Lancaster University Technician Website
Our University has signed up to the Technician Commitment which 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.
Technicians' Career Framework Announcement
The Technicians’ Career Framework has been successfully launched. The framework is the culmination of a two-year project involving technical managers and staff across the university in collaboration with staff and organisations across the sector. Competencies and expectations were mapped to establish clear career pathways for technical staff. The new framework will make it easier to understand what is needed to progress in a technical career, helping to better identify training and development opportunities.
The Technicians Career Framework Guidance tells you more about the competency matrix and how it can help you identify career paths and CPD. You will be invited to opt into the new style of job description over the next PDR cycle with your Technical manager
Technician career framework documentNews and Events
Technicians At Lancaster University
There are 121 technician's at Lancaster University, with a wide variety in their roles it is not uncommon to have technical staff in each department. This pie chart shows the departments in which our technician's work, updated 23.11.22
5% | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences |
11.6% | Faculty of Health and Medicine |
17.4% | Physics |
8.3% | Chemistry |
19.8% | Information Systems Services |
11.6% | Engineering |
20.7% | LEC |
5.8% | Other |
Join your fellow technicians for a "Technical Brew"; first Friday of the month and Second Wednesday of the month.
Technicians are meeting regularly on the first Friday & second Wednesday of the month for catch up & chat. Please feel free to come along (for as much or little as you can manage) & meet informally with your fellow technicians. Just turn up in LEC atrium on Friday 10 -11am or the Chemistry Foyer on Wednesdays 3.30 - 4.30pm - Bring your own brew.
Events of interest
Have you any work you are proud of and want to share? Anything good to celebrate, email Elisabeth Shaw.
Events Accordion accordion
The science museum opened a new Gallery on November 3rd 2022 -The David Sainsbury Gallery - showcasing the fascinating world of technicians. The interactive gallery immerses visitors in the varied world of the technician from creating visual effects on a Hollywood film set to analysing samples in a Medical laboratory.
The Institute of Science & Technology is pleased to announce that the Leading Your Technical Team Programme (LYTT) consisting of the Leading Your Technical Team and Building on Your Leadership Skills courses will now be offered through the IST. The Leading Your Technical Team programme has a long and well-respected history. It has been running for 30 years with more than 1,200 technicians who have been through the programme over this time. The programme content has continued to adapt and develop in line with changes in HE and it continues to be held in very high regard by HE senior managers and staff developers. Its high reputation is maintained through delivering a very high standard of technical management training via experienced HE managers, in a practical context with the reality of managing in a university technical environment.
The courses which are geared toward delivering the fundamental and key skill elements for leading and managing people, particularly in a technical team. Both programmes follow a similar format, in that the learning is enhanced through informal and highly participative sessions that include active discussion, exchange of ideas and delegate group work.
For full details please see the LYTT Leaflet – Information (.pdf) and LYTT Booking Form or contact:
Wendy Mason
LYTT Programme Administrator
The Institute of Science and Technology
Kingfisher House, 90 Rockingham Street
Sheffield S1 4EB
T: 0114 276 3197
Welcome to the CPD Hub. Below you can browse our range of CPD activities that we offer, designed to inspire technicians at every stage of their career.
Courses such as:
- Teaching & Learning Skills for Technicians
- Leadership & Management skills for Technical Staff
- Generating income with technical facilities & Services
Become equipped with the tools you need to teach, demonstrate and contribute effectively to the student experience.
This is an approved training course by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Type of Course: Personal Development
Course Reference: HFFC-001, HOC-018
RSC members with an active membership number can receive 20% off this course*.
Technical staff are increasingly taking on teaching and demonstrating roles. Whether it is one-on-one training on specific techniques or small group training and demonstrating, this course will equip you with the tools you need to perform this role and contribute effectively to the student experience. The course is recommended for technical staff with a role in training or teaching undergraduates, postgraduates, post-docs, new colleagues and apprentices. The content of the course has been designed to cover key topics, linking theories of teaching and learning together with workplace experiences, thereby providing a more holistic approach to learning. It is relevant to all academic disciplines and will promote personal and professional development, which is valuable to both you and your employer.
Delivery will be by informal active learning sessions (group activities/ discussion), discovery learning and reflection on current practice. Discovery learning forms a large part of the programme and as such collaboration amongst participants to discuss core concepts and reflect on current practice is actively encouraged, to create a more tailored learning experience.
Developed by Sustainable UCL, the LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) framework describes sustainability criteria against which individual labs can be audited, with the aim of achieving Bronze, Silver or Gold accreditation. By taking part in the programme, laboratories will help reduce their carbon emissions, save plastics, water, energy and other resources while creating an environment that supports research quality. Lancaster is the 80th UK Institution to sign up for LEAF.
There is currently a small enthusiastic team of Technical staff leading on LEAF within the FST but the initiative is open to all Faculties. Labs are audited internally, by a team of volunteers from within the University. If you want to get involved please contact one of the following:
- Naseem Aktar (Chemistry) n.aktar1@lancaster.ac.uk
- Agata Makas (Engineering) a.makas@lancaster.ac.uk
- Anabel Rice (LEC) a.rice3@lancaster.ac.uk
- Russel Harvey (Physics) r.harvey@lancaster.ac.uk
- Helen Quirk (FST) h.quirk@lancaster.ac.uk