Tom Hignett - Executive Programme in Strategic Technical Leadership
In 2025, Tom Hignett, a Graphic Design Technician/ Demonstrator from the University of Chester, attended the Executive Programme in Strategic Technical Leadership. As an aspiring leader at an institution which is currently developing its technical representation, Tom saw the programme as an opportunity to develop his own skills and knowledge to enable him to be part of that growth.
The Executive Programme in Strategic Technical Leadership (EPSTL) is a leadership development programme for technicians in the Higher Education and research sectors. Designed for both existing and aspiring technical leaders, the programme supports participants to learn more about the sectors and roles they work in, and to develop their personal leadership skills and confidence in applying them to their day-to-day work. The programme also encourages participants to network and learn from eachother, sharing challenges, successes and ideas.
Thinking about his reasons for applying for the programme and the circumstances that enabled him to do so, Tom said:
"I've been getting increasingly involved in technical leadership for years, largely due to my involvement with the Technician Commitment which has put me into places and conversations, both within my own institution and nationally, which I had never envisaged at the start of my career. It was becoming apparent that it would take more than my technical expertise to allow me to make the best representation of my technical colleagues in these situations and it was the recommendation of Paul Gilbert at the TMU (Technical Managers in Universities) that convinced me to apply for EPSTL."
Paul Gilbert had attended the previous cohort of the programme and so Tom knew that his recommendation was based upon his own experiences and this influenced Tom's decision to apply. The availability of scholarship funding was also a factor.
"That year, Paul had also been able to support colleagues from across the UK with funds to attend the TMU conference and this helped me realise that scholarships were something I could conceivably apply for to attend EPSTL, too — so I did. This made a huge difference for me as not only did it remove the financial barriers within my own institution, it was also a huge validation of the work I have been doing for years in this space. It has really helped my confidence and counteracted any sense of imposter syndrome I might have felt."
The programme covers a variety of topics, including overviews of the Higher Education and research sectors, how to build business cases, understanding performance preferences, knowledge exchange and strategic influencing. For Tom,
"There were so many powerful elements of the course and I wouldn't want to give the impression that any were less useful than others. If I had to pick a highlight then I'd be tempted to say the presentation skills element was particularly impactful as I've always been pretty convinced that I'm bad at this but the feedback was very positive. Even better, my team were awarded 'best presentation' — Fuzzy Duck is my most treasured trophy!
"Also, the opportunity to learn from your peers is always a huge element of any programme, especially for someone like me who is in the "aspiring" category and looking for advice and guidance for the next stage of my career."
Reflecting upon how beneficial the programme has been for him, Tom said:
"This programme has been really beneficial in two ways. Firstly, it has given me a way to articulate a lot of what I had already been doing through the Technician Commitment and in the technician movement more widely. This is very useful for someone who is very active in this area but whose job title doesn't reflect this, so it allows me to speak more to what I have been doing beyond what I'm supposed to be doing.
The other side is having gained so much knowledge and understanding of how strategic leaders work and how the sector works, I now feel better equipped (and more confident) in these higher level and strategic conversations I find myself in.
Looking ahead to the future, and what has changed in the technician landscape at the University of Chester, Tom said:
"We don't currently have much in the way of technical leadership in my organisation but there are now quiet mumblings about how it might not be a bad idea to start looking at this. I can't claim that this course is the only driver here but certainly will have helped.
"A key thing that does seem to have changed is that I'm seeing more engagement from other technicians when opportunities to attend events arise. I also seem to be getting better at convincing the powers that be to provide support and funding for these which has been a key issue in the past."
When asked what advice he would give to people who are considering applying for EPSTL, Tom said:
I didn't think this programme was for me because I'm not a proper grown up (am I?) and "just" a technician. I was very wrong. It's been great, I've been well supported and realised very quickly that I was able to hold my own in conversations with people in a variety of rolls from across the sector. If the only thing stopping you applying is you then get out of your own way!
As an alumni of the programme, Tom has now joined the Strategic Technical Leaders Netork (STLN) for ongoing connections and support. The Network meets four times per year, including for an event at the end of the second EPSTL residential, and we look forward to catching up with Tom at the next one to see his progress following the programme.
Find out more
Learn more about Tom and his role in the School of Creative Industries at the University of Chester by visiting his staff profile:
To find out more about the Executive Programme in Strategic Technical Leadership, please visit the programme webpage:
