Don’t exclude technicians from decision-making, universities told

Technicians should be represented on university decision-making bodies to ensure that the voice of the UK’s 30,000-plus-strong technical workforce is properly heard, a major review has recommended.

The call for technical staff to be included on department-, faculty- and institution-level committees is one of several recommendations made in a new report by the Talent Commission, a cross-sector body including vice-chancellors, senior scientists and technicians set up in July 2020 to address a perceived lack of insight into the needs of technical staff in UK academia and research.

Drawing on a survey of almost 1,800 technical staff, the study found that these staff – sometimes referred to as academia’s “unsung heroes” or “Cinderella staff” – were “not always understood and valued, particularly among more senior leadership in universities, which is reflected in institutional processes and structures”.

“They feel excluded at various levels of decision-making and are not always afforded the same opportunities as other staff groups,” it concludes, stating that these individuals have been described as “invisible” despite the crucial role that they play in research.

Universities and research laboratories should also create opportunities for technical staff to be considered as co-investigators or co-supervisors on grants or projects, says the report, published on 1 February, which says technicians must be listed, where appropriate, as co-authors on journal papers.

“Funders and employers of technical staff in higher education and research should recognise the blurring of boundaries between technical and academic roles,” says the report, which adds that they should “provide opportunities and mechanisms to move between career pathways and across sectors”.

More generally, universities and funders must also review whether technicians are properly recognised and rewarded for their contributions and ensure that there are appropriate career pathways to allow promotion to more senior positions, the report adds.

It also proposes a “new, simple, and fit-for-purpose classification for technical roles in higher education…separate from academic [or] administrative” roles, while universities should appoint a director of technical skills to drive strategic change on this issue across institutions.

The report also offers a series of proposals for government, research funders, professional bodies and learned societies and the technical community.

Sir John Holman, chair of the Talent Commission, said the review set out “a clear vision” to strengthen UK research by providing “the right technical capability and capacity across academia, research, education and innovation”.

“Our research also identified that a proportion of technicians involved in teaching and learning activities are doing so with little recognition or support, yet many learning environments heavily rely on the support of technicians,” added Sir John, a former president of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

David Sweeney, executive chair for Research England, which has invested more than £3 million in the Talent project to improve technical skills in academia, said he welcomed the report’s findings, which “align strongly with UKRI’s vision for an outstanding research and innovation system in the UK that gives everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, enriching lives locally, nationally and internationally”.

Kelly Vere, Talent project lead and director of technical skills and strategy at the University of Nottingham, said the recommendations “offer solutions to strengthen the technical community, ensuring that it is diverse, inclusive, sustainable and fit for purpose, now and in the future”.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com