Nottingham Uni hosts new £5.5m Institute of Technical Skills and Strategy

The UK Institute of Technical Skills and Strategy (ITSS), backed by £5.5m funding from Research England, has been established to ensure that the UK has the technical capability and capacity to become a global superpower in science, engineering and the creative industries.

Hosted by the University of Nottingham, in partnership with other UK universities, including the University of Warwick and institutions, ITSS aims to improve the visibility, recognition and career development of technical roles, which have experienced a lack of visibility, recognition and career development. The institute will focus on technical skills, roles and careers, and their contributions to the economy and how the technical talent required to fulfil the government’s ambitions for the UK to become an innovation nation can be delivered.

Dr Kelly Vere, Director of Technical Strategy at the University of Nottingham and Director of ITSS, said: “The UK has a shortage of technicians across all sectors, and there are significant ED&I challenges impacting the current workforce. These factors pose a serious threat to the UK’s innovative strength and global competitiveness. We are delighted to be establishing the UK Institute for Technical Strategy to ensure that we have the technical capability and capacity across the country to realise the UK’s ambitions of being a research and innovation superpower.”

The ITSS builds on the initiatives of the Gatsby-funded Technician Commitment, which aims to increase the visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability of technical skills, roles and careers, and the TALENT programme, which aims to build sector-wide strategic insight into the UK’s higher education and research technical skills base through its TALENT Commission. ITSS will consist of four hubs focussed on key areas: research, policy, practice and engagement.

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