VetPartners has launched a new £500,000 bursary fund to help overcome the financial burden for the next generation of veterinary practitioners.
As part of the initiative, VetPartners will provide 15 bursaries annually each autumn to support 75 vet students in total whose median disposable household income falls below a certain threshold.
Each will receive £1,500/year for the full duration of their five years at veterinary medicine school. Students will receive £7,500 in total to use towards living expenses.
The veterinary group will then consider bursary recipients for veterinary surgeon roles in its network of practices, which are dotted across the UK.
It hopes that its newest initiative will encourage more students to carve a career in the field.
Veterinary bursary
In a statement, Vet Partners said:
“We are now delighted to offer bursaries to veterinary students to support those from widening participation backgrounds.”
“VetPartners recognises the importance of having a diverse and inclusive profession, and the starting point is encouraging and supporting under-represented groups to see the veterinary profession as something not only aspirational but also attainable.”
“The VetPartners Bursary is one way we can actively support this,” the spokesperson added.
In a statement, its CEO, Jo Malone, said:
“We know there are some people who simply cannot afford to go to university.”
“We want to encourage people from more diverse backgrounds because that enriches the profession and ensures talented people are not missing out because of the high cost of studying.”
“It is hard enough to get into vet school, but we risk losing out on fantastic vets if they cannot afford to go to university or enter the profession with 10s of thousands of pounds of debt.”
“We need great communicators from different socio-economic backgrounds who want to develop thriving careers and not leave the profession.”
“We want to create opportunities for more people to go to vet school if that is their dream and not to have to worry about the financial burden,” Malone concluded.
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