There are currently approximately 1250 technicians employed across the University in a variety of roles and departments and they play a vital role in supporting the achievement of the University’s mission and goals.
The University is therefore committed to developing the skills and potential of technicians throughout their careers.
As part of that commitment, the University became a signatory of the Technician Commitment in 2017, a sector-wide initiative sponsored by the Gatsby Foundation and the Science Council, to help address key challenges facing technical staff working in higher education institutions.
The Commitment includes four key areas:
- Visibility: Ensuring that all technicians are identifiable and that the contribution of technicians is visible within and beyond the University.
- Recognition: Supporting technicians to gain recognition through professional registration.
- Career development: Enabling career progression opportunities for technicians through the provision of clear, documented career pathways.
- Sustainability: Ensuring the future sustainability of technical skills across the University and that technical expertise is fully utilised.
Professor David Cardwell, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategy and Planning, has taken on the role of ‘Technician Champion’. He says: “Technicians make a fundamental contribution to the output of the University, by supporting all aspects of teaching and research. The University is recognising the important role played by all technicians by signing the Technician Commitment, which drives career development, recognition and sustainability of the technician workforce. I am delighted to give this initiative my full support.”
What’s happened so far
The Technician Commitment Working Group, made up of 16 colleagues from a range of technical areas, had its first meeting in June 2018. The Group will work to identify key issues, challenges and opportunities facing technicians, and progress actions to support technicians’ development and recognition. They will focus particularly on ‘sustainability’, which they have identified as a key area of concern.
The group will also seek the views and feedback of technical staff as regards initiatives and activities under the Commitment, and promote these amongst technical staff members.
A new Technician Development website has been created to provide information and resources to support technicians’ career development and professional recognition.
The University has also become a Partner Affiliate to the National Technician Development Centre, giving access to relevant tools and resources.
The opportunities afforded by the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy have provided fresh stimulus to the encouragement of training for new and existing staff, and technicians are currently completing a variety of apprenticeships relevant to their roles e.g. Level 3 Infrastructure Technician, Level 3 Laboratory Technician, and Mechanical Engineering Level 4.
What else is happening
Work is underway to develop technician career pathways, including skills, attributes and typical roles. The resources provided will enable technicians to navigate their own career path within the University, and help them to tailor their development to support career progression.
The University’s Personal and Professional Development team will continue to raise the awareness of the important work done by technicians across the University and look for opportunities for technicians to attend networking and information events.
To find out more about the Technician Commitment and technician development, please visit http://www.technicians.admin.cam.ac.uk/