First Network Committee Meeting at the Royal Armouries in Leeds
On Wednesday 11th September, UK RAS STEPS Network Committee representatives from across the country met at the Royal Armouries in Leeds to learn more about the programme and share their insights and experiences to help inform the development of our activities and events.
The day kicked off with an introduction to the programme from co-directors Prof. Robert Richardson and Dr. Briony Thomas, followed by a talk by Simon Breeden from The UK Institute for Technical Skills & Strategy about technical skills development. Then, attendees broke into smaller groups to discuss their needs and ideas relating to six different areas of the UK RAS STEPS programme: task groups, secondments, training events, advocacy, mentoring and engagement.
Check out our video from the event to find out more:
What does it really mean? It really means about working together as a group of technicians sharing good practice, sharing the skills that we have to improve the productivity and the research base of the UK.
This is a starting point. So, what they’re going to go away with, hopefully, is a buzz of excitement great ideas about what they could do to help change the technicians’ career prospects and help themselves to help the UK.
It’s a very useful event for the researchers because today they have basically an idea of this, what the network can offer them and help them really progressing to another level.
At the workshops, what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to address some of these challenges across the sector and people are really engaged with that. They’re very keen to share the ideas that they have.
The guys have got a list of things together that they think would be useful and they’re taking on our feedback. It’s just minds coming together. There’s no point, just the big wigs making the decisions. You need the people on the ground who are actually experiencing it.
It’s very interesting, it’s actually opening up quite a few doors, which is quite important.
It’s really nice to have a small, intimate group as well – it feels personable. It feels that you’re able to get round the room.
Today was really good because we have the opportunity to meet new people and familiar people and really get going.
Laura Evans-Hill from Nifty Fox Creative was there to live scribe the event, and produced these wonderful summaries of the day’s discussions:
