be a good way to learn, it can leave workers inexperienced and with a lack of knowledge of all aspects of the role they are trying to carry out. They may find themselves expected to manage people and accomplish tasks that would be simple with the right training. Technology changes at an alarming pace. Retraining is essential to keep up with new technology.

Many technicians work on a freelance basis, meaning no one employer is responsible for them, and so the responsibility falls on the individual to keep up to date with new practices and technology. Employers can be reluctant to pay for training, arguing that once they have trained someone, the person will move on. Good employers recognise the benefits to their company of having a highly skilled, motivated workforce and the investment in training.

Across the arts, technical training varies greatly. Many large employers in the audio-visual industries, such as the BBC have complex training programmes, whereas small employers like individual theatre companies and arts centres do not have the budget to organise all that they may want to offer.

Skillset is the Sector Skills Council in the audio-visual (AV) industries (broadcast, film, video, interactive media and photo imaging). Jointly funded by government and industry to make sure that the UK AV workforce has the skills that are needed to remain competitive, some of its challenges are:

to find out about skills gaps and how to address them;

to set industry standards for training and education providers;

to develop qualifications that are relevant to the industry;

to provide industry based careers information, advice and guidance.

A career as a technician can be very rewarding with much variety and interesting challenges along the way. No two days are ever the same, so if you're up for a stimulating and fulfilling profession, then this could be the career path for you to take!