The National Technician Development Centre and the Technical Managers in Universities group have today announced a partnership to work together for increased recognition of the technical community in Higher Education.
The partnership will provide both the National Technician Development Centre (NTDC) and the Technical Managers in Universities group (TMU) new ways of addressing the issues facing both individual technicians and HEIs.
With a well documented shortage of technicians – according to Gatsby, the UK needs 700,000 more technicians by 2020 – and a lack of recognition for the highly skilled and vital roles they undertake in universities, this partnership will work towards creating a more sustainable technical workforce in HE.
Speaking about the new partnership, Terry Croft MBE, Director of the National Technician Development Centre, said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Technical Managers in Universities and look forward to engaging with the technical managers and supervisors that make up its membership.
As the one stop shop for the sector, we are keen to be actively working with groups representing technicians within the HEI community, so we can better understand their needs and how we can work to address them.
This new partnership will also greatly support the work of the National Centre in addressing some of the toughest challenges facing the technical community in HEIs across the UK today.”
Geoffrey Howell, Chairperson for Technical Managers in Universities, said:
“Being a partner to the National Centre helps Technical Managers in Universities in a number of ways. Firstly, by sharing best practices and allowing our members institutes to gain access to information and toolkits that are essential to the development of their technicians futures.Secondly, this partnership further strengthens the Technical Managers in Universities position in the Higher Education sector by giving them a platform to both disseminate information down and also to be involved in important debates with leaders in the HEIs over the future roles of technical staff.”
The National Technician Development Centre supports universities, research institutions and related bodies across the UK to create a sustainable future for their technical staff and services.
TMU is an informal voluntary association of technical managers and supervisors working within engineering, technology & science to support a wide range of disciplines in universities throughout the United Kingdom.
Technical managers and supervisors in HEIs across the UK can sign up to TMU for free to access the numerous benefits the group has to offer, including extensive networking, sharing of best practice and access to the annual TMU conference.
For more information, please visit the National Centre website at: nationaltechnicianscentre.ac.uk Or the TMU website at: http://tmu.uk.net/
Notes to editors
About the National Technician Development Centre:
- Supports universities, research institutions and related bodies across the UK to create a sustainable future for their technical staff and services
- Established in December 2017 and officially opened by Lord Sainsbury in February 2018
- The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) awarded funding of £546,000 from its Catalyst Fund to the National Centre, which along with funding from the University of Sheffield and other partners of over £580k, represents a total investment of £1.125 million
About Technical Managers in Universities:
- Established in 1992 as Engineering Technical Managers, rebranded in 2013 as TMU
- Hosts annual conferences – free to attend, aimed at technical managers in Universities
- Founder members include Brighton, Cambridge, East Anglia, Glasgow, Hull, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Sheffield, UMIST and York.
Contact Details:
For further information, please contact the National Centre on:
0114 222 9773 or enquiries@nationaltechnicianscentre.ac.uk
Or visit our website at nationaltechnicianscentre.ac.uk
