Continuing commitment to the cause. Valuing our technicians and demonstrators

University of Northampton’s (UON) mission to develop, promote and support a team of technical professionals is on track for success.

The University signed the Technician Commitment in 2023 and has recently received praise for its initial 24-month Action Plan to recognise the inputs of its tech and demonstration team.

The Technician Commitment was launched in 2017 and aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians.

The initiative heralded change at higher education and research institutions, generating millions of pounds of funding to support the technical community.

Following a recent submission to the UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy, UON’s current activities and plan for future development received many positive comments.

The Institute welcomes that the University is laying the foundations of ambitious work with its Action Plan to propel it to the forefront of supporting its technical community. The praiseworthy work includes:

• The University’s Action Plan aligns well with the institution’s strategic priorities and values. Alignment of these to the pillars of the Technician Commitment is clear and there is a good spread of actions across all four.
• The University received praise for the inclusion of the technical community voice when forming our Action Plan, through workshops, digital collaboration and a steering group where technical staff from a variety of disciplines were represented.
• The regular technicians’ forum in the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology is established and engages across UON.
• Specific technician staff development days are being enhanced.
• The profiles of technicians and demonstrators continue to feature across external channels, increasing the visibility of the technical community.

Dr Cathy Smith, Dean of Enterprise and Research at the University of Northampton, says: “It’s heartening to see the excellent progress being made as we officially recognise the importance of our technicians and demonstrators.

“Looking ahead, our Action Plan includes holding a conference about the research and other workstreams of our technicians and demonstrators, a time for them to fully take centre stage and for us to recognise the incredible value they bring to the University.”

Find out more about the Technician Commitment.