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Cleaner Air, Less Disease
The work of laboratory technicians involves the collection, preparation and analysis of a wide range of samples. Usually working as part of a research team, their results are used to check the quality of foodstuffs and manufactured products, to detect pollution in air, water and soil and to help with diagnosing diseases.
While the technician's job usually requires greater knowledge and less supervision than that of a laboratory assistant, the titles are sometimes used interchangeably. Generally speaking, laboratory assistants tend to perform routine, repetitive tests. In addition, they clean glassware and equipment, maintain inventories of samples, and deliver work reports to supervisors. Laboratory technicians participate more fully in research, design, development and the manufacture of scientific products and equipment, as well as the testing of raw materials, processes and finished products.
Not Just Hospitals
''The three main areas that lab and science technicians work in are process manufacturing and construction materials, biomedical and environmental services and food and beverage processing,'' says a Manufacturing Skills Australia spokesperson.
Laboratories are found in hospitals, mining companies, companies that manufacture food, universities and organisations such as the Institute of Sport, police forensic services, museums and art galleries. As a laboratory/science technician, therefore, you will work with a variety of professionals, including scientists, medical staff and engineers. A variety of industrial sectors employ laboratory and science technicians:
* Laboratory technicians in the health industry, largely work in the area of pathology.
* Process manufacturing lab technicians work with chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, household products and the like. They come into contact with dangerous or hazardous chemicals, which means the technicians need to wear protective work gear.
* The lab technicians employed in the construction and mining industries are required to carry out tests on raw construction and mining materials and to test out end products.
* The food processing sector is another significant employer of lab technicians. According to an industry representative, there is currently a strong focus on microanalysis, with assessments being carried out on the microbiological components of food and the testing of genetically modified food.
What It Takes
An interest in secondary school subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology and life sciences, a natural curiosity, an investigative mind and interest in scientific enquiry combined with patience and the capacity to concentrate and to pay attention to detail are prerequisites to succeed in this occupation.
Working Conditions
As a laboratory/science technician you will work with scientists, chemists, medical staff and engineers. You may care for laboratory animals and plants and help to maintain expensive equipment in good working order. Your work will involve using high tech instruments and computers in laboratories that are clean and well lit.
Standard 9-5, Monday to Friday working hours apply in most laboratory roles, with some opportunities for overtime. However, work priorities govern hours, and if, say, a process emergency arises on the weekend, or if a particular field sample can only be collected late at night, then laboratory staff must fit in. The work tends to be offered on a full-time basis. Sometimes your work may involve collecting samples and obtaining measurements outside the laboratory, sometimes in remote areas of Australia.
Job opportunities for lab technicians are dependent on factors such as the introduction of new technology, funding for research institutions, the importance placed on research and development by business, the volume of imported and exported products that require testing, and the level of research undertaken to improve the quality of products.
A Process Manufacturing Industry Training Council spokesman says that the future employment outlook varies according to which industry they are engaged in, but that overall employment prospects are sound. Their role in testing products and manufacturing processes are becoming more sophisticated and will remain in demand.
Starting salaries begin around $30,000 and range as high as $65,000 per year for senior technicians. Positions in remote locations or the mining industry may attract higher salaries.
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