BGS joins new initiative supporting technical career paths

Currently, technical career paths in the UK vary across the sector and there is a significant technical skills gap. Challenges around recruitment, retention and clarity of technical career paths in academia and research have also affected the long-term sustainability of the technical workforce. The UK Institute of Technical Skills and Strategy’s Technical Career Pathways Lab, funded by Research England, is tackling this issue by working in partnership with organisations to innovate and implement recommendations published in the TALENT Commission report.

Forty-four technical and human resource professionals, representing twenty-two UK universities and research institutions, have volunteered to join a Career Pathways Action Group. Members of the Career Pathways Action Group are:

• Birmingham City University 
• BGS
• Cranfield University 
• De Montfort University
• Durham University 
• Imperial College London 
• Kings College London 
• Liverpool John Moores University 
• Manchester Metropolitan University 
• Northumbria University 
• Nottingham Trent University 
• Queens University Belfast 
• Science and Technology Facilities Council 
• Ulster University 
• University College London 
• the universities of Cambridge, Essex, Leeds, Liverpool, Salford, Warwick and York 

Together, the group will experiment with new ways of working within their institution to cultivate change that improves career pathways for technical professionals.

Our Technical Career Pathways Lab is working in collaboration with individuals and institutions to implement actions that will improve technical career pathways and enhance entry routes into careers.

The number of volunteers we’re now working with to test new ideas and innovations is testament to the appetite and need for improvements in this area.

We have set up the Career Pathways Action Group to co-create solutions that can help build technical capacity and capability; several focussed projects will use the technical career framework within the TALENT Commission to action positive change for technical professionals through career entry routes, or promotional pathways.

We’re very excited to be at the start of this exciting programme of work. Thank you to all the volunteers who have joined the Career Pathways Action Group for investing their time in this innovative project.

Sarah Allen, ITSS Technical Careers Lead project lead.

We are delighted to be part of the Career Pathways Action Group, working in partnership with other research institutions and universities.

We hope that, through collaboration and exploring new ways of working across our organisations, we can overcome the shared challenges we face together, ensuring that BGS can provide a positive career pathway for all of its technical employees.

Dee Flight, head of science and technical training and development at BGS.

Projects will commence between October 2024 and January 2025 and the Technical Career Pathways Lab intends to share best practice with the sector by July 2026.

For more information, please contact contact the BGS Press Office (bgspress@bgs.ac.uk) or call 07790 607 010.