The Technician Commitment is a university and research institution initiative, led by a steering group of sector bodies, with support from the Science Council and the Technicians Make It Happen campaign. The Commitment aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines. Universities and research institutes are invited to become signatories of the Technician Commitment and pledge action against the key challenges affecting their technical staff.

Launched in May 2017, 80+ universities and research institutions have now signed up to become signatories and pledged action against the five key challenges affecting their technical staff.

Our action plan was refreshed in July 2024 and is available to download.

The 5 Key areas are:

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

Recognition: Support technicians to gain recognition through professional registration

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

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

Evaluating Impact: Regularly assess the impact of actions taken in support of the commitment to ensure its effectiveness.