The University is proud to confirm it has become a signatory of the Technician Commitment, in recognition of the significant contribution our technicians make to the life, success and achievement of our University.

The Technician Commitment is a UK-wide initiative to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for all technicians working in higher education and research across all disciplines.  We have over 630 highly trained and qualified technicians at Glasgow, which make up a significant proportion of our University community, making a vital contribution to research, the training of PhD and postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate teaching.  The University recognises that through their skills, knowledge and professionalism our technicians provide a rich specialist resource we couldn’t live without.

Many challenges face our technical community in the years ahead, as science and engineering become more complex, interconnected and require increasingly high level practical technical skills in emerging fields and technologies.  Moreover in the next ten years there will be a significant turnover of technical staff, as valued colleagues move on and new technicians join us with ever higher expectations of investment in their futures.  Implementing the Technician Commitment will help us to ensure technical roles are an attractive, challenging and fulfilling career option for this, the next, and future generations.  The Technician Commitment will challenge us to invest more deeply and in new ways in the career development and nurturing of the skills and talents of our technicians to ensure we attain a sustainable workforce and environment that enables all to fulfil their potential.

The Technician Commitment will help the University address 5 key themes:

  1. Visibility 
    Ensure that all technicians within the organisation are identifiable and that the contribution of technicians is visible within and beyond the institution.

  2. Recognition
    Support technicians to gain recognition through professional registration.

  3. Career Development
    Enable carer progression opportunities for technicians through the provision of clear, documented career pathways.

  4. Sustainability
    Ensure the future sustainability of technical skills across the organisation and that technical expertise is fully utilised.

  5. Evaluating Impact
    Regularly assess the impact of actions taken in support of the Commitment to ensure their effectiveness.

Professor Frank Coton, Vice-Principal (Academic and Educational Innovation), is the Champion for the Technician Commitment at Glasgow and is leading a Steering Group of technical managers, staff and HR leads in our work to implement the Technician Commitment. 

Over the next few months they will be working with and consulting the technician community to develop a Self-Assessment and Action Plan to lead our future activities to deliver the Technician Commitment.

Technicians are encouraged to get fully engaged in the local consultations which will be coming their way shortly.  It is vital that all we do to implement the Technician Commitment is shaped, lead and driven by the very technicians who can make it happen and will benefit the most from it.

First published: 10 August 2018

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