Blog: Commitment to Technicians to be set out at national Higher Education conference

The work Harper Adams University has done to develop its technician community is to be set out at a national higher education conference this week.

Head of Technical Development and Laboratory Manager at Harper Adams, Dr Victoria Talbot, will be discussing what the University has done as part of a panel at the GuildHE Research and Knowledge Exchange Symposium in London.

She will explain how the University ensured its technical staff engage in teaching, learning and research, how the community they have formed can be mobilised – and what the sector can learn from the work Harper Adams has done.

Victoria said: “Historically overlooked, technicians play a fundamental role in the success of universities' research, teaching, knowledge exchange and innovation.

“As a group of staff, we are not always well understood - though that is improving!

“We play an essential role in learning and research, offering vital expertise, technical insights and support and bridge the gap between theory and practice.

“I'll give the audience a brief overview of the University  and what we've been doing, particularly over the last couple of years, with regards to the Technician Commitment – which aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.”

Harper Adams signed the Technicians’ Commitment nearly a decade ago in 2017, and since then, the University has committed to take action in five key areas.

It also holds an annual Technicians’ Conference, drawing together expertise from across the sector - as well as among its own community.

Victoria will be discussing this work and the impact the conferences have had – as well as why she and Professor Ken Sloan, Harper Adams’ Vice Chancellor and Chair of the board of GuildHE, encouraged GuildHE to sign up to the commitment as an organisation itself.

She added: “Hopefully, listeners will be inspired to encourage their institutions to sign up, if they haven't already done so.

“Hopefully there will also be some useful takeaways about what we've found helps to get things off the ground, to keep going, and to start to make a difference - so that attendees’ technicians are visible, recognised, have career progression and that their skills are fully utilised and sustainable - the four pillars of the Technician Commitment.”