Technicians at LJMU

Technician Commitment

The Technician Commitment is a university and research institution initiative, led by a steering board of sector bodies, hosted within the UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy. The commitment aims to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines. LJMU has been a signatory of the Technician Commitment since 2017, pledging to take action to tackle the key challenges affecting its technical staff, joining a cohort of over 150 institutions nationwide.

Within the higher education sector technicians play a vital role in supporting both teaching and research activity, however these contributions have traditionally lacked recognition or visibility. Our technicians are frontline employees of the university always onsite to ensure a swift resolution to issues. Many of our technicians are first aiders, evacuation-chair operators and fire wardens, carrying out critical tasks essential to business continuity.  Their support also expands beyond the day-to-day running of workshops and management of spaces such as studios, libraries, laboratories and research facilities to supporting students, procurement, space preparation, equipment maintenance, estates coordination, health and safety aspects and ensuring compliance with diversity and inclusion policies. It is vital that this invaluable contribution is recognised and rewarded within the university.

Action Plan

The university has submitted its Initial Stage-One Assessment and Action Plan for 2024-2026 to the UK institute for technical skills and strategy (ITSS). This plan outlines LJMU’s commitment to improve visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability within or technical community.

Download LJMU Technician Commitment Initial Self-Assessment and Action Plan (Word, 206KB)

Get involved

LJMU staff who are interested in contributing to the Technician Commitment or would like to find out more about what can be done to raise the profile of our technical staff should email our Technician Commitment Nominated Institutional Lead, Katie Farrance.

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National Technician Development Centre (NTDC) Survey

Coordinated by the National Technician Development Centre (NTDC), the Technician Skills, Roles and Responsibilities Survey captures information on every aspect of a technical workforce, from specialist technical skills, to future career plans and development needs.

LJMU’s Organisational Development team, in collaboration with Dr Kehinde Ross in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, were successful in securing funding for Enhancing Research Culture enabling the university to engage with  the NTDC to run the survey at LJMU. In partnership with a newly established Technicians Working Group the survey was conducted from February to April 2024.

Technicians Survey headline findings 2024

Response rate

LJMU had a response rate of 77.8%  well exceeding the national average response rate of 70%.

Headline survey findings

• Technicians at LJMU are 13% more likely than the national database average to be on a permanent contract with 90% working on a full-time basis.
• Technician ethnicity exactly matches both the city of Liverpool ethnicity demographics and that of the national database.
• LJMU technicians are more likely to demonstrate and teach technical skills than the average with a higher-level supporting teaching (93% versus 67% nationally) rather than research (61% versus 78% nationally).
• Whilst staff qualification levels are similar to national levels (64% have a bachelors degree or higher at LJMU vs 67% nationally) LJMU staff are half as likely to be professionally registered outside of the university.
• 61% of staff are aged 50 or under with 15% aged 61 or over with 61% identifying as male and 31% female.

It is the hope that the results of this survey, will assist the university’s seven-year People Plan to develop a career pathway for technical staff. The release of this survey underscores LJMU’s commitment to our technicians, and efforts are underway to effect positive change and improvement in supporting technical staff.

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Technical Community

Steering group

Consisting of Organisational Development, technical managers and academic staff. This steering group is responsible for driving the Technician Commitment Action Plan and sharing best practice across the university.

Working group

The Working Group is composed of volunteers from the technical community across the university. Their mission is to develop plans that align with the voice of the technical community at LJMU, ensuring inclusivity and representation.

Technical Services Staff Network Teams

The Technical Team's page on Microsoft Teams is dedicated to staff interested in the latest events and opportunities. Here, you can find information about upcoming courses through HEATED, NTDC, and other development opportunities. Staff members who wish to join this group can contact:

• Katie Farrance, Technical Resource Manager
• John Trantom, Organisational Development
• Jason Boulter, Organisational Development

North West Technicians Network

LJMU is an active member of the North West Technicians Network, initiated by Manchester Metropolitan University and funded by the Technician Commitment Collaboration Fund. Member institutions include:

This network facilitates professional networking across the North West technical community, enabling collaboration among technical staff from similar backgrounds across the region.