Students’ learning often depends on expertise beyond the lecture theatre. Technical professionals help create opportunities for practical learning, build students’ confidence and develop skills they will take into work. Yet people in broad, cross-disciplinary roles can find it difficult to see their contribution reflected in traditional, discipline-specific routes to professional recognition.
For Joanna Scamp, Technical Manager (Technician Commitment), Advance HE’s Senior Fellowship offered a way to show how her work shapes teaching and learning. A colleague who had achieved Senior Fellowship encouraged her to explore whether her leadership and influence aligned with the framework.
Fellowship is relevant to technical professionals at every level of experience. The right category depends on a person’s practice and impact, from supporting students’ learning to influencing colleagues’ practice or leading strategically. Advance HE’s Fellowship categories recognise professional practice in teaching and supporting learning across a range of roles.
Senior Fellowship recognises professionals who can demonstrate a sustained record of leading or influencing how colleagues teach and support learning. For Jo, the application began with uncertainty. The framework’s language felt daunting, and it was not immediately obvious how her day-to-day work connected with its criteria. Conversations with a mentor helped clarify that connection. Breaking the application into stages made the work manageable and reflecting on the reasons behind her decisions revealed a consistent thread across her experience.
That reflection became one of the process’s most valuable outcomes. It helped Jo see her practice more clearly and describe its effects with greater confidence. It also prompted a shift in focus, from delivering improvements herself to enabling colleagues to lead change and sustain it.
Since achieving Senior Fellowship, Jo has placed greater emphasis on mentoring, coaching and collaboration across institutions. Colleagues and students have valued her practical guidance and encouragement, while technical staff have sought advice about pursuing their own recognition. Seeing others grow in confidence and recognise the value of their contribution has been among the most rewarding results.
The impact reaches beyond an individual award. Fellowship has opened conversations about who contributes to education and whose leadership is visible. When technical colleagues see their work reflected in a recognised framework, they can identify more readily as educators, share their expertise and pursue professional development.
Advance HE describes Fellowship as recognition of professional practice, impact and leadership in teaching and learning, assessed against the Professional Standards Framework 2023. For technical professionals, pursuing the category that best fits their current practice can acknowledge the contribution they already make and help them consider where to develop next.
Jo’s next ambition is to widen opportunities for technical staff to be recognised as educators, support colleagues through mentoring and coaching, and strengthen initiatives that build students’ skills and employability. The goal is lasting improvement in the student experience and greater recognition for the people whose expertise helps make that learning possible.