Your Bectu Art Technician committee is launching the union’s upcoming art technical mentoring scheme. Your branch will be supporting those wishing to be mentored. This scheme will run in 2025 from February onwards. This scheme will be aimed at the freelance Art Technicians branch, and we will also extend this offer to members listed as Art Technicians/Fabricators/Handlers (and similar) across gallery branches.   WANT TO BE MENTORED? MENTEE INFO & CRITERIA We’d like to support those newer into the industry as well as those who are more established. The branch is keen to develop the next generation of talent, as well as industry professionals who may be facing barriers to progression. Your union is working to offer industry mentoring to help you improve your skills, giving you the right support to develop your art technical career further. You must be a Bectu member to apply. Please see the mentee flyer attached.   ·       This is a one-to-one mentoring scheme ·       You must have at least one years’ experience in the sector if applying as a newer entrant ·       You must have at least three years’ experience in the sector if applying as a mid-level art technician ·       If selected for the scheme, you will be matched with an appropriate mentor ·       All mentees will receive three one-to-one mentoring sessions&ap;nsp;with an industry professional ·       There may also be opportunities for workshops and group networking, where you can share valuable tips on how to thrive in this profession ·       You’ll focus on your goals with your mentor and have the chance to develop over several online sessions   If you want to be mentored, please follow the link to apply:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0rxx7UYtt7HRAd-9BBvSYIuo-DN3L1OGKlt4z8Q4PKLk9PA/viewform Please apply by Mon 23rd Dec 2024.   WANT TO BE A MENTOR? MENTOR INFO & CRITERIA Please see the mentor flyer attached.   ·       If you’d like to be a mentor on this scheme, please only apply if you have at least five years’ experience in the sector ·       You must be a Bectu member to apply ·       Mentors will receive 2.5 hours of mentor training, equipping you with the tools you need to confidently work with your mentee ·       You’ll share your union’s vision of making the industry a diverse, inclusive place to work where freelancers are nurtured and encouraged to develop their skills ·       You’ll be working with a mentee in a one-to-one capacity online and yoursquo;ll also be invited to join workshops and group networking sessions <>  If you would like to be a mentor, please follow the link to apply: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSY6InsEV2SOKlrIHYkA5rz1uw67V7cTreQp3yTqU6YG8YPQ/viewform Please apply by Mon 23rd Dec 2024.   This scheme is open to those living in England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. For those living in Scotland, please check out Bectu Vision. For those living in Wales, please check out CULT Cymru. If you have any questions, please email jade.gordon@prospect.org.uk   *If you know someone who is not a member and would like to join to apply, they can do so here: www.bectu.org.uk/join  

So you want to give art technical work a go and you want to know how to get into it?  Well, that’s a good question which I can only answer through my experiences, so here we go. I didn’t really know what the role of art technician was so I wanted to find out how to get in and what I could do within the industry with my transferable skills of tool lover and craft maker with an interest in art and artefacts.  I looked up institutions and businesses online that I thought were interesting and I would like to know more about or potentially work at. So I did some research online, looking at the contacts page of their websites or finding people on LinkedIn and I cold-called/emailed them. I asked if I could come and talk to them to see what they do for a job as I was interested in getting into the industry.  Most people didn’t respond but a couple did so I went and met them, they gave me tours of their work environments and told me more about what they did in their roles. I would then tentatively ask how they would recommend I got into the industry and what they could suggest for me to do. They always said to find training to see if it was for me or find a job that will train you - advice I also now give.  Apprenticeships are great for this, and they are starting to be offered more and are advertised online in various places such as Indeed, Arts Council Jobs and ArtTechSpace - of course. It was then through one of these cold call meetings that I was later invited to apply for an apprenticeship there, go it and that’s how it all started for me.  But also I volunteered a lot before I got my apprenticeship. I do not condone giving your labour away for free but it was a good way for me to get my foot in the door at various institutions. For me, it was a good way to work out if this was the right work for me and introduced me to a lot of people who helped me along the way and gave me paid work elsewhere.  When I moved countries I wanted to work in this industry as it had been my work for a couple of years previously but I found it really hard to get into the industry and that was the main reason I started ArtTechSpace. I had a contract for a year but had visa issues and only a logistics company would hire me. Those were 3 of the hardest years I have ever worked in my life and broke me a little mentally and physically but boy did I learn ALOT! Working for an Art logistics company is the easiest way to get into the industry as they are always looking for people who are willing to work hard and are an excellent training ground for a really broad knowledge base of technical knowledge. But it's really hard work.  Otherwise - it is who you know. Cronyism is rife in this industry and it pays not to be too proud to ask for help - ask people who you met at an opening if you can be put in contact with their technical manager, ask to work on an artist friend’s next install, ask if you could work in the gallery in any way if they need help -  you get the idea, ask around, you never know who might be able to get you that foot in the door. But don’t be a creep about it - be nice and polite and gracious.  Have your CV concise and tailored towards art technical work. We see a lot of CV’s and we know what makes a good one - concise, relevant experiences & licenses only, 2 pages ABSOLUTELY MAXIMUM! Get someone from a technical background to check it for you first if you can.  So in short how to get into working in the industry: • Do some research to work out what you are interested in and who to contact • Get involved in training  • Network: make new connections and hit up old ones • Work at places that take on people new to the industry such as art logistics companies or those offering apprenticeships • Have a relevant art technical CV  Whether you're diving headfirst into training programs, having coffee dates with industry insiders, or getting your hands dirty at art logistics companies, just remember: the path to success is rarely a straight line. Embrace the twists and turns and learn from every experience. Good luck out there.

This course aims to improve your skills in the presentation, handling and installation of artworks. It will support you to cultivate the capabilities and behaviours essential in undertaking meaningful roles within the UK’s key creative spaces and places. This bootcamp covers skills in art handling alongside digital, audio-visual and carpentry capabilities. The course aims to strike a balance between theoretical insights and hands-on practice covering: • framing, mount-making, packing materials and methods for shipping • wall building and making bespoke plinths for artworks and artefacts • gallery and museum lighting and the installation of largescale film and audiovisual works. To find out more and to apply for this course click HERE