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Technicians Development

This page has information about the range of development opportunities available to technicians across the University.

As part of our University strategy, we want to attract, retain and develop the very best people and teams. Our technician team has more than 400 technicians across each of our faculties.

At Leeds, we are committed to the Science Council’s Employer Champion programme. This means we have agreed to champion the value of professional registration and ensure you have access to continuing professional development opportunities.

Technicians Network

The University is signed up to the Technician Commitment and we have set up a Technicians Network, run by technicians for technicians. The network to aims to support our community through regular networking activities and regular communication, including our Technically Speaking news articles.

Upcoming development opportunities open to technicians will be advertised on the Technicians Network MS Teams. Join the network to receive updates on development, Technician Network events, and to network with technicians around the University.

Join the Technicians Network on MS Teams

Technician Commitment Action Plan

You can find out more about the Technician Commitment at Leeds and the action plan on the University's Research Culture website.

View the Technician Commitment webpage on the Research Culture website

Professional Registration

Professional Registration provides independent recognition of your skills and experience and demonstrates your commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) and ethical standards in your field. It is a quality mark that will be recognised by professionals in your field and employers.

Going through the process of professional registration also gives you an opportunity to reflect on what you have achieved in your career so far and the skills and experience you have to offer. Doing this builds confidence in your professional skills and supports you to identify further development to progress your career.

Many professional bodies also offer their own CPD and networking opportunities for members, enabling you to continue your professional development.

Who do I register with?

There are a range of options for professional registration, covering both scientific and creative activities. The following is a list of organisation for professional recognition, there may be other more specialist organisations you can register with.

Browse a list of organisations for professional registration

Advance HE Fellowship (FHEA)

Any staff member involved in teaching or supporting learning can apply for Advance HE Fellowship (FHEA), including technicians who teach, give demonstrations, or provide support in labs and studios. The University of Leeds offers two routes for achieving Fellowship (FHEA), both of which are open to Technicians involved in student education:

  • PRiSE offers support sessions and resources for making a written application for Fellowship (FHEA).
  • PGCAP is an 18 month ‘work based’ programme, heavily grounded in participants’ current academic practice.

Teaching and Supporting Students

University of Leeds offers a range of programmes and opportunities for developing your student education practice. The offer is open to staff involved in teaching or supporting student education, including technicians. Find out more on the OD&PL Student Education Development website.

Technicians are often the first point of contact when a student is in distress. Student Support run regular training events for staff supporting students, which are available for technicians. Find the latest training sessions on the Student Support Training, Events and Networks page, and online training resources on the Student Support Training Resources page.

Technical Skills and Research

Role-specific training should, in most cases, be funded by your faculty. The information below contains links and suggestions for developing specialist technical skills.

Yorkshire Technicians Exchange Partnership

A skills-sharing scheme started by the University of Leeds and the University of York, which is now being expanded to other universities in Yorkshire. You can connect with technicians in other universities to arrange visits and share information about specific technical skills, outreach, public engagement, widening participation, EDI, Athena Swan, training, and facility management. Read more about the Yorkshire Technicians Exchange Partnership or email technician-commitment@york.ac.uk.

Higher Education and Technician’s Educational Development (HEaTED)

The university is a member of HEaTED, which provides a range of specialist development workshops aimed specifically at technical staff. As a member of University staff, you are also eligible for a course fee discount.

Technicians Network Events

The Technicians Network offer regular and ad hoc events during the year, including development opportunities aimed at Technicians, such as the TechExchange events.

Higher Education Technicians’ Summit

A national conference for technical staff working in higher education and research. The biennial event is held in the Midlands and is the UK’s only event dedicated to supporting the professional development of technicians and celebrating the success and achievements of technical staff. The Technicians Network have in previous years covered travel costs for technicians from University of Leeds to attend – contact your Technician Champion to find out what funding is available.

Professional Membership Organisations

Professional Membership Organisations will offer conferences and CPD relevant to the areas of expertise they represent. The development will often be available to non-members, though it may be at a higher rate. Find out more about Professional Membership organisations in the ‘Professional Registration’ section of this page.

The UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy (ITSS) and TALENT

The ITSS is a new institute which aims to be the source of sector expertise on technical skills, roles and careers in UK HE and research and inform on key areas of research, policy, practice and engagement. The Institute fosters integration, promotes international leadership and strengthens industry connections to ensure the long-term sustainability of technical skills and careers.

TALENT is a project which leads and influences change to advance status and opportunity for technical skills, roles and careers in UK higher education and research. It is led by the Midlands Innovation (MI) consortium of eight universities in collaboration with key stakeholder and industry partners.

MI TALENT provide a technical learning resource hub, where you can select training courses from a number of development themes

Leadership and Career Development

The University of Leeds offers a range of leadership and career development open to staff from all areas of the University. This includes:

Herschel Programme for Women in Technical Leadership

The Herschel Programme for Women in Technical Leadership is a national programme, open to technical staff from any discipline who identify as women. This dedicated career development opportunity aims to address the lack of women in technical leadership positions across the sector. It provides a space for colleagues to learn new skills to develop themselves in a current technical leadership role or equip them if they aspire to be in the future.

Other forms of Development

Formal development programmes are only one form of development, and most learning happens on the job or through informal development opportunities. When thinking about your professional development, consider:

Work experience

Opportunities to gain experience of other teams and organisations. This might be a day of job shadowing, a secondment, taking on new responsibilities within your role, or taking part in a project.

Research and self-study

Time spent researching a particular area or skill, such as reading journals and books, speaking to colleagues in other areas or organisations, or attending conferences.

Volunteering

Taking part in voluntary activity can be a way to share your skills through outreach, or it can be a route for learning completely new skills such as project management, teaching, mentoring or event management.

Events and seminars

Attending conferences, online webinars, networking events, or just taking time to network with colleagues can help you keep up to date on recent trends and how other people are addressing the same challenges you come across in your work.

Joining committees and working groups

Joining a committee or working group can give you more experience with how organisational decision-making works, give you an opportunity to influence areas issues you care about, and develop skills such as influencing, leadership, and understanding organisational politics. There may be groups operating at school or faculty level, or you can get involved with the Technicians Network. You can also find lists of staff networks at Leeds on the Equality and Inclusion Unit website and the For Staff website.

Other Development Resources