Supporting aspiring dentists from the West Midlands

57 aspiring dentistry students from across the West Midlands stand to benefit from support provided by financial services company Wesleyan over the next two years.

Wesleyan has added its support to the University of Birmingham’s Routes to Professions (R2P) programme, which offers a unique opportunity for Year 12 students to get a practical insight into university study.

The students receive guidance and tips from current undergraduate mentors in specific vocational courses and careers in subjects including Dentistry.

Wesleyan’s support goes towards recruitment and training of eight Dentistry undergraduates, who will support 57 mentees in an 11-month e-mentoring programme beginning at the end of January.

Nathan Wallis, Chief of Staff at Wesleyan says: 'We’ve always been committed to supporting dentists through every step of their careers, from their first appointment right through to retirement, and we are proud to support 57 students into a career in dentistry. Not only do we care about our communities and the challenges of social mobility, but we also understand that access to mentoring and financial support is critical to getting started at university.'

The donation towards Routes to Professions adds to the existing philanthropic support from the Birmingham-based financial advisor, which last year donated more than £65,000 to aid 15 dental students from disadvantaged communities.

Each student receives scholarship fees of £1,500 per year for three years as part of the University of Birmingham’s Pathways to Birmingham (P2B) programme, which has helped more than 5,500 young people from underrepresented backgrounds study at the University over the last 20 years.

The P2B programmes are targeted at young people who are the first in their family to go to university, are from low-income households, live in a postcode where few people go to university, have a disability, have been in care and/or are estranged from both parents or guardians.

Jane Patel, Senior Outreach Officer says: 'The funding provided by Wesleyan has made a big difference to the Outreach Office and has facilitated the support of 48 local year 12 students who aspire to study Dentistry. The Routes to the Professions (R2P) Dentistry programme at the University of Birmingham enables participants to build professional links through interactions with undergraduate dentistry students, academic and professional services staff at the University as well as active Dentistry professionals.'

Find out how you could support young people like this

If you are inspired by Wesleyan’s support for aspiring undergraduates, get in touch to see whether supporting scholarships or access programmes could be right for you.