Three-Year Impact Report 2023- 2026    

 

Technical professionals play a vital role in enabling research, teaching, and innovation across higher education and research organisations.

Their expertise underpins laboratories, workshops, studios and specialist facilities, supports practical teaching and student learning, and enables the operation of complex research infrastructure and emerging technologies.

The UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy (UK ITSS) was established in 2023 to strengthen technical skills, roles and careers across the sector, building on the foundations created through the Technician Commitment and the Research England–funded Midlands Innovation TALENT programme.

Hosted by the University of Nottingham, the Institute works with institutions, technical professionals, funders, and policymakers to improve the visibility, recognition, development, and sustainability of the technical workforce.

The three-year impact report highlights the progress made during the Institute’s first three years and the impact of its work across the sector.

 

The Technician Commitment

Since its launch in 2017 with 36 founding signatories, the Technician Commitment has grown into a community of more than 150 organisations committed to strengthening the visibility, recognition, career development, and sustainability of technical professionals.

This includes a growing number of international organisations, reflecting increasing global interest in the initiative as a model for strengthening technical careers within higher education and research.

Now hosted by UK ITSS, the initiative supports institutions to translate commitment into action through peer review, knowledge sharing, and national collaboration. To date, 108 institutional submissions have been reviewed, identifying more than 3,500 actions designed to improve support for technical professionals across participating organisations.

Progress across the sector is increasingly visible.  70 institutions have been recognised through Technician Commitment Impact Awards, while a peer review college of more than 100 trained reviewers representing over 50 organisations now supports the initiative’s by the sector, for the sector approach to continuous improvement.

 

Research, Evidence, Insight, and Policy Influence

A central priority of the Institute’s work has been to strengthen the evidence base relating to technical professionals and to ensure that technical careers are recognised within national policy, workforce planning, and academic research.

Through its programme of research and sector analysis, the Institute has helped bring greater visibility to the technical workforce and its contribution to research, teaching, and innovation.

This includes influencing developments in the HESA workforce data collection, helping to ensure that technical roles are more clearly identified within national datasets and therefore better understood within institutional and sector workforce planning.

The Institute has also contributed to a growing body of academic research and thought leadership on technical careers, working with researchers and international partners to examine technical leadership, career pathways, and workforce sustainability across higher education and research systems.

More recently, the Institute has led work examining the role of the technical workforce in enabling the UK’s frontier industries, contributing analysis that highlights the scale of technical skills required to support emerging sectors aligned with the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

This work indicates that up to 120,000 additional technicians may be required to support frontier technologies in the coming decade, reinforcing the importance of strategic workforce planning and sustained investment in technical skills.

Through this combination of research, policy engagement, and thought leadership, the Institute is helping to shape national and international conversations about the role of technical professionals in supporting the future of research, education, and technological innovation.

 

Community and Practice

Building on the community created through the Technician Commitment, UK ITSS has developed a range of initiatives designed to connect technical professionals across institutions, disciplines, and career stages.

Through national networks, knowledge exchange placements, collaborative platforms such as the Capabilities Showcase, sector events including the UK Higher Education Technicians Summit, and targeted programmes supporting technical skills and career development, the Institute provides mechanisms for technical professionals to share expertise, build relationships, and collaborate across institutional boundaries.

There has been significant uptake of these opportunities, with the Technology Specialists Network growing to over 675 members, close to 200 knowledge exchange placements hosted, 300 facilities listed on the Capabilities Showcase, and over 1000 technicians attending the UK Higher Education Technicians Summits in 2023 and 2025.

Furthermore, with £1.8 million funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for the Technology Specialist Network, the Institute expanded the range of activities available to the technical community.

Together these initiatives strengthen the visibility, connectivity, and collective voice of the technical community.

They enable technicians to learn from one another, develop new partnerships, and contribute to shaping technical practice across higher education and research. By supporting these communities of practice, the Institute helps ensure that technical expertise is shared, recognised, and embedded across the research and education ecosystem.

 

Education and Career Pathways

The Institute has played a central role in strengthening entry routes and progression pathways into technical careers across higher education and research.

In response to sector-wide challenges around ageing workforces, the visibility of technical roles, and limited early career pathways, the Institute has led national programmes focused on T Levels, apprenticeships, and career development for technical professionals.

More than 40 institutions now host T Level industry placements, supported by sector guidance, tools, and community building initiatives led by the Institute.

Over 200 students and 250 technical staff have taken part in placement activity, with clear evidence of strengthened progression into apprenticeships, employment, and further study. Institutions report improved awareness of technical careers, enhanced mentoring capability among technical staff, and the creation of new entry-level opportunities.

Alongside early-career pathways, the Institute has also supported institutions to improve career development for existing technical professionals through the Career Pathways Action Group.

Twenty-seven institutions have collaborated on eight national projects advancing work on role profiles, succession planning, mid‑career apprenticeships, and recognition. The creation of the UK ITSS Technical Career Resource Hub has enabled sector-wide access to tools, case studies, and practical resources supporting clearer and more sustainable progression pathways.

Together, these initiatives have strengthened the talent pipeline into technical roles, improved the visibility of technical careers, and supported institutions to embed more coherent, evidence-based approaches to technical career development.

 

Learning and Development

The Learning and Development portfolio delivered through the Midlands Innovation TALENT programme and the Institute has established the most comprehensive national offer ever created for technical professionals in the UK.

Through leadership development, project management training, teaching and training programmes, mentoring, and national learning events, thousands of technicians have accessed development tailored to their roles and career aspirations.

The creation of the UK ITSS Learning and Development Academy in 2025 brought these programmes together into a coordinated national framework covering leadership and management, project management, teaching and training, and career development.

Flagship programmes, including the Herschel Programme for Women in Technical Leadership, the Executive Programme in Strategic Technical Leadership, and the Project Management for Technicians programme, have delivered substantial increases in participant confidence, capability, and progression. Participation spans more than 120 institutions across the UK and internationally.

Festivals of Learning and other open-access training initiatives have further expanded access to development, providing more than 3,000 learning places across more than 150 workshops. Evaluation data consistently shows strong satisfaction, behavioural change, and measurable improvements in leadership readiness, project management capability, teaching confidence, and career clarity.

Collectively, the Learning and Development Academy’s portfolio has strengthened leadership capacity across the technical workforce, improved institutional capability, and created a national community of practice for technician-focused professional development.

 

UK ITSS Consulting

Launched in 2024, UK ITSS Consulting provides bespoke support to institutions seeking tailored solutions to technical workforce priorities. Building on the expertise developed through the Institute’s research, learning and development, and workforce strategy work, the service offers customised training, organisational development, and strategic support for technical teams.

To date, UK ITSS Consulting has received over 30 enquiries, delivered 15 consultancy projects, and worked with professionals from more than 25 institutions across the UK. More than 400 technical professionals have engaged in bespoke consultancy-delivered training and development.

Consultancy projects have included tailored leadership programmes, technical training initiatives, and institutional workforce development interventions. The service has also generated income that contributes directly to the long-term sustainability of UK ITSS, enabling reinvestment in national services for the technical community.

 

Global Engagement and Collaboration

Growing international interest in the UK’s approach to valuing and developing technical professionals has positioned the Institute as a global leader in technical workforce strategy.

Institutions and policymakers across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australasia have engaged with the Institute to understand how initiatives such as the Technician Commitment, the TALENT programme and UK ITSS could inform their own national approaches.

The Institute has contributed to international conferences, sector discussions, and institutional events, sharing UK learning on technical workforce development. Engagements with organisations such as the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Australia’s Department of Education, the USA-based Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF), and universities and research institutes in Spain, Japan, and Australasia reflect a broadening global dialogue on technical skills across STEM, digital, creative, and performance disciplines.

A major development has been the Institute’s collaboration with the Universitas 21 network, leading one of the first global research projects examining technical careers across international higher education systems.

The project involved 12 universities and generated new comparative insight into workforce structures, career pathways, recognition, and leadership roles.

Building on this work, the Institute and Universitas 21 partners are launching an international Community of Practice for Technical Skills and Strategy in 2026. This will create a global platform for knowledge exchange, shared problem-solving, and international collaboration on technical workforce development.

Through these activities, the Institute is not only responding to global interest but actively shaping international understanding of technical careers, helping to position the UK as a leading voice in strengthening the technical expertise that underpins research and innovation.