The Science Council’s Employer Network brings together employers, universities, training providers, professional bodies and other stakeholders with a shared interest in strengthening the science workforce.
In its first year, the Network has created a trusted space for members to share practical approaches, discuss challenges openly and learn from one another. Despite working in different settings, members have identified strikingly similar priorities:
- attracting people into science and technical careers;
- supporting them to build skills, confidence and professional identity;
- creating clear and inclusive routes for progression; and
- giving people compelling reasons to remain in the profession.
The clearest lesson is that recruitment, development, retention, and inclusion cannot be tackled in isolation. They are all part of the same workforce journey.
Creating careers people can enter, understand, and progress within
Science and technical careers need to be more visible – both to prospective applicants and to those already working in the sector. Employers are competing for specialist skills, yet many people remain unaware of the range of technical careers available or how those careers can develop.
The challenge looks different at each stage:
- new graduates may have strong theoretical knowledge but limited experience of applying it in the workplace.
- early-career technicians may lack confidence, professional networks or a clear professional identity.
- experienced staff may reach a point where progression appears limited because promotion routes or recognition criteria are unclear.
A joined-up approach can make the journey clearer. Structured induction and mentoring support the transition into work; continuing professional development, networking, and professional recognition build confidence; and transparent career pathways show how skills and responsibilities can grow over time.
Network members are already putting this into practice. One university member is developing technical career pathways linked to RSciTech, RSci and CSci, while another has created generic job descriptions and grade descriptors to clarify expectations across technical roles.
Professional registration can strengthen this wider framework by connecting an individual’s competence, continuing professional development, and increasing responsibilities to an externally recognised standard. However, frameworks only have impact when they are backed by meaningful development opportunities, supportive managers, and fair progression processes.
Retention begins with belonging – and depends on opportunity
People are more likely to stay where they feel recognised, respected, and connected. This is particularly important for technical staff, whose expertise is essential to research, teaching, and scientific services but has not always been highly visible.
The Employer Network members highlighted several ways to strengthen professional identity and collegiality, including:
- technical staff-focused events;
- informal networking across teams and disciplines;
- professional-development activities; and
- recognition schemes that celebrate contribution and achievement.
These activities help staff feel integral to the organisation rather than behind the scenes. But culture alone cannot compensate indefinitely for limited progression or uncompetitive salaries. Employees may value their work and colleagues yet still leave if they cannot see a sustainable future.
Strong retention therefore requires both belonging and opportunity: recognition, inclusion, and connection create the conditions in which people feel valued, while competitive pay, development and visible progression give them reasons to stay.
Recognition schemes also need clear, inclusive criteria. Where progression appears reserved for exceptional achievement or inaccessible to people earlier in their careers, schemes can unintentionally reinforce the idea that development is only for a select few.
Developing talent rather than waiting for it
Recruitment pressures across the science and technology workforce are prompting organisations to move beyond filling individual vacancies and take a more strategic approach to workforce development. In specialist areas, skills may be in short supply nationally, while experienced technicians often hold practical competence, organisational knowledge and professional experience that cannot be replaced quickly.
This makes succession planning essential. Organisations can act before vacancies arise by:
- identifying the skills they are likely to need;
- creating development opportunities for existing staff;
- capturing and transferring knowledge; and
- building accessible routes into the profession.
Apprenticeships are an important part of this picture. Members described their value in broadening access, developing people in hard-to-recruit areas and creating a pipeline of future skills. One member, for example, is developing an apprenticeship pipeline specifically in areas where recruitment has been difficult.
However, apprenticeships work best when they are integrated into workforce planning. Recruiting an apprentice is only the starting point. Employers must also consider:
- training quality and how well the programme reflects workplace needs;
- workplace support, including mentoring and protected development time;
- shared expectations between employers, providers and apprentices; and
- progression after completion, including increased responsibility and improved pay.
Members noted that apprentices can have positive workplace experiences but more mixed experiences of college-based learning. Closer collaboration between employers, providers, and apprentices is therefore vital. Programmes must respond to workplace needs while still developing transferable knowledge and skills – a view championed vehemently by the training provider member of the Network.
The broader lesson is simple: talent pipelines are strongest when entry, development and progression are designed as one connected process.
Building inclusion into the whole workforce experience
Inclusion cannot stop at recruitment. Removing unnecessary requirements from job descriptions, using diverse recruitment panels and expanding apprenticeships or early-career routes can widen access – but attracting a broader range of people is only the first step.
Employees must also enter workplaces where they can thrive. Inclusive workforce planning should consider:
- access – whether application and recruitment systems enable everyone to apply for and take up opportunities;
- support – whether people feel respected, connected and able to participate;
- development – whether training and professional-development opportunities are accessible; and
- progression – whether recognition and promotion processes are transparent and fair.
Location and socioeconomic circumstances matter. In high-cost areas, salaries and commuting or housing pressures may exclude otherwise suitable applicants, including younger workers and people with caring responsibilities.
A workforce may be diverse at entry level but become less so at senior levels if development and promotion are not equally accessible. Inclusion and retention are therefore closely linked.
The Employer Network enables members to share approaches to inclusive recruitment and progression, while connecting with wider Science Council activity through the EDI Forum, the Progression Framework and STEM diversity initiatives.
The value of learning together
Perhaps the most important learning from the first year is the value of discussing these challenges collectively. Members want practical examples of what has worked elsewhere, but they also value honest conversations about what remains difficult.
Career frameworks, apprenticeships and professional registration initiatives take time to embed, and their impact may not be immediately measurable. The Network provides a space to test ideas, compare approaches and avoid developing solutions in isolation.
Our future discussions will almost certainly cover issues such as:
- talent acquisition and succession planning;
- apprenticeship funding and programme quality;
- inclusive recruitment and progression;
- leadership development;
- workforce data; and
- retention strategies.
There is also scope for members to contribute case studies, share resources and collaborate through smaller working groups. Through the Science Council’s wider community of professional bodies and learned societies, members can reach specialist audiences, promote opportunities and share effective practice across the sector.
Looking ahead
The Network’s first year has shown that the central workforce question is not simply how to recruit more people. It is how to create science careers that people can enter, develop within, and remain committed to.
There is no single solution. Employers operate in different financial, organisational and geographic circumstances, and approaches that work in one setting may need to be adapted in another. What the Network can provide is a shared space for learning, collaboration and practical problem-solving.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed their time, experience and ideas during the first year. Their openness has established a strong foundation for the Network’s next phase.
We look forward to hearing from you!
