MK:U, Milton Keynes’ new model digital and technical initiative with Cranfield University, has announced that it is partnering with Santander UK to deliver a programme that will develop the skills of the future for its workforce and for the community in Milton Keynes. MK:U is Santander UK’s strategic education partner and the partnership will see its academics deliver innovative education and training in the banking giant’s new headquarters at Unity Place, Milton Keynes.
From 2023, Santander will invest over £1m in apprenticeship levy funding for use by businesses to upskill and reskill their staff.
The announcement is part of Santander UK’s scholarships, skills and entrepreneurship programme which aims to help people access the educational opportunities and skills they need to fulfil their potential.
MK:U is delivered in partnership by Cranfield University and Milton Keynes City Council. It is designed with and for business, developing the technological and digital skills needed for the future, connecting networks and communities through its Innovation Hub in Milton Keynes.
Santander UK Chairman William Vereker said:
“Santander has a long heritage and involvement in education and skills and we recognise that the challenges our country is facing require a new approach if we are to develop the skills tomorrow’s workforce will need. We all have different backgrounds, different skills, different aspirations. Our new programme is designed to help thousands of people to fulfil their potential – whether they’re a budding entrepreneur with a great business idea, someone in mid-career who is looking to reskill or a young person from an under-represented community who dreams of going to university.
“We are committed to creating real opportunities, transforming lives and helping to drive economic prosperity across the UK.”
MK:U will work with Santander in its new headquarters, a partnership which will enable a focus on developing the skills of the future for staff and the local community. There will also be investment of over £1m in working with local businesses to help them reskill and
upskill workers.
In addition, Santander’s Learning Rooms will offer people in work online access to information and materials to help them learn new skills and retrain. Over the next few years, it is hoped this will support a million people to gain the skills of the future which will be essential in a world where the pace of digital change is so rapid.
Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University, Professor Karen Holford CBE FREng, said:
“It is fantastic to see Santander continue to invest in Milton Keynes as we celebrate its recent city status. Cranfield University is proud of our commitment to Milton Keynes through MK:U and this partnership with Santander will enable us to make a huge difference, not only to local businesses but also to the lives of their employees.”
Professor Lynette Ryals OBE, Chief Executive of MK:U said:
“The current digital skills gap requires a new approach and pioneering relationships with business. Our partnership with Santander opens up new learning opportunities to people and businesses in Milton Keynes. I’m truly excited about the difference this will make and the positive ripple effect it will have in the regional tech ecosystem.”
According to Santander, ensuring people have the education and skills they need to fulfil their true potential in the workplace is one of the defining challenges of our time and it has called on the Government and politicians to build an education system that can develop the skills tomorrow’s workforce will need. To do this a radical reset is required.
William Vereker said:
“Getting our education system right will transform lives, grow prosperity, and make the UK more competitive. It’s the key to growth. The foundation of a better future. We all have a stake and a role to play.
“We have the opportunity to create a clear roadmap for the next 15 years that fundamentally addresses the serious skills shortage that we face. We need a plan that ensures that everyone can pursue further and higher education, continue to develop their skills or start a business, no matter their background.
“It is critical that this ambition is not then torn up and thrown in the bin at the first sign of political change – it needs consensus across the political parties. And it also requires a continuity in approach, something that has been difficult to achieve when we have seen six education secretaries in the last 14 months alone.
“But the answer, of course, doesn’t just lie in Whitehall. Business needs to play its part too. We know what we want from our potential employees, but often, we can’t find people with the right skills. Yet the latest figures show the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training has risen to nearly 670,000.
“With the scale of challenges the UK is now facing, we recognise that our approach needs to evolve so Santander UK has an ambitious plan to help thousands of people to improve their lives. To build the modern, prosperous and successful economy for the future, we must all play our part in ensuring people are given the best chance to succeed, the best chance to fulfil their potential. A brighter future for our country can start here.”
MK:U was born out of collaboration between Cranfield University, Milton Keynes Council and local business partners to deliver degree-level apprenticeship programmes that combine professional skills with a technical curriculum.
Through its Innovation Hub, MK:U has worked with more than 100 businesses, employing more than 700,000 people between them, who were part of the Business Supporters Group that helped drive the curriculum for the first four digital apprenticeship courses at MK:U – Chartered Manager, Cyber Security, Data Scientist, and Digital & Technology Solutions.
Already providing courses that help create the digital workforce of tomorrow, the hub also acts as a space where innovators and business owners can develop their own thinking and products by meeting and collaborating. The hub has a communications lab, with all the tools to develop and test leading communications technologies, to support businesses and help them apply what they learn to their innovations.
Kristian Mackie, MK:U Innovation Hub Manager, said:
“We live in a fast-changing technological world and we must meet urgent employment needs and fill what employers have identified as a digital skills gap. The partnership with Santander is a massive opportunity to put real weight behind our efforts to develop the digital workforce of tomorrow.”
Find out more here.
