Urgent action needed to avert school technician recruitment crisis

Schools and colleges will face a shortage of skilled support staff unless urgent action is taken to address low pay and morale among technicians, warns a new report released today by UNISON. A survey of more than 3,000 school and college technicians found the majority are over 50, earn below the national average wage and do not think the public or politicians understand what they do. The survey by Preproom, which provides science resources for schools, found over half of technicians (51%) are 51 or above, with around one in six (17%) aged over 60. And with fewer than one in 10 (9%) under 30, the data suggests schools and colleges face a recruitment crisis. UNISON says low pay, heavy workloads and a lack of appreciation are reasons why schools and colleges are struggling to attract the next generation of technicians. The survey found in excess of a third (38%) are doing extra unpaid work every week, but their efforts are likely to be underappreciated. More than two-thirds of technicians said they did not think their work was understood at all by the government (71%), nor the public (68%). Over a quarter (27%) felt their role was not understood at all by their employer. To highlight, and better understand, the work technicians do, UNISON and Preproom have teamed up to launch #techognition day. The event is a chance for technicians to celebrate and show off what they do. Technicians are encouraged to upload photos on social media – with the hashtag #techognition – highlighti...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release technicians; techognition Source Type: news