Technician Commitment

All Technician Commitment signatories undertake a three-year cycle of action planning, implementation and impact reporting. Our latest Action plan is for the period July 2024 to July 2027. These Action plans are submitted to the UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy and are peer reviewed by counterparts across the UK before sign off.

At Oxford Brookes, staff in technical roles are involved in essential practical and specialist support in;

Teaching and Curriculum delivery
Research activities
IT support and digital specialism.

“Technicians are a critical part of the work of the university, making a vital contribution to our academic missions of teaching and research. It is noticeable how many graduation speeches by students begin with recognition and appreciation for both the discipline expertise of technicians, and for their commitment to furthering student learning, development and wellbeing. The supportive challenge that lies at the heart of our approach to education relies on the contribution of technicians and their work in helping students improve their skills and understanding, while fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment. The work of technicians across laboratories, mechanical services, electrical, building and digital specialism, are not only critical to the ability of the university to conduct world-leading research, they have enabled us to develop expertise in new approaches to teaching, such as simulation and experiential learning practices. ”

Professor Helen Laville, Vice-Chancellor

Gatsby Foundation

Out Technician Commitment team are proud supporters of the Gatsby Foundation and their technicians: We Make the Difference campaign.

How can you get involved

The Technicians: We Make the Difference campaign is looking for early-career technical staff to get involved.

‘Technicians’ is a national awareness-raising campaign, which inspires young people aged 11 to 16 with technical careers and education pathways, by sharing the stories of people working in these roles.You can check out the campaign on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

The campaign team are looking for new apprentices and early-career technical staff to help, by having a profile on our campaign website, like Megan Balcomb.

You don’t necessarily need to be called a ‘technician’ to get involved, but we are looking for apprentices and early-career technical staff who:

are under 30.
are working at levels 3 to 5 (e.g., equivalent to T-levels, A-levels, HNCs, HNDs, advanced or higher apprenticeships).
have a job that links to one of our featured roles (click ‘all’ to see the full list).
haven’t done (and not currently doing) a university degree or degree apprenticeship, for their role.

Help show young people that they can have a fulfilling career in a technical role. To find out more, please contact Claire French, Oxford Brookes Technician Commitment Project Lead.

Technician Commitment

Gatsby Foundation

Useful links