From BioImagingUKWiki

First draft by Martin Spitaler, online version Jason Swedlow (April 2010)

Contents 1 Comments 1.1 Amanda Wilson: 1.2 Rolly Wiegand: 1.3 Martin Spitaler

Comments

Amanda Wilson:

(2 May 2010)

• I have some thoughts on careers/training in microscopy. I've noticedhow senior staff often retire without having the opportunity to pass on their specialised skills, and I think this is a shame. Sometimes the problem is that there are no younger staff in the facility at all, or that the younger staff are not suitable to train under the senior person (not interested / different career path / still learning basics / etc). Perhaps a scheme could be developed whereby younger technical staff that are already experienced to an extent, but still have at least (10yrs?) before they retire, could spend (a month?) at a different facility to their own, apprenticed to a senior/v.experienced staff member, learning a new specific skill or set of related skills. The training would be one-to-one, and be more in-depth and 'on-the-job' than a course-based approach; in other words, a genuine opportunity for transfer of advanced/specialised skills.
• Manufacturers could be encouraged support a scheme like this, on the basis that equipement made redundant by retirement of key personnel will not necessarily be fully maintained or replaced by the facility. And there's always sponsorship/advertising opportunities (on the website, or whatever). I'm not sure what the implications would be for employers, as they would lose their member of staff for a month or more, only for them to be trained on equipement that they don't necessarily own/plan to own themselves. Perhaps something 'symbiotic' could be worked out, where organisations/facilities would be encouraged to join a scheme, agreeing to post a certain number of training opportunities to a website (every year/5yrs?), as well as being encouraged to post requests for training on behalf of their own technical staff. Employers would be able to advertise their membership of the scheme to potential employees, who would be attracted by potential access to more diverse training options than would normally apply.

Rolly Wiegand:

(6 May 2010)

• The first sentence in the second paragraph of the section. Background: sounds a bit weak and doesn't really make sense. Suggestion for change to: ˜Despite this important and critical role of imaging technicians and officers, the reality often shows that careers are not particularly well managed, recognition in publications is often rare and compromised, as the value of a middle-position on an author line is often minimized, and insecure fixed-term contracts for staff potentially threaten the continuity of the services of imaging facilities."
• Accordingly, I'd amend bullet point 2 in the section "Institutions should" by: "this should include the consideration of open-ended employment contracts for core staff to guarantee the continuity of imaging facilities."
• And I'd amend the section "Funding bodies should" by: "5. Should give clear priority for the funding of large pieces of imaging equipment to dedicated central facilities over individual groups or senior PIs with no long-term plan and staff for the maintenance and running of the instruments. This is in order to guarantee the optimal use and exploitation of high-end systems in central facilities by expert staff."

Martin Spitaler

(10 May 2010)

• What about a round-table discussion about this at the Nature Career Fair in September? We could ask them if they are interested, I'm sure lots of the visitors would be.