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Undergraduate of the Year

We're proud to be a partner of the Target Job Undergraduate of the Year Awards, an annual competition aimed at celebrating inspiring students, studying in the UK.

 

New for 2024/2025, we're launching the 'Career Changer of the Year' Award recognising lifelong learning and the unique perspectives and broad skillsets that career changers can bring. We’re searching UK universities to find outstanding individuals who have returned to higher education after making the leap to shift careers, often making difficult decisions and sacrifices along the way.

 

The winner will receive a one-week paid placement at Clifford Chance tailored to their interests, plus £1,000 towards a professional development course. Runners up will also win lunch at Clifford Chance with career changers at the firm.

 

You can learn more about our partners and the stories of some of our career changers at Clifford Chance below. To find out more about the competition and to enter, click here.

Career changers at Clifford Chance

Michael Yianni

Michael Yianni
(he/him)
Associate
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Russell Harris

Russell Harris
(he/him)
Senior Associate
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Jessie Crabtree

Jessie Crabtree
(she/her)
Trainee Solicitor
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Alicia Connolly

Alicia Connolly
(she/her)
Future Trainee Solicitor
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Sanjay Shelat

Sanjay Shelat
(he/him)
Associate
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Kay Aston

Kay Aston
 
Future Trainee Solicitor
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Our partners

The Open University

We're delighted to partner with the Open University on sponsorship of this category.


The Open University’s (OU) annual Business Barometer report reveals only 7% of organisations have specific initiatives for recruitment, retention, or training to support career changers. With 62% of employers reporting a skills shortage, enabling career changers is crucial to addressing the UK's workforce skills gap.

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The OU, with over 55 years of experience, allows career changers to pursue their ambitions without requiring prior qualifications for most courses, benefiting over 2.3 million students. As a pioneer in supported distance learning, the OU enables individuals to balance earning and learning, particularly aiding those with disabilities—37,000 of its 199,000 students declare a disability. It also serves rural and deprived areas, with 28% of undergraduates from the 25% most deprived UK areas. The OU is a key option for armed forces personnel and veterans


Since 2017, the OU has provided higher and degree apprenticeships to learners in over 1,100 organisations, enhancing its solutions for upskilling and reskilling employees.

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A history of winners


For six years, Clifford Chance sponsored the 'LGBTQ+ Undergraduate of the Year' award shining a spotlight on students making a difference within the LGBTQ+ community. Whether this was through actively breaking down barriers or acting as a role model for other LGBTQ+ students, the winners each played a unique role in driving positive change. 

Joel's Story


Joel Mordi (he/him/they/them) – University of East London, Social Sciences 


LGBTQ+ UGOY WINNER 2022 


Joel Mordi is the founder of M.I.F Nigeria, Nigeria’s largest charity focused on achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals. He is a Young Leader advocate for Safe Passage, part of a group of people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds campaigning for change. He organised Nigeria's first ever pride protest (spanning one month) and notably won the Sheila McKechnie Foundation award. He takes a varied approach to campaigning, which includes working with and amplifying the work of existing charities already doing groundwork in the UK, Nigeria and throughout the African diaspora. 


Joel's Story

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