When Josie Leydon, Careers Mentoring Manager at Manchester Metropolitan University, looks back at managing mentoring programmes with Excel spreadsheets, she doesn't miss it. Today, CareerHub has transformed how Manchester Metropolitan University connects students with life-changing opportunities, and the results speak for themselves.
With 39,000 students of which 42% are from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds, Manchester Met recognised a critical need. Their law students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, faced significant barriers entering traditional legal professions that favour Russell Group graduates.
"Some of these students really are finding it more challenging to get positive graduate outcomes," explains Leydon. "There is a preference for students who have attended Russell Group universities."
The solution? The Judicial Marshalling Programme—a groundbreaking initiative that gives students direct access to judges, barristers, solicitors, and legal professionals across the Northwest.
CareerHub became the backbone of this transformative program, replacing cumbersome spreadsheets with an integrated platform that handles everything from registration to evaluation.
"The beauty of CareerHub is that it is linked to our student records system," says Leydon. "A student only has to give me minimal information, and as long as I've got the student ID number, I can access their profile."
David Ebden, Digital Marketing Manager for the Career Service, notes that CareerHub has been central to their operations for a decade: "We have something in the region of 30,000 unique logins every year. It's a really well-used platform."
The numbers tell a powerful story. In 2024 alone, the programme:
But the real impact shows up in student voices:
"Speaking to so many professionals really made me more passionate about the path I've chosen."
"After having my confidence knock so much at the start of my law journey, this really made me realise I am in the right career."
The programme goes far beyond courtroom observation. Students receive:
Judge Gaenor Bruce leads mandatory induction sessions that teach everything from courtroom etiquette to professional correspondence.
"It's one of those after university events that people want to go to," Leydon shares. "Even though it's in their own time, it's something that you know you're going to learn something from."
CareerHub enables Manchester Met to:
Streamline Operations: Manage mentor and student profiles, match-making, and event invitations all in one place
Track Engagement: Monitor participation from initial application through to graduate outcomes
Measure Impact: Connect mentoring participation with degree attainment and career success
Scale Programmes: Share forms and mentors across departments, expanding reach university-wide
The programme's success earned Manchester Met the AGCAS Employability Impact Award—recognition that validated their innovative approach to social mobility in legal careers.
"You could have knocked me over with a feather when they said that we'd actually won it," Leydon recalls. The glass award now sits proudly in the judges' canteen at Manchester Law Courts, a reminder to judges of the positive impact that they have made to young professionals within the legal sector, helping them to succeed.
Most importantly? 72% of students who had a mentor reported increased career readiness, typically leading to positive graduate outcomes. Additionally, 83.7% who were mentored went on to have positive graduate outcomes.*
Students who took part in mentoring achieved higher degree classifications than those who didn’t. Notably, 76% of students from Black, Asian, and minority backgrounds were awarded a first-class or upper second-class honours degree, compared to 68.2% of non-participants.**
Manchester Met's Judicial Marshalling Programme proves that with the right technology and committed partners, universities can break down barriers and create genuine pathways to success for all students, regardless of background.
As Leydon puts it: "Ultimately what we want to do is make sure that all students from all backgrounds, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, disability, socioeconomic background—all of them are given the same chances to be successful in their careers."
With CareerHub as their foundation, Manchester Met is turning that vision into reality one student at a time.
*83.7% is GO data, 2020/21 survey data, UKFTFD students
**2023/24 survey data