What is a maker and what can they offer companies?

Are you an inquisitive person who enjoys coming up with solutions to all manner of problems on your own? Then you might be a maker and just don't know it yet. In this post we'll explain everything about what a maker is, what they can offer a company, the foundations of maker culture and why it's important to support it through training. 

One of the main characteristics of a maker is creativity; this is without doubt one of the most in-demand skills for companies. The World Economic Forum, in its Future of Work report, highlights active learning, problem solving, critical thinking, leadership, creativity, innovation and originality among the most in-demand skills of 2025. 

What does it mean to be a maker?

A maker is a person who learns from what they do, especially in areas that involve teamwork, fun and technology. In general, this is achieved through sharing knowledge online and, in particular, on social media. A maker is someone who is used to solving all sorts of problems by themselves and enjoys doing so. 

Maker culture has been around for years, but with the Covid-19 pandemic it has been driven by a common cause and the need to share learning to fight the disease on several fronts: some people were designing and others sewing their own masks, others still were able to produce their own respirator prototypes for Intensive care wards in hospitals.

These are just some examples of the creativity that can be released and the huge potential people have when they work together. 

What are the pillars of maker culture?

Now that you know what a maker is, it's time to find out about the foundations of maker culture. This culture originates in Do It Yourself (DIY), and over the years, has developed in such a way that we can already define several pillars on which it is based: 

Use of digital tools for design and production. In the past, digital design tools, in general, were expensive and only within the reach of major companies. Over time, models have been adapted for the use of any household or small business. 

Collaborative digital media. One of the fundamental characteristics of makers is that they make their knowledge available, hence the multitude of collaborative platforms where they can publish their breakthroughs and share these with other users. 

On-demand production. For a long time, when a person or company wanted to produce something, they needed a factory to produce it in large volumes in order to be profitable. With digitisation, such large volumes are no longer necessary, as products can be made on demand. 

 

What benefits can a maker bring to a company?

Their capacity to create and innovate makes them highly in-demand for many companies, given the advantages they bring: 

Problem solving. A maker sees a learning opportunity in every problem. Thus, they can provide alternative solutions and give a competitive edge to the company they work for. 

Teamwork. Makers are used to working together to share information and achieve better results, thus encouraging teamwork. 

Adapting to technological advances. Inquisitive people by nature and used to closely following developments in technology, makers can easily adapt to change and support companies through their digital transformations. 

Why is it necessary to support maker culture through training? 

You already know what a maker is and what they can bring to a company, but for this culture to spread and reap the benefits that we've seen for companies, it is important to support training initiatives that offer knowledge to future makers at the various stages of their learning. 

Meanwhile, new technologies require alternative training to be designed, which develops practical learning and fosters the skills necessary for the workers and leaders of the future. 

The maker movement emphasises education with the following characteristics:

Practical and active, where it's not a case of teachers giving a lecture and students listening, but rather, an exchange of ideas. 

Promoting entrepreneurship so that anyone can access the necessary tools to set up their own business.  

Helping students and professionals to come up with creative solutions to problems through experimentation and observation. 

Teaching how to use new technology and harness the developments arising from daily tass. 

In short, training is essential to promote and support maker culture. What’s more, continuous training and the learning of new skills, technological in particular, are fundamental for people searching for work to find it, for those in work to improve their skills, and for companies to have the guarantee that their staff are properly prepared to take on future challenges. 

It is with this aim that the Santander Open Academy website has been created, to encourage students and professionals to become makers, developing their knowledge of emerging technologies such as blockchain, cloud computing or machine learning. In order to do so, Banco Santander is committed to continuous learning and offers a wide variety of scholarships tailored to individuals' needs. Find out how to become amaker!

Have you finished your studies and are you looking to enter the workforce? Want to turn your career around? Head over to the Santander Open Academy website and take courses in the subjects that are most in-demand on today's job market. Make the most of this opporunity!