A Norwich university has joined counterparts across the UK in signing a commitment to ensure greater recognition of its technical staff.
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is supporting the Technician Commitment, which was launched in May 2017 to address issues affecting technical staff in academia and research and hopes to encourage more people into the profession.
Technicians make up around 5% of the university's staff, working in a range of disciplines from biological and computing sciences to media production.
In pledging support to the Technician Commitment, the UEA has committed to take action in five areas: visibility, recognition, career development, sustainability and evaluating impact.
Liz Rix, analytical facilities manager and chair of the UEA Technicians Forum, said: 'This is a great initiative for UEA to develop our technical staff and I am extremely proud of my colleagues across all the technical teams for their dedication and hard work that has led to this recognition.'
UEA's pro-vice-chancellor for equality and diversity, Prof Sarah Barrow, said: 'Technicians have been the unsung heroes of universities, who enable our staff to undertake ground-breaking research and our students to gain a wide range of practical experience.'
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