East Midland Network meeting: Summary Report

Transcription

1 East Midland Network meeting: Summary Report Introduction. The purpose of this summary is to highlight themes that were identified by the East Midlands Network (EMN) at Nottingham on June 21, and to present them as issues that might be the subject of feedback and discussion:- with their institutional executive among peers, particularly manager groups in focused briefing sessions involving technical staff with their managers feedback to the regional groups and HEaTED (or its successor) In so doing, there will be an open cycle of involvement at all levels. Nowhere is this more important than the development of a culture whereby managers set aside regular time to brief the staff in their team. This point was strongly evident in the breakout sessions I have set this out so that you can [control]click on the text below. It is linked to the subject, thus enabling you to select the topics of interest to you. Technical Training Advisory Group: University of Leicester... 2 Key Issues Identified in Pre-event feedback:... 2 The detailed discussion in groups... 2 Communication: Issues to be addressed Themes for future consideration... 3 Career Guidance and Coaching... 3 Barriers:... 3 Opportunities... 3 Roles... 4 Training (Relevance and feasibility)... 4 Responsibilities... 4 Wider professional recognition... 5 How should it be approached?... 5 Roles in developing Professional Recognition... 5 The Outcome of the Network Meeting... 6 Next Steps... 6 All subjects are presented in outline style so that they can be pasted into PowerPoint slides to be used for local discussion groups. The key issue for EMN is to set up a workable structure that will sustain and develop the group and that will attract the interest and participation of technical and allied staff regionally and locally. The flow of the meeting, particularly the break out session, owed much to the responses to the pre-event exercises. To a large extent, this shaped the agenda. It would have been impossible to deal with the entire list of Headline issues arising from in the HEaTED Survey. The EMN group summarised its preferences, and submitted the groundwork for the ensuing discussions, thus saving significant lead-in time.

2 Technical Training Advisory Group: University of Leicester Alan Wilcocks presented an overview of the work of TTAG at Leicester. Its aims have much in common with the principle themes of the EMN meeting (communication, collaboration, networking, training, CPD). These can be viewed in the terms of reference. Essential information about TTAG, particularly, what it is and does, can be accessed from this page. TTAG is an excellent example of what can be achieved via committed leadership and local networking, with purpose. Key Issues Identified in Pre-event feedback: The EMN responded with their priority Headline issues arising from 2009 survey Need to improve communication across and within teams More career competition: inadequate career coaching Little or no career guidance and the requirement that training be linked to career development opportunities The uphill struggle to find relevant training sources (including courses, right location and timing) The cost of training The failure to recognise the technician contribution to University objectives (strategic plan?) The lack of guidance on work priorities or quality The perceived confusion over who in fact is the Manager (the role of technical staff and their chain of command ) A national qualification scheme including more formal teaching The detailed discussion in groups The breakout sessions involved four groups that focussed on the following broad issues: Communication Career Guidance and Coaching Training: Ensuring relevance and feasibility? Professional recognition The discussion was shaped around guided themes set out in proforma templates that in broad terms directed attention to: Key issues, Examples of good practice, and roles and responsibilities at various professional levels.

3 Communication: Issues to be addressed. Overuse of (the culture) It was felt that too much reliance was placed on the use of for communication. There is a tendency for people to be selective about opening s. Personal communication is more important. Managers should develop a habit of face to face communication so as to receive and provide information, views and ideas. How do people get to know about important strategic issues that may affect them? Policy, legal and structural changes inevitably impact upon all levels of staff. These may be available via local university web pages that all too rarely feed downwards to staff. Issues are also dealt with in management forums, local, regional and national. The question is raised as to whether significant decisions or trends reach all relevant people and teams. Themes for future consideration Communicating across the university (what, who and how) Technical staff to be seen as part of the university primary purpose. -They should not be the last to know about strategic issues that affect them-(not to rely on rumours) Some may need training on how to composing reports and other briefing documents How to best ensure relevant face to face communication How managers should seek (and provide) feedback Tangible outcomes that will result in structured networking with a clear idea about how the group should communicate: Career Guidance and Coaching Issues: Barriers: Opportunities Limited opportunity for change (largely dependant on modification of job content. Mobility limitation) Very slow turnover of technical staff Question mark over job security in the current economic climate Widening gap in the ratio between technical to academic staff Greater investment in individuals to maintain and develop skills The development of a nationally recognised specialised qualification Technicians should consider employment opportunities further afield Develop, and or participate in internal, regional and national networks Use job rotation and shadowing to broaden skills and knowledge. Develop a habit of listening to what people want (their aspirations?) Managers must know their staff; how they work best; take their ideas on board

4 Roles Individual; Departmental Team Leaders: Managers must make themselves aware of what is happening at local, institutional and national level and the potential impact on career opportunity Create relationships with academic colleagues on the basis of partnership. Individuals should assume responsibilities over and above their current role so as to lay a foundation to enable them to compete more effectively in the job market. They must learn to be assertive about their development and ability to compete Must be greater awareness of technician roles; Funding; creation of a culture of development Must be supportive and proactive on career management Essential to communicate (career planning issues) upwards and downwards. Training (Relevance and feasibility) Issues: Training needs analysis and appraisal (timely, continuous and structured) Communication and coordination of information and requirements The generation and communication of a strategic plan for the implementation of training A sense of its ownership by stakeholders The whole process should involve two way communication between managers and individuals Use of informal one to one development Quality skill retention and maintenance in the organisation Technical staff must keep their skills and knowledge up-to date and relevant to what they are supposed to perform. This is related to mechanisms for predicting training need. Training costs, availability of the right topics and timing of training events The need to take account of succession planning Responsibilities The Individual should:- Challenge whether the training on offer is relevant (take charge of promoting training & development) Promote a training culture If possible seek funding (possibly via research indirect costing) The Manager / Team Leader Seek funding & other resources

5 Discuss training plans (possibly in the context of CPD) Take active steps to find people from elsewhere who require the identified specialist training. (This will point the way to in-house, and regional collaboration) The regional contacts Networks Primary task is to coordinate training programmes, that would attract people from neighbouring institutions Establish open contacts Provide information that would enable pooling or sharing training Explore how alternative sources may be used make technical training cost feasible Establish a hub for contacting other regional networks in the UK Explore possibilities of collaboration with the private sector Promote regular regional meetings Essential to establish a two way communication the with all technical and allied people Get technical staff to be the source (providers) of training (Some may need training on how to be an effective technical trainer) Wider professional recognition This has to do with how technical and allied people are seen to contribute to the primary function of the academic institution (for example its standing in the UK and the world, excellence in teaching and research). This often boils down to the perception of the opinion and knowledge of the university and departmental executive, and influential academics as to the contribution that technicians make, and the skills and knowledge to do their job. Issues Is professional recognition about self fulfillment? career and professional potential? How should it be approached? A deliberate effort on behalf of the individual to raise personal profile (how)? Raise levels of personal expertise (technical as well as soft skills) Explore the possibility of including technical contribution in grant proposals Individuals should seek to push the boundaries of what they do Roles in developing Professional Recognition The individual Develop a personal drive to raise professional profile Should not self limit via demarcation eg a microbiology / stores / NMR technician Take every step to keep up to date Acquire more responsibility and the skills that go with it Develop a portfolio of experience alongside qualifications Make sure that input is duly recorded on scientific papers and other public sources

6 The Team Leader Encourage team to push the boundaries of what each individual does, how they may progress and the level of personal expertise. Keep professional recognition and personal profile high on the agenda of individual and team discussions and briefing. Sustain a habit of coaching and mentoring in the team. Regional Networks and HEaTED Build up an infrastructure of networking events and groups that open the way for all technical and allied staff to raise their profile beyond their immediate working environment. Provide and encourage the means to make sure that networking activity is followed up with adequate records or report that may become the subject of discussion at all levels in the local institutions. (This means that any individual can contribute ideas about regional topics and that this can be recorded on that person s port folio, or published on the web.) Promote a culture of encouraging individuals to demonstrate (share) their good professional practice (eg lab technique or organisation) regionally or beyond for other technicians and specialists. The Outcome of the Network Meeting An open discussion lead by Keith Willis set out the task to transfer the responsibility of managing and sustaining the EMN so that Staff Development people would provide a supporting role to that of technical managers. It was agreed that there should be one meeting per term. The local host will be identified who would organize the agenda and other administrative details, including hospitality and costs. Hopefully some of this could be shared with colleagues. The overall input should not be too arduous. The next meeting will be at the University of Derby, to be organised by Steve Taylor. It looks as though EMN has achieved a steering group made up from most of the regional institutions. Among the issues that might form an early agenda will be:- Forums / Networking for managers Specialist group networks Skills exchange programmes? Regional Mentoring/ Coaching scheme Regional collaborative training initiatives Facilitating and leading conferences/ courses/seminars using HEaTED materials Offering technical courses led by technical and allied staff, based on what they do at work Identifying assessors to support an National Qualification scheme (possibly NVQ based) Next Steps Ken Bromfield will distribute a proforma to all participants, the purpose being to identify areas of potential inter-university collaboration, involving individuals. The collated result of this will be useful for Steve Taylor s meeting at Derby.