Technical Careers Pathways Lab

Led by:
Birmingham City University, University of Cambridge, University of Essex, University of Warwick

What is the challenge/problem?

To improve and enhance the succession planning processes for the technical staff within university settings. 

Project Summary: What are you hoping to achieve?

To change and improve the culture to encourage technicians to share their knowledge without feeling  vulnerable, under pressure or that they are exceeding their brief.

Technical staff at universities should feel and believe that sharing their knowledge/experience with the next generation of technicians is the right thing to do and is expected. Line managers should also be aware that they have a duty to support that endeavour. Technicians should not shoulder the burden or become  a single point of failure and should feel that they and their knowledge, skills and behaviours are valued and that the organization has a culture that enables them to share, teach, train and mentor.

What will have changed within your organisations?

We hope that we can have a positive affect cultural change during interactions with technical staff so that transparent engagement happens about the need to plan for the future and to engage, involve and celebrate those skills which the technical staff possess.

We would also like to empower them to share that knowledge as part of their day to day lives.  Changes will include: altering PDR processes and job descriptions to include succession planning, using effective communication tools to prompt conversation and creating a development plan to create a record and skills analysis tool.  

What will be the outcomes for the sector?

Hopefully there will be fewer single points of failure, which we often see in many technical services settings and skills gaps that we have seen growing, year on year will start to narrow.  The group will produce succession planning tools which can be used by the sector and a report about what the group implemented and impact created within their institutions.

Led by:
King’s College London, Imperial, Cambridge, Ulster, Edinburgh 

What is the challenge/problem?

Mapping of current technical workforce within own institutions and identifying areas with different job titles and profiles. Deliverying an action plan to address and suggest possible technical structures 

Project Summary: What are you hoping to achieve?

1. Review existing mapping exercises within our institutions. 

2. Survey the technical workforce across the sector on their engagement with mapping exercises to date. 

3. Map and understand the current technical workforce within our own institutions (faculty/departmental breakdowns, progression, EDI). 

4. Produce a report to outline different technical structures in HE, assessing the pros and cons and sharing best practice along with recommendations for the sector. 

What will have changed within your organisations?

This project aims to help each institution understand the career pathways and roles of the technical workforce to support with recruitment, workforce planning, staff  mobility and research culture. 

What will be the outcomes for the sector?

A report which provides guidance about conducting a mapping exercise of the technical workforce for other institutions and shares good practice happening within the sector. 

Led by:

Northumbria University , Liverpool University, Manchester Met University, Leeds University, Warwick University  

What is the challenge/problem?

Career pathways for technical staff vary significantly across the sector. In some areas, these pathways are clearly defined and well-implemented, while in other institutions, they remain poorly outlined. The lack of clear and understood career pathways for technical staff presents several challenges: it hinders technicians from envisioning their future career progression, leads to inconsistencies in job descriptions, and makes it difficult for technical leaders to plan the necessary training and development for staff as they advance in their careers.  

Project Summary: What are you hoping to achieve?

This project will provide an opportunity for those who have implemented promotional and or career pathways to review and comment on their impact, and for those who are looking to introduce more clearly defined pathways specifically aligned to teaching, research, specialist or managerial activities to consider and implement new pathways within their institutions.   

What will have changed within your organisations?

This project aims to help each institution understand the career pathways and roles of the technical workforce to support with recruitment, workforce planning, staff  mobility and research culture. 

What will be the outcomes for the sector?

A set of tools, case studies and guidance hosted on the ITSS website that helps institutions think through what will work best for their technical staff and how they can work with and influence their senior leaders and key stakeholders when implementing the pathways at their institutions.  

Led by:

Cranfield University, Liverpool John Moores University, Science & Technology Facilities Council 

What is the challenge/problem?

To assist technicians in finding support and inspiration to develop their own careers.  To provide managers and technicians with tools for successful career conversations. 

Project Summary: What are you hoping to achieve?

There are two areas within our project space: 

• We aim to create videos of technicians talking about their roles and their career journeys, which will inspire and engage technicians.   

• We also aim to provide a framework to enable career conversations, helping technicians to reflect on their own skills and interests, and supporting managers or colleagues to guide technicians as they make career choices. 

The three institutions will pilot these resources and report back to the community. 

What will have changed within your organisations?

Implementation of a “careers conversation initiative” using the provided resources. Technicians feeling empowered to manage their own career journeys. Managers feeling confident to hold career conversations.  

What will be the outcomes for the sector?

A career conversation toolkit for managers and technicians, and videos that inspire technicians by seeing and hearing about others’ career journeys. 

Led by:

University of Salford, University of Durham, Kings College London & British Geological Society 

What is the challenge/problem?

‘I can’t progress as they say I haven’t the experience’. A statement we hear many times from those trying to progress in their career. But how can they get the experience if they aren’t given an opportunity? This is a negative culture repeating itself, time and time again. To encourage career progression and pathways we need to change this culture. Creating professional development opportunities to provide experience to change this cycle of negative culture. 

Project Summary: What are you hoping to achieve?

We aim to find out what professional development opportunities technician would like and what is the appetite and barriers to them though a survey between project members.  

We will use survey data to pilot internal, inter institute and industry professional development opportunities between project members. Opportunities will be housed on a web platform created by the group. 

What will have changed within your organisations?

The project hopes to provide several internal, cross institute and industry professional development opportunities to align with technician career pathway needs. Opportunities will be advertised in one location – a web platform – making it easily accessible for all.  

What will be the outcomes for the sector?

Creating a web platform to advertise inter institute and industry professional development opportunities. While designing a blueprint for the development of professional development opportunities, so institutes can create and share their own opportunities to enhance the culture around career experiences.  

Led by:

Nottingham Trent University, Newcastle University, Queens University Belfast 

What is the challenge/problem?

Highlight the achievements of our technical community through professional recognition and accreditation and support aspiring technicians in achieving appropriate professional recognition in their sector. 

Project Summary: What are you hoping to achieve?

Promote recognition of technicians through three main tools. We will create a framework of the main routes for technical professional recognition (both formal and informal), documenting the main criteria required for each, and how this is achieved. We will form a ‘Buddy’ network, through which technicians can connect with other technical staff across the sector and share knowledge and expertise to support their career development and the attainment of professional recognition. Finally, we will create a toolkit for technical managers to assist them in supporting and promoting the recognition of their staff. 

What will have changed within your organisations?

• Enhanced Professional Development through clearer pathways for professional recognition, driving pursuit of further qualifications and skills.  

• Increased Collaboration through the ‘Buddy’ network fostering a sense of community among technicians, encouraging knowledge sharing. This can lead to improved problem-solving and innovation within the organisation. 

• Higher Job Satisfaction through boosting morale and job satisfaction and improved retention rates through feeling valued and supported. 

• Improved Management Practices: The toolkit for technical managers will equip them with the resources to better support their staff. This can lead to more effective management practices and a stronger focus on employee development. 

What will be the outcomes for the sector?

A variety of resources will be available for both technical staff and their managers across the sector, helping staff to achieve professional recognition and assisting managers in their promoting and support of this. Routes to recognition will be more broadly, openly, and consistently publicised, and the pathway for achieving recognition will be laid out clearly. Peer to peer support will be available through the ‘Buddy’ system, which in turn will encourage networking and collaboration across institutions.   

Led by:

Institute for Cancer Research, Oxford University, London South Bank University, Queen Mary University London

What is the challenge/problem?

The reactive culture of how technicians and academics work together. 

Project Summary: What are you hoping to achieve?

We are creating a “conversation toolkit” designed to help initiate and sustain meaningful conversations between roles to enable a more connected, collaborative and equitable environment, where all contributors are recognised and empowered.  

What will have changed within your organisations?

We hope the toolkit will increase the awareness of technical staff contributions in research, promote mutual respect and reduce hierarchical barriers, empower technical staff to initiate conversations and take initiative, and shift institutional culture towards valuable communication, improved inclusivity and shared responsibility.  

What will be the outcomes for the sector?

A Conversation Toolkit in the form of a PDF for the technical community to download and use.