NTDC Specialist Advisor, Arthur Nicholas, shares why he’s giving back to the technical sector
Arthur Nicholas has a technical career spanning more than 40 years, and now he is giving back to the sector in several ways, post retirement.
During his expansive career, Arthur has worked in technical roles ranging from a research and teaching technician in biochemistry, to a safety coordinator focused on developing the compliance and risk management strategy at the University of Manchester.
Arthur has well established working relationships within a number of professional bodies, and currently supports the sector as an Executive Director at the Institute of Science and Technology, and in his roles as Vice-President of the University Bioscience Managers’ Association, and as a Specialist Advisor (SA) for the NTDC.
He works with these professional bodies and organisations to help shape best practice and achieve HEI (Higher Education Institution) sector-wide advances in professionalism and employability, enhancing career progression prospects of technical staff.
Speaking of his role as an SA, Arthur said: “I enjoy the feeling that I am, in some small way, putting something back into the technician career that I gained so much from.
“It affords me a post-retirement platform to continue as an advocate of the technician profession, where I draw on my experiences to assist in delivering an improved career environment for the new generation of professional technicians.”
Arthur finds that within the technical sector there has been a “reduced level of deference afforded solely by virtue of position held”, and he states that this has been coupled with “increased respect shown for how a person behaves, and what they actually know and contribute despite their job position.”
He believes that government policy will ultimately be influenced by the continued promotion of professional and career progression opportunities for the technician workforce at senior leadership level within HEIs, and also at governmental and professional organisation levels.
Arthur advises people who are new to the industry to “seize opportunities to learn and try to overcome the fear of stepping outside of your comfort zone.”
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