The Technician Education Council has recently issued its first Report and Consultative Document. It is now clearly in business assuming responsibility for the rationalisation of the grand assortment of qualifications which lead to the creation of technicians. Technicians are those whose job responsibilities lie between the technologist and the skilled craftsman. They must have specialist skills and specialist knowledge. But they must know, too, the theory behind the skills and have the capacity to exercise technical judgment. Present day needs of industry suggested to the Haslegrave Committee concerned with the Education and Training of Technicians (1969) that technicians should have a recognised national status and a national award understood by all.