- by technicians, for technicians.
Natalie Kennerley FIScT CSci
@Your_TechNet
The Invisible Workforce
• Overshadowed by “professional” doctors, scientists
and engineers
• Universities primary aim = to succeed as a research
and teaching institution
• Recognition for technical contribution is not always
there.
“The whole structure is inter- related and without one
all others fail” (Martin Luther King, Jr)
Technician of Today
Aims
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Create a technical community within University of Sheffield
Be inclusive and flexible
Provide a networking opportunity
Provide work shadowing opportunities
Raise awareness of technicians, their value in the science
community and role in grant income capture
• Provide self help within the technical community
• Promote good professional conduct
• Promote professional registration
• By technicians, for technicians
How it all began
• Faculty of Science professional staff
development day in November 2013.
• Session reinforced beliefs that due to
recognition technicians were becoming isolated
and sceptical.
• Staff surveys had previously indicated that
technicians felt under valued.
• Didn’t know what their colleagues in other
departments were doing
• Cause for concern was that some academics still
viewed technicians as second class citizens.
We wanted to change this and create a network
for technicians; giving them the opportunity to
be seen and heard;
We created TechNet for the unsung heroes of
academia – the technicians
Why did we chose the medium of a
network to fuel our idea?
• Everybody is part of a network nowadays, Facebook,
Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
• Networking makes it possible to connect people who
share interests and activities across many boundaries
and borders
• Build brand image, create brand awareness, learn
about new technology
• Increases organisational learning in ways that would
not be possible within a self-contained hierarchical
organisation
• Expand knowledge base and share ideas
• Develop relationships – strengthen social ties and
professional contacts
• Can aid collaborations on common fields of interest
and knowledge sharing
• Dissemination of information and the ability to reach
and multiply professional contacts exponentially
• Publicise events, discuss issues and create debates
Small beginnings…
• Researched what was going on at Sheffield and
discovered some networks already existed – Parents,
Network, Women’s Network, Administrators Forum.
• None focussed solely on technicians or the technical
community as a whole.
• Put together a technical networking event and so
TechNet was created.
Share knowledge and best practice.
Improve recognition.
Voluntary Membership.
Open to all.
Quarterly on-campus events.
Nurture Collaborations.
Strengthen cross discipline links.
Creating an online community.
Vision without execution is hallucination!
- Thomas Edison
TechNet – “Who Are We?”
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March 2014
Open to all at University of Sheffield
Used Turning Point Technology – evaluate feedback
Launch of TechNet website
What was the outcome?
Overwhelming Success!
I’ve met somebody who I haven’t seen for
15 years, we are doing the same job but in
different departments! We plan to do an
exchange visit to see if each of us can pick
up any tips.
I would like to do some work
shadowing in a new field of work.
TechNet has given me the
opportunity to network and find
the right person to work shadow.
TechNet is a great way to support each other and to know
that we are all experiencing the same issues and hopefully
together we can make things better for technicians, for
example increased recognition, more training opportunities.
• Interest from over 100 attendees from across
faculties.
• Success was measured by the actions of those
attending the event.
• This was the first time that a networking event had
brought together technical staff from departments
across all faculties into one place.
New Challenges
• Steering group – volunteers from technical staff
community
• Champions for network
• Disseminate feedback and plan for the next event
• Need to create Terms of Reference
Conflict within steering group led to the creation of the
TechNet Executive group
Further Events
“Spotlight On Career Development”
“Technician’s Showcase”
“TechNet – Who Do You Think We Are?”
“Are You Getting The Best Out Of Your SRDS?”
Challenges.…
• Key challenge – make sure that TechNet events are driven
by the ideas of the technicians; it’s their network
• Ensure that each TechNet event allows time for
discussions
• More interest in technical careers – now seen as well
paid with good career pathways
• Grant awarding bodies looking to have named staff who
are professionally registered
• HE jobs beginning to list prof registered as essential or
desirable criteria
Future plans…
• Based on participation of the technicians
• Revolve around the input from technicians and what
they perceive to be important and relevant issues
• Stronger links with undergraduates – work
experience programs (work with careers service)
• Promotion of professional registration – positive
effect in recruiting interest from other Universities
Get Involved!
We would like to develop more networking
opportunities with other universities and
organisations and are currently working hard to
achieve this.
Overall we would like to build on the success of
TechNet and continue to provide the world class
teaching and research by being a world class technical
team across the whole University.
Technically the future is bright!
Our Details.
Please contact the team if you would like to get involved or know more:
Natalie Kennerley
FIScT, CSci
Melanie Hannah
MIScT, RSci
Kevin Oxley
FIScT, Csci
Chris Smith
MIScT, RSci
n.j.kennerley@sheffield.ac.uk
m.hannah@sheffield.ac.uk
k.m.oxley@sheffield.ac.uk
c.p.smith@sheffield.ac.uk