The Technician Commitment is a university and research institution initiative, that has over 115 signatories in the UK and internationally. The Commitment aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technical staff working in higher education and research, across all disciplines. The University of Sydney became the first international signatory in February 2023.
In Northern Ireland Queen’s University Belfast was one of the first signatories in 2017, and Ulster University signed in 2021. Two of our Steering Group members, Gillian Riddell and Heather Burgess co-chair QUB’s and Ulster’s Technician Commitment Steering Groups respectively.
In the Republic of Ireland the Higher Education Authority has expressed interest in higher education institutions adopting the commitment and it has been discussed at the annual meeting of the Centre for Excellence in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the HEA.
In January 2024, Munster Technological University became the third international signatory of the Technician Commitment and the first in the Republic of Ireland.
Useful Links
Technician Commitment
The official Technician Commitment website which describes the commitment, lists the signatories and their action plans.
Queen’s University Belfast
Queen’s University Belfast has finished their second, 36-month action plan. The university became a signatory to the Technician Commitment in 2017 and has since made significant progress in this regard. The action plan involves the setup of five working groups to address the key challenges affecting technical staff
Ulster University
A signatory since 2021, Ulster University has developed an action plan, established a network with other institutions, and is actively working on creating a framework to support the career development of its technicians.