Three Northumbria academics shortlisted for national employability awards

Three academics from Northumbria University have been shortlisted for the Graduate Futures Institute Academic Employability Awards 2026, recognising their work to improve student career outcomes through innovative, real-world learning. 

Dr Siobhan McConnell, Dr Rebecca Dutsonand Dr Eleanor Graham are among the nominees selected from more than 200 applications, submitted by academics at over 60 universities across the UK. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on Thursday 30 April. 

All three were recognised for initiatives that move beyond conventional employability provision – embedding authentic employer engagement and professional experience directly into the curriculum, and ensuring that every student, regardless of background or circumstance, has access to the opportunities that can shape a career. 

Dr McConnell, from Northumbria School of Law, has been shortlisted in the Inclusive Employability Practices category for her work on the Levelling Up Law mentoring scheme.

The programme is designed to help students from backgrounds traditionally under-represented in higher education – including students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, the first in their family to go to university, and from regions with historically lower rates of graduate employment – access careers in commercial law. 

Now in its fourth year, the scheme matches second-year undergraduate law students with mentors working in the legal profession in London, providing six months of one-to-one support alongside funding for career-related visits to the capital. 

The scheme was developed in response to research showing that, while training contract opportunities in London are more plentiful and better paid than those in the North East, many Northumbria students lacked the networks, confidence and financial means to pursue them. 

To date, the scheme has supported 40 students. Outcomes include a mentee who secured a training contract with Clifford Chance, one of the UK's highest-paying graduate employers, and another who reached the interview stage at their mentor's firm. 

Mentor feedback confirms the scheme is also developing the leadership and coaching skills of legal professionals, many of them Northumbria alumni. 

Dr McConnell said: "I am delighted that our work on the Levelling Up Law Mentoring Scheme has been shortlisted in the Inclusive Employability Practices category. The scheme is the result of a genuine collaboration between Northumbria School of Law, Graduate Futures, the Alumni and Philanthropy team and our students. 

“The scheme demonstrates how student co-created interventions can successfully address systemic barriers to professional opportunity, transforming individual career trajectories while building institutional relationships that sustain social mobility efforts." 

Also shortlisted is Dr Rebecca Dutson, recognised in the Co-created Employability Initiatives category for her leadership of the Business Clinic at Newcastle Business School – a year-long consultancy programme in which students work in teams to tackle live business challenges for real organisations. 

Each year, more than 400 students take part in over 90 live projects for SMEs, charities, social enterprises and corporate organisations across the North East.  

Students form their own consultancy firms, develop research methodologies and deliver recommendations with fully costed implementation plans, with client feedback forming 60 per cent of their final grade. 

The average consultancy report has been valued at £6,000, reflecting the quality and practical impact of student work. 

The Business Clinic operates as an alternative to the traditional dissertation and was developed through collaboration between academic staff, professional consultants, employability coordinators and business support teams, with students actively co-creating the learning experience. 

Northumbria University has since embedded experiential learning across all undergraduate programmes as part of its Education Strategy, with a target of full implementation by 2030. 

Dr Dutson said: "Being shortlisted for this award is a wonderful recognition of what can be achieved when students, businesses, and educators come together with a shared purpose. The Business Clinic was built on a belief that every student deserves real-world experience – not just those who can access traditional placements. 

“What excites me most is where this goes next: as experiential learning becomes embedded across Northumbria's entire undergraduate offering, we have a real opportunity to transform how a generation of students prepares for the world of work. This is just the beginning." 

The third shortlisting recognises Dr Eleanor Graham in the Employer and Community Partnerships category, for her redesign of the BSc Forensic Science Research Methods module within Northumbria’s School of Geography and Natural Sciences. 

The module replaced conventional simulated assessments with live research briefs set by external organisations, with students working in teams on authentic problems contributed by partners including Northumbria Police, Procter & Gamble and Tyne Rivers Trust. 

Developed in response to student feedback, the new module produced a significant improvement in satisfaction, with intellectual stimulation scores in the National Student Survey rising by 73 per cent. 

Group work, previously one of the most resisted elements of undergraduate study, became the module's highest-rated component. Around 41 per cent of students reported that the module influenced their career thinking, with several indicating they would pursue a career with one of the partner organisations. 

Dr Eleanor Graham said: "I'm thrilled to be shortlisted. Seeing students transform from finding their research methods module 'boring' to genuinely engaging with industry partners has been incredibly rewarding. 

“The credit really goes to our partners, who've brought real problems into the classroom, and to students who've embraced the challenge. Since introducing live briefs, 41 per cent of our students say the module influenced their career thinking. 

“When students tell us they're now considering careers in environmental consultancies, charity organisations or commercial R&D they'd never heard of before, that's what makes it worthwhile. 

“It's particularly meaningful knowing we're opening up professional networks for students who might not otherwise have access to these opportunities." 

Andrew Haxell, Director of Graduate Futures at Northumbria University, said: "We are incredibly proud to have three colleagues shortlisted in the same year – and what strikes me about all three initiatives is that they share the same fundamental principle: that every student, regardless of their background or connections, should have access to the kind of professional experience that shapes careers.  

“Whether it is a law student building relationships with London firms, a business student delivering real consultancy to a regional employer, or a forensic science student working on a live research brief, the common thread is authenticity. 

“The recognition in the Awards shortlisting is a testament to colleagues who refused to accept that employability was something students either had or didn't have and set about changing that. 

“As we embed experiential learning across all of our undergraduate programmes, these three initiatives are exactly the kind of work that will help define what a Northumbria education means, helping to support our students’ career readiness, and helping them achieve positive graduate outcomes." 

View the full shortlist here.