For the first time, Technicians: Providing frontline and vital support for mental health and wellbeingconfirms that technical staff support students with sensitive and personal issues including bereavement or sexual assault − often with very little formal recognition or training.
The report, launched today by the Technician Commitment and partners was informed by over 700 members of the technical community, across 49 HEIs.
Around 50% of the technicians surveyed in the report said that they had discussed a personal problem with a student in the last three years, and 22% of respondents confirmed that they provided pastoral support. Over 80% of technicians said that this was not a formal part of their role, and many had not received formal training. Women were more likely to approach, or be approached by students for support. This could have implications for some disciplines where there are proportionately fewer technicians who are female, for example in physics and engineering.
To combat some of these issues, the report offers a number of recommendations to the sector to ensure all involved are fully supported and appropriately trained.
Dame Carol Robinson, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “The launch of this report marks an important milestone in recognising the valuable roles that technicians carry out – often without training or even being asked – because they identify students’ needs. As a former technician myself, I strongly believe it is time we all take notice, to ensure this important role should not go unrecognised. We need to provide the resources and time to ensure that technicians who wish to continue to provide this, often challenging, wellbeing support are well trained and supported themselves”.
Helen Gordon, Chief Executive of the Science Council, said: “The findings of the report should be considered carefully by the community of professional bodies in science. The Science Council will continue to be a strong advocate for the Technician Commitment and the support and development work that is fundamental to this.”
Kelly Vere, Programme Director, Technician Commitment and Higher Education lead at the Science Council, said: “While it is essential that we value and invest in the skills and technical expertise of technicians, we also need to recognise the additional pastoral role they play in actively supporting student wellbeing. We are pleased to be working with so many prominent organisations to shine a light on this key issue, and to ensure technical colleagues can obtain further training to support them in this vital role.”
Kate Jones, Head of Operations, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, said: “We’re delighted that this piece of work has shone a light on the key role that technicians are playing across the sector. Recognising and nurturing this invaluable contribution puts us in a much better place to collectively better support student mental health and wellbeing.”
Click here to view the report 'Technicians: Providing frontline and vital support for student mental health and wellbeing'.
