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University to work with banking giant to boost employability
16/02/2016
University to work with banking giant to boost employability
The University of Wolverhampton has signed a new agreement to fund scholarships and work more closely with Santander UK.
The agreement will see the bank support student entrepreneurship and internationalisation at the University through a scholarship scheme worth a total of £120,000 over three years.
Each year of the agreement it will fund two students on an international study scholarship and a minimum of five students for international graduate work experience in Europe and South America.
It will also fund a new Business Breakfast Club with the University of Wolverhampton Business School, create a Business Plan Challenge and help fund the Students’ Union Employment Support Fund, which helps students with cash awards to covers costs of interviews and training courses.
Santander is also providing an additional £15,500 over a year to support work placements and internships within small to medium enterprises.
The agreement was signed on today (Tuesday 16 February) by University of Wolverhampton Vice-Chancellor, Professor Geoff Layer and Robin Foale, Managing Director of Santander Universities UK.
Professor Ian Oakes, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, said: “The University is delighted to be working with such a global name as Santander.
“As a University we place a great emphasis on making our students highly employable through providing them with the skills, knowledge and attributes to be industry and work ready. It is not just about them getting a job but about getting them the career they want.
“This agreement provides a great boost to that employability agenda through scholarships, placements, work experience and internships, which make our students even more attractive to prospective employers.
“Currently 95 per cent of our students are in a job or further study six months after they graduate and I am sure that this collaboration with Santander will increase that even further.”
Robin Foale, Managing Director of Santander Universities UK, said: “This new agreement marks the beginning of a strong ongoing relationship between Santander and Wolverhampton.
“Education is one of the greatest assets of a country and ultimately has a crucial impact in the welfare of local communities. The funding agreed today will go towards numerous activities, encouraging students to study abroad, funding internships in SMEs and also providing young people with the tools and skills necessary to deal with the problems they are facing in today’s job market, which is now more competitive than ever.”
ENDS
For more information please contact James Allen in the Media Relations Office on 01902 322003.
Date Issued: Tuesday 16 February 2016
Notes to editors
About the University of Wolverhampton
- Based at campuses in Wolverhampton, Walsall and Telford and education centres in Stafford, Burton and Birmingham City Centre, the University has over 21,000 students and 2,400 staff. In addition, the University of Wolverhampton Science Park is home to tenant businesses and supports the development of innovative companies.
- The University welcomes students from around the world and has regional offices in China, Malaysia, India, Oman, Nigeria and Cyprus. It has a branch campus in Mauritius and courses are also delivered with global partners in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Russia, France and Cyprus.
- It is investing £250 million over the next five years as part of the Our Vision, Your Opportunity programme. The ambitious plans to invest in education, training and economic growth include the £25 million Rosalind Franklin Science Building, the new £18 million Lord Swraj Paul business school building and the £65 million Springfield Campus, creating an international hub for construction excellence.
- The institution’s excellent teaching and learning provision, which spans sciences, creative and performing arts, education, business and management, health and wellbeing, engineering and technology, law and social sciences, ensures 95% of graduates find employment.
- Of the 13 subject areas entered in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2014, all had elements graded at the highest level as being world class. The University also entered more staff and more subject areas for assessment than previously.
- In 2015 the University of Wolverhampton was awarded the highest possible accolade in the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) higher education review. The report highlighted areas of good practice such as initiatives to raise aspirations and achievement for students and the University’s commitment to enhancing their employment prospects.
About Santander Universities
Santander has been collaborating with universities for more than 17 years on a unique global initiative which sets the bank apart from other national and international banks and financial institutions. The bank supports the Higher Education sector in such areas as teaching and research, international cooperation, knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurial initiatives, student mobility and innovation. Santander has signed collaboration agreements with over 1,200 academic institutions from America, Asia and Europe. Santander is already collaborating with eighty-one British Universities with agreements focused in promoting international exchange, entrepreneurial activities, employability and the mobility of students and researchers within the network.
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. It has brought real competition to the UK, through its 1|2|3 products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. As at 31 December 2015, Santander UK was one of the most switched to banks. The bank serves more than 14 million active customers with c. 20,000 employees and operates through 857 branches and 70 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.
Banco Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, based in Spain, with a meaningful market share in 10 core countries in Europe and the Americas. Santander is the largest bank in the euro zone by market capitalization and among the top banks on a global basis. Founded in 1857, Santander had EUR 1.51 trillion in managed funds, 13,000 branches and 194,000 employees at the close of 2015. In 2015, Santander made attributable profit of EUR 5,966 million, a 3% increase with respect to the previous year.
For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.
