From Humble Beginnings to Empowering Others: Bev Jessop's Journey | International Women's Day
I’m from humble beginnings and that has definitely kept me grounded all my life which I think has been of huge benefit to me in my career. I have always stood up for the underdog and have always been like that from a young age. I was born in Smethwick in the West Midlands and then my parents went all ‘posh’ when I was about two, and moved to the Brandhall Estate in Oldbury and my mom still lives in the same house to this day. It was fun, with lots of friends, playing out until it went dark (yes, I am that era); school, and books (thank you for expanding my world, Brandhall Public Library). Books were everything, my window to the world. I had no grand aspirations for life, the checkout at a supermarket or maybe, just maybe, I could be a teacher of English. Education definitely opened doors for me and taught me that I had other choices and that there are new doors to go through. I got some O levels (yes, I am that era), did A levels and then university…no, I had to be different. I went to study Technical Theatre and Stage Design in Coventry and then worked around theatres in the West Midlands painting scenery and backdrops for theatre productions which was great fun.
I moved to Yorkshire to do some community theatre work in the early 90s and started life up there living in a caravan and I ended up not leaving for 20 years (I did leave the caravan!). In Yorkshire, alongside community work, I started working for Mencap in residential care and really enjoyed it. I will always remember at the interview I was asked, “Where do you think people with disabilities should live?” and, I said, “Wherever they like, what a strange question…!” Little did I know that a small start would lead to much more in that field later in life. Around that time, I thought I should get a degree really, so I also studied part-time with the Open University and actually had a grant awarded for my first year of study as I was so broke.
I did eventually get into teaching through computers. I’d bought a ‘wind-up one’ on HP back in the early 90s (Remember Windows 3.2, before GUI?) and, in those days of no mobile phones and very few people having PCs, people started saying, ‘ask Bev, she’ll know…’ and I did an NVQ in IT (I can’t help but study). Before I knew it, I was working for an IT training company, delivering training to teachers in Castleford (West Yorkshire) on how to use Smart Boards which were ‘the new thing;’ I was delivering training to the Police, schools, and local businesses. The training company put me through loads of training in ICT and I did my PGCE at the same time which led to a different training job in the Police and then, believe it or not, the Army (must be the uniforms). I was of course a civilian instructor, and worked for 3 years in an Army barracks, never, ever using anyone’s first name. It was an ‘experience’ and enhanced my love for Chinook helicopters; even better, I got to be really bossy and teach all at the same time. I have always been a person who wants to know more, learn more, understand more and so I got involved in things like quality assurance and teaching observations alongside my teaching job and it was doing that voluntarily, which opened the door to management.
I moved into the specialist educational sector as a Quality Manager and I kept my hand in teaching but this time, teaching students with visual impairment ICT. It was a steep learning curve but as with many things I have done, I was enthusiastic and keen to learn, and it led to other opportunities in the SEN further education sector. Before I knew it, I was Head of School at a mainstream College overseeing all of the SEN provision, English, maths and Community learning and had a huge team of staff. Around this time, I studied yet again, this time a master’s degree in educational leadership, still with the Open University so I could fit in a full-time job too. My family and I moved back down to the Midlands in 2011 when I got the Vice Principal job at QAC. I had always known QAC, coming from down this way but had no idea what it was really all about, I had just passed the building occasionally en route to a night-out in Harborne. It was like coming home!
Some of you may know that around this time, 3 months into my job with QAC, my only daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer. She was just 10 years old, and she passed away within 8 months. My little ‘Yorkshire Pud’ was gone. That was a difficult time, very bleak. But I learned that you always have choices in life. You can give up or you can get on; get through each day as best you can. For me, work became a distraction. I learned about the kindness of some genuinely good people at QAC who helped me at that time, propped me up and got me through each day. Losing a child is something you never get over, you just learn to live with the grief and the space left behind and inside. With hindsight, the experience made me stronger, more confident, less afraid to do and say things and less tolerant in many ways too. I see kindness and goodness in so many people at QAC, to each other and our students and clients, such precious human qualities.
So, my journey at QAC continues, I was successfully appointed to the Principal & Chief Executive post in 2018 following a lengthy interview process. I have been here for a total, of nearly 14 years, the longest time at any workplace. It is still an amazing place and has changed so much in my view for the better. I did even more studying and got an MBA and the studying has really helped in my career path as it helped me to understand processes, systems, strategy, business, management and so much more. Yes, practical experience is essential, especially the 'people experience', but understanding why and how can be as important in so many ways.
My love for painting never went away and I’m still creative in my spare time and still paint to this day. My love of books, knowledge and learning got me to where I am today. Plus, being nosey, being bossy and being determined helped a bit too on that path.
-Bev Jessop
