Laboratory technician 2.0: skills for the future

We all know that laboratories are making significant progress. Automation and modern technologies are flying around our ears. Our industry also has to believe in it. What does this do to the skills of the lab employee? We asked that question to Helga Walters, technology training manager at Avans+, and Peter Kootstra, owner and trainer at Lab-QAcademy. Based on their knowledge and experience, they point to four shifts. 

1: from manual work to thinking

For years, laboratory work consisted mainly of repetitive actions. These had to be done accurately, because test results must be of good quality and reproducible. This still applies, but robots are coming into action more often. What does that do to the laboratory technician? 

Helga: “There is a shift from manual work to thinking. Analytical or problem-solving skills become more central for the lab employee. Tasks and skills such as validation and thinking through processes remain. In fact, there is little repetitive work to be done, because that has been taken over by devices.” 

Peter: “The analyst is increasingly becoming an operator. This further reduces the level of precision, so that less training is required for the repetitive work. The other side is that analysts actually need more training for the many required computer skills.” 

2: from analyst to interpreter

So it seems that laboratory technicians are moving from the pipetting table to the computer screen. There they are mainly concerned with processing data; They translate computer into human language like a kind of interpreter. But do they also have to control and set up the devices? 

Helga: “The automation is mainly done by IT professionals: they install the equipment and write the control programs. The laboratory technicians have an important role in describing the processes and analyzing and controlling the output of the equipment. The courses therefore focus more on working with advanced equipment and on making reports from the generated data.”  

Peter: “First everything was on paper, now in computers. Fortunately for the analysts, they do not have to control the machines. They take on more of a quality controller role: double-checking whether the machines have done the job accurately. Of course, errors still occur, even with devices.” This means that the basic knowledge of chemistry and chromatography must be good, so that errors are recognized and the instrument is not a 'black box' for the analyst. 

3: from specialized to broadly trained

In education we see a major trend in all fields: more broadly educated people instead of specialized professionals, also due to budget cuts, which makes us more critical of what we do and do not include in the education program. What does this mean for the lab? 

Helga: “The basic skills of the laboratory technician will always remain a major aspect of lab work. But practice teaches us that thinking, validation of methods and problem-solving skills will also become more important in the future. So it is good that the training is becoming broader, but this should not be at the expense of other skills.” 

Peter: “We want too fast, too much. At the same time, education is making cuts. You notice this in the quality of laboratories: with my thirty years of experience as an auditor for various accreditation bodies, I have seen that quality declining in recent years. We should not skimp on basic skills such as accurate pipetting and preparation.” 

Laboratory technician 2.0: these are the skills: 

More thinking than manual work: more modern technology requires more technical skills. As a result, the craftsmanship fades into the background, or does it? 

Translating computer language: analyzing data is becoming a larger part of the laboratory technician's duties. He therefore takes on more of the role of translator or interpreter.

Broadly trained and therefore widely deployable: budget cuts in education require simplification of content. This leads to broadly trained laboratory technicians. Is that also desirable? 

Collaboration requires social skills: Communication is becoming more important in every area; There is also more demand for socially skilled analysts in the laboratory sector. 

4: from individual to collaboration

Communication and social skills are often central in education. Does this also apply to laboratory education? 

Helga: “If you ask me, social skills are certainly becoming more important in lab work. Analysts work more closely with IT professionals, who install and operate the equipment, and must communicate well with them. More laboratory technicians are also doing project management. 

Peter: “I see little attention for internationalization. Many labs are still in their own bubble. There are of course more and more large organizations that are taking over small labs. I doubt whether the people on the work floor really notice anything. Perhaps just that matters are arranged more centrally and they have less control over their own processes.” 

One lab is not the same as the other

It is clear that there are major shifts within lab work, and that this also affects the skills of the laboratory technician. But one lab is not the same as the other. Do we generalize and therefore forget that the differences are also great? 

Helga: “In some laboratories, automation is still in its infancy. The skills you need therefore depend greatly on the lab in which you work. Not every lab has a large analysis line; sometimes there is still a lot of manual work to be done. We must not forget that.” 

Peter: “Laboratories differ enormously. In a routine lab, manual work is still part of everyday life, while an automated lab requires more analysis skills. There are also labs that are not yet automated, and probably never will be. For example, labs where cars are tested for safety, or forensic labs. There, human work simply remains the standard.”