What does "Hands on and in demand" mean?

After all of the talk is over and all of the plans have been made, someone has to do something! Someone has to build, skillfully configure, maintain, and repair. That person is the technician. There is a great demand for technicians - IT techs, mechanical technicians, instrumentation and robotic technicians, welding technicians, drafters, chefs, pilots, radiology techs, electricians - people with the skills to DO something.

Technical education is about learning the theory and the practice of those skills. The well-trained technician needs communication skills, mathematical understanding, and an expert's skill at troubleshooting. The expert technician is highly respected, well-compensated, and can find employment in any part of the country.

As technical educators, we do not apologize for teaching usable skills. We are not ashamed to train auto mechanics, air conditioning technicians, or dental assistants. Without the technicians that we train, the modern technological world would cease to exist. Transportation would slow and then halt, medical care would degrade, building would stop, and Doctors of Philosophy would be discussing high and lofty issues while sitting on rocks in the sun.

Viva los Técnicos!