VETPARTNERS has awarded the first round of bursaries to budding vets as it aims to create a more diverse profession.
Fourteen first-year university students, including several mature students, have become the first to be awarded bursaries of £1,500-a-year for the full duration of their five years at vet school.
The veterinary group, which has 160 practices across the UK, wants to remove the financial barrier that means many people struggle to pursue a career as a vet due to the high cost of studying at university.
VetPartners has pledged a five-year package of bursaries totalling more than £500,000, which will support 75 students over the period who already have a university place and who would struggle to fund their studies without additional financial support.
Of the 14 bursaries just awarded, nine have gone to first year students at Bristol Veterinary School, two have been awarded to students at Liverpool Veterinary School and one each has gone to students at Cambridge, Surrey and Nottingham Vets Schools.
VetPartners hopes the initiative will encourage greater diversity in the profession and make a real difference to students who otherwise would struggle to meet the cost of course fees, accommodation and living expenses, as well as EMS placements.
VetPartners CEO Jo Malone said: “The motivation for doing this is to help students who are most in need of support and to encourage people from more diverse backgrounds because that enriches the profession and ensures talented students do no miss out because of the high cost of studying.
“A profession that truly reflects the UK population, culturally, ethnically and socio-economically, will make it a better and much more resilient profession.
“We have previously awarded bursaries on a much smaller scale, and we saw an opportunity to make a much bigger contribution. As a large veterinary group and employer of more than 11,000 colleagues all over Europe, we want to make a positive contribution to the profession and create a legacy that helps people to thrive.”
Mature student Ayla Sandison, who lives in Wiltshire and is studying veterinary medicine at Bristol Vet School, is one of the first students to receive a VetPartners bursary.
Ayla said: “I am a single mum with two children and receiving the bursary has made a huge difference. Starting university in September coincided with the rise in petrol prices and the cost of living crisis and the bursary has helped with the extra cost. I have to drive from my home to university in Bristol of the vet school in Langford so it is helping to ease the burden of travel costs.
“I’ve taken a different route to becoming a vet as I did an access course because I didn’t have A-levels and I will be 40 by the time I graduate. Being able to study to become a vet is a dream come true and receiving the bursary has made a huge difference.”
Tom Slee, 24, from Wells in Somerset, who is studying veterinary medicine at Bristol Vet School, is one of the first students to receive a bursary from VetPartners.
He has been working as a vet technician and TB tester for a practice but wanted to pursue a career as a farm vet even though he is not from a farming background.
“Studying veterinary medicine meant a huge financial burden for me and receiving the bursary is going to be a huge support,” he said.
“I live in the university’s halls of residence but I still have bills and, as a mature student, I am financially independent of my family, so there is a considerable cost to studying.”
To apply for a bursary, go to https://vetpartners.co.uk/student-sponsorship-form/
For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director. Email amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk
