Published: 17h December 2025.
Last updated: 17th December 2025.
Author/s: Cara Sherratt, Nicole Vaughton

 

 

In partnership with St John Ambulance, The Manchester Metropolitan University has developed a Times Higher Education Award-winning Mental Health and Suicide prevention training programme, which won the Outstanding Support for Students category and focuses on student wellbeing, support, and suicide prevention.

 

How does the partnership work?

The Student Minds survey reported that 1 in 3 students said that their mental health had worsened since starting university and that 1 in 4 students said they would not know where to go to get mental health support while at university if they needed it. These statistics were the deciding factor in Manchester Met’s decision to prioritise empowering mental health as one of their key faculty focuses for the 2023-24 academic year.

Manchester Met approached St John Ambulance and we adapted our Mental Health Awareness training courses to be relatable to the student experience. The courses are delivered online and onsite at various points in the year.

Courses include Mental Health Awareness which provides students with an understanding of mental health conditions, factors that affect mental health, how to recognise mental health in others and support others in a practical and empathetic manner. Students can also take the Student Wellbeing Certificate – ‘Thriving at and After University’ and later Suicide Awareness training to enable them to enhance their understanding of the factors that may lead to suicidal behaviour, the signs to look out for and how to keep someone safe who is thinking about suicide.

Since beginning this work together in 2023 and training more than 2,228 students, Manchester Met has put together the new Professional Futures Graduate Academy for the 2025-26 academic year – an industry-facing employability programme for students to be successful in their future careers.

 

What is the Programme?

The Professional Futures Graduate Academy is an exciting extracurricular opportunity, exclusively on offer to Science and Engineering students at Manchester Met, that will help them to stand out from the crowd beyond their course.

The Academy provides them with a choice of personalised pathways through expanding experiences and skills, celebrating achievements and elevating their potential in preparation for students’ futures beyond their course.

Manchester Met’s industry focus group highlighted the importance of mental health and resilience to work ready graduates. Indeed, the 2025 Institute of Student Employers’ (ISE) annual student development survey found that 46% of employers were concerned about the resilience of graduates, up from 37% in 2024 and 30% in 2023.

Manchester Met has incorporated Mental Health Awareness training, accredited by St John Ambulance, into the Future Essential skills that all Academy students complete, irrespective of their chosen pathway. This awareness training enhances their understanding of mental health, including common conditions, stigmas and protective factors, as well as demonstrating how to communicate in an empathetic manner and put this into practice with student specific case studies and interactive activities.

St John Ambulance is Manchester Met’s chosen leading training partner as we are an internationally recognised brand amongst industry, as well as being able to bespoke these courses to be student-centred and aligned with Manchester Met’s institutional support structures.

 

Award-Winning Results

After the successful implementation of the programme, we're incredibly proud to say that the programme has won the Outstanding Support for Students category at the Times Higher Education Awards 2025.

The programme is freely available to students and is designed to be inclusive and accessible. Academic departments and professional services can now access the training as well.

Students gain certificates for the courses included in the programme and have access to optional additional training from St John Ambulance such as Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Training, Health and Wellbeing talks, Emergency First Aid At Work and Mental Health First Aid courses. 

Speaking of the award win, Lorraine Knight, St John Ambulance Senior National Account Manager said: "We are proud to partner with Manchester Metropolitan University on this exceptional initiative which equips young people with the skills to support mental health and prevent suicide. The programme demonstrates a way forward in tackling the concerning mental health challenges faced by those under-25, and it reflects St John's wider commitment to empowering communities with life-saving first aid knowledge.”

Dr Lisa Simmons, Faculty Director of Education (Science and Engineering) at Manchester Met said: “Through our partnership with St John Ambulance we have created a blueprint that I hope other institutions can follow.

“I am delighted that Times Higher Education Awards has recognised the huge achievements of the programme, which reflects our – and the whole higher education sector’s – commitment to ensuring no student feels alone, and that we all have a role in supporting one another.”

In addition to this award-winning programme, St John Ambulance and Manchester Met have collaborated to provide students with additional opportunities including:

• Volunteering – through the Student First Aid Society, run and managed by Manchester Met students and supported by St John Ambulance, students are provided with the opportunity to learn first aid and volunteer with St John Ambulance giving them valuable life skills, confidence and an opportunity to be a part of their university community and a part of their local community should they wish to continue volunteering after university
• Student Event Support – St John Ambulance regularly attends events at Manchester Met to promote the courses and encourage students to book onto them as well as giving opportunities to take part in CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) demonstrations raising awareness of lifesaving skills.
• Cadent Gas partnership – St John Ambulance and Cadent Gas have created a partnership where Cadent Gas attend events alongside St John Ambulance to talk about Carbon Monoxide poisoning, what to look out for and provide students with Carbon Monoxide alarms for student accommodation.

 

Train With Us: Book Your Mental Health Course Today

Of course mental health training and resilience isn’t just beneficial for students. We conducted a study earlier this year to gauge opinions on mental health provisions in the workplace. Completed by more than 4,400 of our previous course attendees, 88% of people felt that workplaces or places of study should have trained Mental Health First Aiders available to support people experiencing mental health challenges.

In fact, 72% of respondents said they had previously had a colleague confide in them about their mental health and yet only 32% had completed Mental Health First Aid training.

You can support your staff to better support one another by investing in a mix of Mental Health Awareness training, right through to providing fully trained and qualified Mental Health First Aiders. We provide leading mental health courses to suit your business and budget requirements. Ensure you have the correct coverage across our entire mental health suite to create a workplace environment that not only supports mental health but advocates for it.

Our courses are designed to help learners to spot the signs of mental ill health and how to respond to a person experiencing a mental health episode. So, whether you take our 2-day Mental Health First Aid course and become your office representative, or our ½ day Mental Health Awareness course to promote a culture of positivity you’ll be making a difference – browse your options today.

 

Partner with us: Find out how we can support your needs

Our partnership with Manchester Met is something we’re incredibly proud of and we’re always open to working with organisations to help you meet your specific needs and stay compliant. Larger organisations may want to take advantage of our Account Management Service for tailored training solutions and a dedicated Account Manager while smaller-medium organisations may find a mixture of our off-the-shelf products fit the bill.

Whatever your needs are we look forward to working with you to help improve mental and physical health across all sectors.

👏 Huge congratulations to everyone involved!
#THEAwards