Decreasing pool of technicians
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Research undertaken by academics in the Department of Management has found that around half of the laboratory and engineering technicians in chemistry, engineering, and physics departments in UK universities are due to retire within the next 15 years.
While chemistry departments – like those in the biological sciences – currently find it relatively easy to hire new laboratory technicians, engineering and physics departments struggle to recruit technicians for their workshops. As a result, many engineering and physics departments are restarting apprenticeship training schemes in order to deal with the succession planning issue that confronts them.
A failure to address the problems posed by an ageing technician workforce is likely only to exacerbate the significant deterioration in the ratio of technical to academic staff witnessed in UK science and engineering departments over the past decade.
Visit Dr Paul Lewis's profile page to read the full report.
While chemistry departments – like those in the biological sciences – currently find it relatively easy to hire new laboratory technicians, engineering and physics departments struggle to recruit technicians for their workshops. As a result, many engineering and physics departments are restarting apprenticeship training schemes in order to deal with the succession planning issue that confronts them.
A failure to address the problems posed by an ageing technician workforce is likely only to exacerbate the significant deterioration in the ratio of technical to academic staff witnessed in UK science and engineering departments over the past decade.
Visit Dr Paul Lewis's profile page to read the full report.
