The Herschel Programme builds career confidence and sparks a passion for EDI in Technical Manager, Jo Scamp

“Herschel was an inspiring and safe space for me to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, which is what I needed to progress.”

Jo Scamp arrived into technical management from, in her words, ‘humble’ beginnings in customer service roles.  Having taken a leap of faith in applying for a short-term secondment as Technical Manager for Technician Commitment at University of Kent, the Herschel Programme offered her the opportunity to build her confidence in this new role, better understand her career goals and aspirations, and ignited a passion for EDI and supporting those in the technical community who are neurodivergent like herself.

Having proved the value of the role to the University, Jo is now permanent as Technical Manager for Technician Commitment, champions EDI across the technical community within her institution and nationally and is proud to share her experiences to help inspire and support others.

Why choose the Herschel Programme?

Having joined the technical community through an unconventional route, Jo often struggled with a sense of belonging.  This alongside years of personal challenges told Jo it was time for a change.

She put her head above the parapet and applied for a short-term secondment in technical management at her university.  Having been successful in her application, Jo heard about the Herschel Programme and saw this as an opportunity to build her confidence and networking skills on a national Programme.

“It would give me the opportunity to meet technical staff across the UK, so I could learn new skills and build confidence but also improve my confidence with networking.

“It felt safer being just for women as I wanted a safe environment in which to flourish and build my confidence in handling different situations.”

Herschel Experience and Impact

Initially, Jo was concerned about the size of the Programme cohort and how best to cope with the learning and activities, particularly with her “neurospicy” brain.  She decided to throw herself into it at an early stage and push herself to “feel comfortable with feeling uncomfortable”.

“I realised this was the only way I was going to learn and break the self-imposed constraints I’d put around myself.

Working together with my cohort and hearing the different stories made me realise other people are facing the same things, it just isn’t being talked about.”

Talking with other women who have been through the same things built this camaraderie, where everyone wants to see the other person succeed.  We are a community now and I don’t think I would have got that from an in-house leadership course.”

The culture and context module was a highlight for Jo as it ignited her passion for EDI.  This led to her running sessions on ‘Neurodiversity and Networking’ for the NTDC partner Forum, and a session for SpringFest in 2024.  She has also co-chaired a national EDI committee and this all came about through the connections made through Herschel. 

“Herschel sparked this passion, it gave me the confidence to do these things and to know that what I have to say is just as relevant. 

It has given me confidence but has also helped me understand my career goals and aspirations.  Herschel was a way of bringing my skills and experience together to help me trust myself and my abilities more.”

Jo was supported and encouraged throughout the Herschel programme and beyond by her line manager. 

“My line manager is my champion.  If it wasn’t for his encouragement and his throwing me in the deep end at times, I would not have been able to do all these things. That support was impactful and needed.”

What next

Following Herschel, Jo’s role as Technical Manager for Technician Commitment at University of Kent was made permanent and alongside this role, she has gone on to support the 2024 Herschel programme as a panellist at the launch event and guest speaker for the Culture & Context module workshops.

Jo is passionate about being a voice for technicians both within her institution and nationally.  In March 2024, as a member of the Eastern Arc Technician’s Network steering group, she was instrumental in securing £3m of funding from EPSRC and other partners for Eastern Arc’s Technical Platform for Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (T-PIKE) project.  She is now co-investigator on this project.

“The Herschel Programme has ignited my passion for EDI and Neurodiversity, seen me co-chair a national committee, pushed me to give Neurodiversity talks nationally, get more support for my institution’s technicians, afforded me the opportunity to mentor and hopefully inspire others, network with the most inspiring people, provided confidence to work on projects collaboratively and win an EPSRC grant.”