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‌Technician Commitment

‌

Welcome to the Technician Commitment

The University of York is dedicated to recognising, celebrating, and developing the essential contributions of our technical workforce. As part of a national movement across higher education and research, we work to build a supportive, visible, and sustainable environment for technicians across every discipline.

What is the Technician Commitment?

The Technician Commitment  (TC) is a university and research institution initiative hosted by The UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy (ITSS).

Originally launched in 2017, the Commitment was created to build a positive institutional culture for technical staff working across higher education and research organisations.

Since its inception, the TC has grown into a global community of more than 150 signatory and supporter organisations. Over 100 universities are signatories alongside major research funding bodies and learned societies, including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Wellcome, the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Biology, UCEA, the Science Council, and Universities UK (UUK). Together, these organisations pledge action to tackle the key challenges facing technical professionals.

University of York: A Founding Signatory

The University of York is proud to be a founding signatory of the TC, having pledged its support at the initiative's launch in 2017, remaining a prominent partner in the national movement ever since and is currently delivering its third collective TC Action Plan 2024 to 31 July 2027

Our technical community is an essential part of university life:

• Workforce Representation: York is home to approximately 260 technicians, making up around 5-6% of the total university workforce.
• Breadth Across Faculties: While more than 85% of technical staff are based in the Science faculty, technical roles extend across both the sciences and the arts. Technical staff support departments including Archaeology, Architecture, Biology, Chemistry, Education, Environment and Geography, Health Sciences, Hull York Medical School, Language and Linguistics, Psychology, ACT, ISA, & PET.
• Collaborative Governance: Initiatives at York are driven by a volunteer TC Delivery Group representing departments across campus, alongside a TC Steering Group that maintains strategic oversight. The university reports its achievements, challenges, and future goals directly to TC every three years.