The three-year partnership agreement, the third entered into by the two institutions, was signed by Matt Hutnell, Director, Santander Universities UK and Professor Jane Harrington Vice-Chancellor of University of Greenwich.
Santander UK have donated over £400,000 to Greenwich and the new partnership agreement represents a total investment of over half a million pounds since the relationship first began.
Santander Universities UK has spent more than a decade collaborating with a large network of university partners to remove barriers to higher education for students whose ambitions aren’t always matched by their means.
The agreement will continue to support students and graduates from low-income backgrounds and other under-represented groups by enabling access to opportunities they may otherwise have missed out on, such as the Global Greenwich Scholarship, which supports international study or work abroad programmes, or making student and graduate enterprise accessible.
After winning the Social Category in 2020 in the University of Greenwich Enterprise Challenge in 2020, Ella Stewart (pictured), (BA Events Management, 2020) Ella decided to dedicate herself to Bake Well Being, recently making the semi-finals of the Santander X Entrepreneurship Awards.
Earlier in 2021, Ella received funding via the Santander Freelancer Scheme which offered UK-based freelancers and small- and medium-enterprises, a grant of £1,000. Ella joined the virtual signing to say thank you:
“I was awarded £1,000 to help towards personal and professional development for myself and my business. I have used this funding to outsource a web designer to revamp the Bake Well Being website which is already generating new interest and client leads!
It also funded a consultation with a marketing expert to help me review my marketing strategy and put new plans in place. To assist with my marketing goal, I was able to hire a photographer and videographer to spend a day creating content to advertise Bake Well Being. Additionally, I paid for my student coaching insurance in order to carry out my case-study coaching sessions which go towards completing my Wellness and Resilience Coaching qualification.”
Santander also fund internships, offering students and graduates unique paid opportunities to develop their employability skills. This year the internship offer extended to an exciting collaboration between Santander, Ambitious about Autism and Greenwich . Since launching Employ Autism, university staff and employers have undergone specialist training to deliver meaningful and sustainable employment experiences so that students with autism can thrive in the workplace. Greenwich has matched nine autistic students and graduates to internships as part of this ground-breaking programme.
Students and graduates have also benefitted from a range of opportunities offered globally via Santander’s Scholarships platform, including several focussed-on skill development such as the Black Inclusion Programme and the Student Online Self-Development Programme. Others provided financial support, such as the Freelancer scheme or grants to purchase laptops and other equipment
During Covid-19 Santander gave the University £44,000 to support students worst affected by the pandemic, including £5,000 to fund additional support for student or recent graduate businesses.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jane Harrington said:
"On behalf of all of us at Greenwich, I would like to thank Santander for their ongoing and unwavering support for our students, graduates and staff. Santander Universities and University of Greenwich share a commitment to inclusivity within education. This agreement will help hundreds more students and graduates to achieve their ambitions – an important part of our Education without Boundaries ethos."
Matt Hutnell, Director of Santander Universities, commented:
“Santander is committed to supporting higher education as well as local communities across the UK. We’re proud to continue our partnership with the University of Greenwich for a further three years to ensure we can work together in providing even more opportunities which will benefit both students and the local community.”
