Museum and Galleries Technician
Jevantte is an Apprentice Electrical Mechanical Technician at the Science Museum
I maintain the galleries at the Science Museum. I make sure everything is switched on, everything is working and make sure we keep things up to date. I’m always talking with the team to see how we can improve things and keep innovating to make it the best experience for the public. I’m often making parts or coming up with plans for exhibits that could be improved. I also help maintain exhibits and interact with members of the public.
Usually in the morning, we start with PPMs, which is our Planned Preventative Maintenance. I’m usually given four objects to maintain, and I go round and make sure they are functioning properly. If I spot any problems, I’ll go back during the day to work on that exhibit between other jobs. From around midday, we could be working on a multitude of things! I might be down in the workshop making things and getting them ready for the gallery. I might be in the gallery interacting with visitors. Something I can’t wait to be trained up to do is running the red steam Mill Engine and explaining to the public how it works – it gets such big crowds! Sometimes we get problems or repairs for the gallery called in over the radio that we weren’t expecting and we will go and analyse the situation. If we can’t figure out how to fix it, we’ve got an amazing wider team who will be able to help.
I love the creative freedom. I don't just get told to do something and do it. I can go and see what’s going on, bring it back to my team to discuss ideas and then off I go on a project. I can take a whole project from start to finish, and then have it on display in the museum for people to use. Hearing them say, “this is amazing” about a project I’ve worked on makes me really happy.
We have a very good team here. I really like the fact that you can go to them for anything. There’re so many different skills in the team - people who come from carpentry, electrical or engineering backgrounds, or working in factories. It’s great to be able to get different bits of knowledge from different places and always be learning. I will then be able to pass that knowledge down to someone else in the future.
The three big ones are mathematics, communication, and teamwork. We work with different dimensions and we’re making things from scratch, so there’s loads of maths involved. If I’m in the gallery running one of the interactives, I’m communicating with members of the public and answering questions like “How does it work?” or “When was it made?”. Teamwork is important too, we’re always working as a team and need to make sure we’re working well together.
Definitely the lathe, which we use to cut and shape wood and metal. It’s a really versatile machine, and I’ve become so confident with it lately. I’ve slowly become better at using it through my apprenticeship and it’s so satisfying that I can now just hop on the machine and do what I need to do. My favourite equipment to run in the gallery is the Toyoda Automatic Loom. It brings such a big crowd in and I get to explain how it works and answer questions. Everyone wears clothes that originally came from this kind of loom, so they are always amazed to see it in action!
There's an orrery in Wonderlab, that demonstrates how the solar system works. I worked on the main gearing and parts for inside the Earth. Everyone uses that all the time and it gets such great reviews, plus children like looking at it for hours. It’s good to see our hard work being appreciated, it’s an amazing feeling.
I wear work trousers and steel toe-capped boots to protect my legs and feet. On my upper body, I wear a Science Museum jumper or shirt to protect my own clothes. I wear goggles to protect my eyes, and sometimes noise defenders if I’m working around louder machines, such as the Toyoda Automatic Loom. I wear gloves if needed. You’ve got to stay safe.
When I was at school, I liked being out the house and exploring – getting to know the world around me. My whole family had bikes and we used to ride a lot. I was the one who would fix them. I’d always be looking at things to do or fix, which is kind of like engineering – I just didn’t know I was doing it at the time!
I really like going to the gym, keeping myself fit and healthy. I like getting out of the house and spending time with friends and family.
Keep trying and don’t give up. You will always get rewarded and never be left empty handed if you keep putting the effort in every day.
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