We’ve responded to the HESA Statistical Consultation (Staff Record Review).
Our Response
Recognition and Classification of Technical Staff. We fully support the shift from “non-academic staff” to “professional, technical and operational staff” and agree with subdividing this category further. Technicians are a poorly understood and understudied staff group, yet they are essential to research and teaching within the Higher Education sector. Clearer definitions and reporting structures will significantly enhance visibility and support development of technical career pathways.
Mandatory UK-Wide Data Collection. We advocate strongly for re-introducing mandatory UK-wide reporting of data on all non-academic staff. This will allow for more accurate and equitable tracking of the technicians’ contributions across institutions and address existing data gaps.
Employment Functions and Activity Data. We endorse Option 4 for collecting employment function data, which provides detailed flags for roles and activities, including technical and student-facing functions. This granularity is essential for policy development and workforce planning and offers a much-needed lens on the breadth of technician involvement in research, teaching and knowledge exchange.
Supporting 4-digit SOC Codes. We support the collection of 4-digit SOC data to better identify and distinguish between technical specialists. Current 3-digit codes exclude many non-STEM roles, limiting insights into the broader technical workforce.
Fixed-Term Contracts and Contract Precarity. We support collecting data on contract length and grant-linked contracts. Understanding the length and extent of fixed-term contracts for technical professionals will help us to better understand the degree of contract precarity that they may be facing.
Implementation Timeline. We support implementation by 2026/27. Prompt implementation of the proposed changes would allow us to navigate challenges stemming from financial restructuring and workforce shifts, particularly in technical roles.
Prepared by: Farheen Akhtar (Institute Policy and Engagement Manager) and Ryan Bates (Research Associate).