Santander Group recruits nearly 2,000 people for training under the #InvestInYourself Santander Scholarships initiative
To counteract the growing exclusion of young people from the labor market, the Santander Group has created the global scholarship program called # InvestInYourself. Through Santander Universidades, seven programs will be implemented for nearly 2,000 students and young people starting their careers.
The pandemic severely affects young people who are entering the labor market. According to the European Commission’s latest data from July 2020, there are already over 2.906 million unemployed people under the age of 25 in the entire European Union (17% of the Community total).* Compared to June this year, there are 37,000 more young people between 18-25 years of age who are unemployed. Due to lack of experience and additional qualifications, the labor market offer remains confined for most of them, and the pandemic has additionally slowed down recruitment processes in most companies.
The „Invest in yourself” project is implemented in all countries where the Group is present, including Poland. It aims to improve competitiveness on the labor market among students and young people starting their professional careers. #InvestInYourself is a response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to the resulting process of transformation of the global labor market. As a result of the program, scholarship beneficiaries will acquire additional qualifications increasing their chances of finding employment.
The Covid-19 pandemic only accelerated the labor market transformation process. Digital competencies, foreign language skills or soft skills are the key values that employers seek. We decided to launch this project so that students and young people starting their careers are better prepared to face the challenges of modern business
The scholarships are offered in cooperation with the best universities in the development of key professional skills, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), London School of Economics (LSE), University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), IE University and ESADE.
More than 1,500 Santander Scholarships will be awarded under five global programs, for which students and graduates of all Polish universities can also apply:
500 scholarships for students and graduates who are not native speakers of English. The aim of the course is to improve language skills and knowledge of the global labor market, the expectations of HR departments and preparation for an interview.
400 scholarships for graduates entering the labor market who want to develop their digital skills through six training programs dedicated to topics such as blockchain technology and machine learning.
100 scholarships for students in their last two years of studies and graduates of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The aim of the scholarship program is to provide participants with knowledge and tools to take up jobs in occupations related to the economy and world of finance.
125 scholarships for women with professional experience of less than 12 years in the labor market. The program aims to develop women’s leadership and negotiation skills at the current stage of their careers..
Additionally, students from Poland can apply for two projects carried out in cooperation with the Cracow University of Economics and the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin:
200 students of economics, business, banking, mathematics, etc. can take part in a series of nine online development meetings with the members of senior management of Santander Bank Polska, one of the largest banks in Poland. Students will be able to listen to lectures delivered by Michał Gajewski, CEO of Santander Bank Polska, Members of the Management Board and Marzena Atkielska, President of the Santander Bank Polska Foundation. The aim of the initiative is to inspire young people to embark on a professional career in the financial sector and to show them possible paths of development, key competencies of the future and broaden their knowledge of real examples of mechanisms of managing a financial institution.
200 students actively engaged in Science Clubs will have the opportunity to take part in an on-line conference, the aim of which is to present the results of this year’s research conducted by Students’ Science Clubs and to exchange their views and experiences.
A detailed description of all the scholarship programs and of the recruitment process can be found on the website at www. santander-grants.com.
The # InvestInYourself initiative is part of a global plan to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and its negative consequences, established by the Santander Group, which will allocate EUR 100 million for this purpose. In the area of education alone, the bank, acting through its Santander Universidades program, has already donated EUR 30 million to promoting research projects in the development of vaccines, drugs or new diagnostic techniques. The sum also includes the money given to support students who are in a difficult economic situation.
