Career development support for technicians at the University of Edinburgh, designed to support personal and professional development and career mobility Planning Your Own Career Development The following resources have been created to help you plan your own career and understand what career development is available to you. Technicians Guide to Planning Your Own Career Read hints and tips from technicians who have taken different career paths Job Shadowing and Mentoring Receiving support from a mentor or spending time shadowing a colleague in a different role can have a positive impact on an individual’s career, opening them up to new experiences, building their network and shedding light on how other people have progressed through different job roles. Being a mentor or allowing a technical colleague to job shadow can also bring similar career development benefits and opportunities for reflection. To support this the four Edinburgh Higher Education Institutions (University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh Napier and Queen Margaret) have joined forces to provide mentoring and job shadowing opportunities for our technical staff. This was developed after the institutions conducted research with our technical staff to understand how we can better support the career development of our technical communities. Out of this research a report was produced, with key recommendations. You can read the report here. The next round of matching will take place December 2023 and you can view further information about the programme below. Edinburgh Technical Collaboration SharePoint Other Career Development Support Available Career Development for Professional Services Staff Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Development Support for Leaders and Managers Support for Learning and Teaching Staff Staff Supporting Students (for those in student support roles) Support for Researchers (for technicians, researchers and research managers) University Administrators (Association of University Administrators (AUA) is the professional body representing HE administrators and managers) UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy Development Programmes (for current and aspiring managers) Other Useful Links 1. Technical Role Grade Profiles Detail the knowledge, skills, experience, and representative work activities that are typical for technicians in grades UE01 to UE10 by grade. These can be used by staff to compare the differences between two grades and to assess themselves against the expectations of their current grade or aspiring grade to identify any gaps / development needs. Technical Role Grade Profiles 2. Understanding Your Skills and Strengths The following guidance from Prospects.ac.uk details a typical job profile for different technician roles, including the types of responsibilities, salaries and what to expect. Prospects Guide - Teaching Technician Prospects Guide - Animal Technician Prospects Guide - Research Technician 3. Technician Lens on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF) The University of Edinburgh worked with Vitae in 2020 to develop a Technician lens for the Researcher Development Framework. The purpose of this tool is to map the knowledge, behaviours and attributes that are developed or acquired through, or used in, the broader contexts of being a technician. Looking at professional development through a lens can help researchers strengthen their academic profile or prepare for transition into a new area of work. Technician Lens This article was published on 2023-11-14
