The delegates – made up of Technicians who work in Higher Education and research institutions across the UK – came together 16-17 May to discuss how Unite is supporting the Technician Commitment.
A sector-wide initiative led by the Science Council and supported by the Gatsby Foundation, the Technician Commitment “aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research across all disciplines”.
Institutions are invited to become signatories of the Commitment and pledge action to tackle the key challenges affecting their technical staff. The University was one of the founding signatories of the Commitment in 2017.
Professor Nick Jennings, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, explains why: "Technicians are a vital part of the Loughborough University community, as they are central to supporting our students and research. I am delighted that we are better recognising the important role of technicians and making their contributions more visible.”
Loughborough University has drawn up a Technical Commitment Plan that pledges to tackle the key challenges that affect its technical staff while recognising and supporting the vital role they play. Meanwhile, a Technician Community, established by and for staff at the University, provides a space to share information and support.
Unite was the first national union to sign up to the Commitment. Andy Murray, National Officer for Unite, said at the time: “We are proud to become a supporter of the Technician Commitment. These roles have historically lacked opportunity, but by working together we can ensure they have increased visibility, recognition and career development to unlock future innovation on a global scale.”
The two-day event – co-chaired by Andy Murray and Richard Warhurst (Deputy Technical Manager and Research Team Leader at Newcastle University) – provided delegates with opportunities to discuss the Commitment and how it benefits both them and the sector as a whole.
Kelly Vere (Programme Director of the Commitment) was among the event’s key speakers. She charted the Commitment’s national progress and the work of the Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy (ITSS).
Julie Turner (Loughborough University’s Strategic Scientific Technical Lead) described the University’s Technician Commitment Journey, outlining its implementation to date – offering a template of good practice for other institutions.
Andy Murray summed up the event’s importance: “Unite’s Technician Forum meeting at Loughborough underlines our commitment to the Technician Commitment and intention to fully address our members concerns regarding their career development.”