Academic Related and Professional Services (ARPS)

What’s in a name?

One thing we need to make clear from the very beginning is the issue of terminology – Is it ARPS? PSS? PS?

You may be a little confused with the term ‘ARPS’? Perhaps wondering if it actually relates to you as a PS staff member? This is probably because the term ARPS is not used as often as it once was, primarily because management in Higher Education across the UK have sought, in its omission over the last few years, to erode the significance of the term by referring to all support staff, as simply ‘PS’.

We want now, to reintroduce the term ‘ARPS’ back into everyday usage at Manchester as this seemingly minor adjustment, that is, referring to all support staff as PS, effectively diminishes what was once an explicit and widespread acknowledgement of the role that highly skilled, specialist staff with extensive knowledge of academia, play in the effective running of our institution.

So to make it clear, if you’re on Grade 6 or above, you are an ARPS member. ‘Academic Related’ preceding ‘PS’ is there to make clear what you bring to your role in terms of professional know how and experience. Staff can be ARPS members regardless of where you work, that is, in our libraries, administration, labs, technical services or IT. ARPS means that you belong to a substantive group within HE and should be recognised as such.

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Find out what’s happening nationally for ARPS members here

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And finally, we want to reassure all ARPS UCU members that you are fully represented on the the University of Manchester’s UCU Executive Committee. Your representatives are here to make sure that your issues and concerns are heard, so please do get in touch via ucu@manchester.ac.uk if there’s anything you’d like raising at Committee meetings.

Best wishes from all the UCU ARPS Team!