More about Technical Services

A quick guide to what we do, how we are structured, our Employer Champion status and how to join us.

Technical Services encompasses a team of predominantly technical staff who are based around specialist areas such as laboratories, classrooms, workshops, controlled environments (e.g. glasshouses), theatres and studios. The activities that take place in these areas are associated with teaching, research and outreach support.

Many of our technical staff hold PhDs and degrees often in a field associated with the Schools in which they work, a number are Fellows and Associate Fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), and we are currently developing our professional accreditation status as Registered Science Technicians (RSciTech), Registered Scientists (RSci) and Chartered Scientists (CSci).

In addition we have a small team of Health and Safety Co-ordinators (HSCs) who provide advice and guidance on the Health and Safety aspects associated with the 'higher risk' Schools. The role of the Health and Safety Co-ordinators is to provide high quality, proactive and comprehensive support and advice to Heads of Schools on all aspects of health and safety associated with staff, students and facilities. A number of our HSCs have degrees and PhDs and all are NEBOSH qualified.

The University of Reading was a founding signatory of the Technician Commitment in May 2017. This scheme was launched by the Science Council and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and it has been developed to address the key issues affecting the technical community.

Further information can be found in the Technician Commitment Booklet.

Read our Technician Commitment submission 2024.

In 2017 the University of Reading became a Science Council Employer Champion. An impressive number of technical staff in Technical Services at the University of Reading have become professionally registered as Registered Science Technicians, Registered Scientists and Chartered Scientists. In acknowledgement of these efforts, the Vice-Chancellor, Sir David Bell was presented with an Employer Champion plaque by Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive Officer of the Science Council at a celebratory event. Employer Champion status recognises a shared commitment to investing in the development of staff and supporting them to become professionally registered. It recognises the importance of raising the visibility of technical staff and of safeguarding and investing in their skills and expertise to ensure sustainability of our technical workforce.