Modern laboratory managers face a unique blend of technical and people management challenges. Many have climbed the technical ranks and are well positioned to address the technical challenges but don’t have or have had very little formal training in management skills, especially when they start managing a laboratory.

The British Laboratory Managers Association (BLMA) has been formed to enable all laboratory managers to learn and improve their skills in laboratory management.

The BLMA will provide laboratory managers with opportunities to meet other laboratory managers, to exchange ideas, build on their experience and improve their laboratory management skills.

The first notification of the association came last year and saw a very strong response from laboratory managers from all sectors for such an organisation.

Since then around a dozen laboratory managers having been working with staff at GAMBICA, to put the association together.

A new website has been launched and the first conference is planned for June 26^th and 27th 2013 at the Ramada Hotel, Coventry City Centre.

The conference will look at a number of management issues including practical leadership skills, communications and change management, plus some individual topics such as health and safety. The aim is to not about hearing from “experts” but to learn from each other on how to overcome the issues of steering people who are your direct report, putting procedures in place to guide everyone along, together  with the mentoring, coaching and training skills that a modern day laboratory manager needs. 

The website, as well as having details about the conference and future events has a number of other areas. There is a document store, holding documents for reference, guidance and best practise plus examples of how people have dealt with certain situations and their experiences. Some of these will be available to non-members and some only to members.

There is also be a members only blog, which will allow managers to quickly ask questions from their colleagues in other laboratories

Activity areas covered will include; management, HR and personnel, health and safety, audits, record keeping, shipping facilities management, new laboratories, moving laboratories, recovery planning, environment and waste management with the aim of establishing best practise, standard operating procedures and guidance

If you would like to know more about the BLMA, please visit the BLMA website at www.blma.co.uk or contact Tim Collins at blma@gambica.org.uk