The organisation has provided financial support to offer both part and fully-funded SME internships to students to aid their employability and develop their skillset, as well as supporting businesses during this difficult period. Some of these internships will take place remotely, whilst others will commence when restrictions have been lifted. Any SME’s that are interested in the scheme and want to find out more can email Sophie Kanabar at S.S.Kanabar@lboro.ac.uk.
Furthermore, Santander has donated more than £42,000 as part of the University’s Student Hardship Fund appeal, bringing the total so far to £78,000, resulting in the initial target of £30,000 being exceeded by over 160%.
The Student Hardship Fund was created to support students who are financially struggling due to the coronavirus outbreak, including international students and those from low-income backgrounds.
Matt Hutnell, Director of Santander Universities said: “Santander is committed to supporting higher education as well as local communities across the UK so we’re pleased that our funding is able to be redirected to where it is most needed at this critical time.
“Universities are doing some fantastic work to contribute to the UK’s effort to combat the outbreak of COVID-19, so we’re delighted to collaborate with our university partners in a way which increases their response effort and look forward to continuing to work with them on supporting both students and the broader higher education community with further initiatives over the coming months.”
The University's Head of Philanthropy Rachel Third commented: “We are so grateful to Santander Universities UK for standing alongside those facing extreme hardship in our student community, and for investing in the futures of talented young people through the SME’s Internships programme.
“We have been privileged to work with Santander for many years, and their response in this crisis has shown how strong that partnership is. They have acted with vision and creativity, and we applaud them for moving quickly to direct their support to those who need it most and prioritising projects that bring the wider community together, from Loughborough students to those working at SMEs. Thank you to all those at Santander Universities UK who have made this possible.”
Santander Universities is a division of Santander first introduced in 2007 which maintains partnerships with over 1,200 academic institutions across 20 countries. For more information, visit their website.