Kingston University and Salutem Care and Education partnership success

Kingston University and healthcare provider Salutem celebrated the benefits of a long-standing collaboration during a recent event at the institution's award-winning Town House.

Since 2018, the two organisations have worked together on a number of projects ranging from knowledge exchange and enterprise activity to scholarships funded by the company for students who may not otherwise have been able to go to university.

Among those attending the event were the CEO of Salutem John Godden, Chair of Kingston University's Board of Governors Francis Small and Salutem scholarship students.

The link-up has seen Salutem become a key business partner of the University. The company has been involved in judging entries to the University's student entrepreneur competition Bright Ideas, as well as running a hackathon in 2019 for students from a range of courses to came up with creative ways to use technology to monitor, predict and manage a range of complex behaviours such as those exhibited by the individuals supported by Salutem.  

This led to Kingston and Salutem working on a government-subsidised project to bring artificial intelligence to areas of care that will allow more time for human one-to-one care, whilst reducing menial tasks that are performed better and more safely if automated.

Alongside this, the company has provided support for students through a scholarship programme that is offered to one learning disability or social work student and one accounting and finance student per year. It covers their full tuition fees, while a maintenance grant is also provided for the three years to help with accommodation and other living costs.

Speaking at the event, Mr Godden said the partnership had proven hugely beneficial to both organisations and told of his hopes for the continued success of the collaboration. "The way all the faculties work together at the University, combining academic learning with entrepreneurial activity, made for a really appealing partnership for us to enter into," he said. "I know our scholars are extremely grateful for the support and mentorship that we provide. The long-standing collaboration has been a real success story to date and we're looking forward to exploring more opportunities to work together."

Twin brothers Taiwo and Kehinde Alimi successfully applied for accounting and finance scholarships following interviews with Salutem chief financial officer Paul Lawes. Taiwo, who attended the celebration of the partnership along with his brother, spoke about the difference the scholarship has made to both of their lives. "I couldn't have come to university without this scholarship and the support from Kingston and Salutem has been so important for me," he said. "The combination of what I'm learning on this course with the chance to benefit from the mentoring offered by Salutem is really giving me the best platform to succeed in my future career."

Kehinde, who also highlighted the importance of the scholarship to realising his own ambitions after graduation, said: "Becoming a chartered accountant now feels like a real possibility thanks to the support from both organisations."

While the company usually offered a scholarship to just one accounting and finance student each year, Mr Lawes said that the brothers had been so impressive in their interviews that the company decided to offer them both a scholarship in the same application cycle. Mr Lawes said. "Taiwo and Kehinde have been absolutely fantastic - there's nothing they haven't been able to handle." "They demonstrated a real passion for their subject and a huge ambition in their interviews, so we were delighted to be able to award them both a scholarship."

Chair of Kingston University's Board of Governors Francis Small said the partnership with Salutem was a real example of the benefits that developing close relationships with businesses brings during the event. "Collaboration really drives innovation and supports the work we are doing through the Town House Strategy, both in knowledge exchange and in ensuring our students meet the needs of industry when they graduate," he said. "Kingston is an outward facing institution and working with prominent businesses like Salutem is vital when it comes to providing students with the future skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace," he said.

• Find out more about the Salutem Scholarship