New findings: Understanding the challenges faced by technicians

Today Eastern Arc has published the findings of a workshop to understand the key challenges facing technicians at its universities.

The workshop was part of the EARC Technicians Network’s  annual conference. It provided a dedicated forum for delegates to anonymously share their perspectives, experiences, and insights regarding the role and impact of technical staff within their respective institutions.

The session captured a wide range of views on current practices, challenges, and opportunities for enhancing communication, recognition, and professional development across the technical community.

Key challenges for technicians in engaging with the Technician Commitment, as well as national opportunities, included:

• Time: The most frequently cited barrier was lack of time, with numerous respondents explicitly mentioning “time,” “poor timing,” or “time restrictions.”
• Workload and Capacity: Many respondents pointed to workload as a significant barrier, often linking it with time constraints.
• Communication and Awareness: A notable portion of responses referenced poor communication, lack of visibility, or insufficient information about available activities.
• Financial and Funding Limitations: Financial barriers were consistently mentioned, including costs related to travel, work cover, and overall funding.

The specific findings, together with the recommendations following on from them, can be read here.

Next steps

The Technicians’ Network Steering Group will now work with the senior management at the four EARC universities to address the recommendations. To be kept up to date with progress, contact us.