Partnership with educational charity gets top marks in first two years

The philanthropy team at University of Salford joined forces with University of Manchester to set up IntoUniversity Salford Central in 2022. The charity runs local learning centres to help young people aged seven and upwards improve their educational outcomes and get the best possible start in life.

The scheme is already making a real difference in Salford, with latest results showing that 52% of 16 year olds attending IntoUniversity Salford Central are reaching Higher Education, compared with an average of 20% locally.

Other strong results from the partnership show IntoUniversity’s Salford Central team have between them worked with 1,433 school students this academic year. Furthermore, 43 IntoUniversity students from across the national network have gone on to study at the University of Salford since the partnership began.

Vice Chancellor Nic Beech said that the University’s work with IntoUniversity is central to one of the institution’s core aims, which is to support social mobility both for its students and local communities.

“As a university we wish to enrich lives and help people from all backgrounds achieve their academic and career ambitions, and this work with IntoUniversity is very much a part of that vision.

“I would like to thank everybody including all partners and our staff who have worked so hard to deliver such strong results in just two years. The IU Salford Central team are helping so many young people realise their academic and professional ambitions.”

IntoUniversity CEO Dr Rachel Carr commented: "We're delighted at the progress that has been made in Salford since opening our centre in 2022. Thanks to the support of our partners at the universities of Salford and Manchester, we've already been able to offer our bespoke programme of support to over 1,700 amazing young people in Salford, and we're seeing some wonderful outcomes as a result. We know young people in Salford have so much to offer, and so much potential waiting to be unleashed, and we're excited to work alongside our university partners to play a role in helping them make informed decisions about their futures."   

Earlier this month the Higher Education Policy Institute’s (HEPI) 2024 Social Mobility Index ranked the University of Salford the fifth best in England for supporting young people to accomplish their dreams, underlining the institution’s commitment to acting as a catalyst for real change.

The University’s work with IntoUniversity Salford Central was enabled by generous donations from Morson Group, BNY Mellon and Cisco as well as Peninsula who have offered pro-bono support.

If you are interested in helping to support the centre’s valuable work please email Nicola Whyley, Senior Philanthropy Manager at the University of Salford on n.whyley@salford.ac.uk.