Championing technicians
Now a Science Council Employer Champion, we have signed up to the Technician Commitment in a move aimed at increasing the profile and provision for technicians across the University.
This summer, we became one of the Science Council’s Employer Champions and signed up to its Technician Commitment, which has been developed to address the key issues affecting the technical community in academia and research.
Andy Connelly, Technical Officer, on behalf of the Technicians’ Network says: “In signing up to these Science Council initiatives, the University has a fantastic opportunity to highlight the importance of all technicians, not just science technicians. We technicians have been lucky to have Sarah Myers spearheading our cause, she has been key in bringing these initiatives to Leeds. Sarah started the Technicians’ Network, giving a voice to technicians with our quarterly network meetings, monthly coffee mornings, and a newsletter written for technicians, by technicians. With her endless energy, and the Network’s support, Sarah’s input has been vital in getting us, and the University, this far. I look forward to seeing the positive changes for technicians these initiatives will bring.”
The Technician Commitment
Developed to address the key issues affecting the technician community, the Commitment asks employers to make pledges in five key areas:
1. Visibility
Ensure that all technicians within the organisation are identifiable and that the contribution of technicians is visible within and beyond the institution.
2. Recognition
Support technicians to gain recognition through professional registration.
3. Career development
Enable career progression opportunities for technicians through the provision of clear, documented career pathways.
4. Sustainability
Ensure the future sustainability of technical skills across the organisation and that technical expertise is fully utilised.
5. Evaluating impact
Regularly assess the impact of actions taken in support of the commitment to ensure their effectiveness.
Francesca Fowler, Director of Human Resources, explains why the scheme is important to us at Leeds:
“Officially recognising technicians as a profession is an important step that demonstrates our long-term commitment to current and future technician colleagues. Our fantastic technicians are key to the continued success of our University and I’m delighted we have this framework to support more technicians to become professionally registered. I encourage any technician at Leeds to look into the process of gaining professional registration.”
Are you interested in finding out more?
- Join in: the Technician Network holds Tech-a-Break coffee mornings on the first Monday of every month.* Take the opportunity to get out of the office, workshop, or laboratory and chat with people away from your school or faculty.
- Catch up with relevant news and information through the newsletter, Technically Speaking, which can be found on For Staff.
- Speak to your line manager or HR manager to express your interest and use your SRDS to track your progress towards accreditation and get support with the process.
For more information, visit the HR web pages.
*The next coffee morning is on 8 January 2018. Email the Technicians Network for more information.
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