20 Nov 2023
Vet group enters multi-year sponsorship with home of UK’s newest vet school.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Medivet has entered into a multi-year sponsorship with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) School of Veterinary Medicine to support its vision to widen participation in vet education.
The UK’s latest vet school, which welcomed its first cohort of 78 students in early September, said it was committed to expanding inclusion of under-represented groups among its student body.
The first cohort will be the first to be able to access financial and training support provided by Medivet as part of its sponsorship deal.
Peter Holland, associate dean for partnerships and enterprise at UCLan’s School of Veterinary Medicine, said: “The university has a keen focus on improving access to, and inclusion of, under-represented communities in higher education, and the new School of Veterinary Medicine holds this ethos very much at its core.
“We took a different approach to selecting students for our BVMS course as we wanted to widen participation in veterinary education by addressing some of the demographic or circumstantial barriers that have denied people the chances of learning and becoming the next generation of vets.
“As a ‘widening participation’ sponsor, Medivet is investing significantly in UCLan’s students to enable the school to realise many of its ambitions to broaden the entry pool into veterinary higher education, and is actively supporting their development across the five years for a successful future in the profession.”
As part of its aims to create a diverse body of students supported to achieve a successful future, communication and problem-solving skills, growth mindset development, moral reasoning and reflectivity form key parts of the curriculum. Integration of early clinical experience and primary care skills will also be a focus.
Intake numbers for the vet school are expected to rise to 120 a year after two years.
Chris Cools, chief executive of Medivet, said: “Our profession needs great clinical talent for a long-term, healthy and sustainable future, and we are proud to support UCLan in its ambition to attract, teach and train a new generation of veterinary students from all backgrounds.
“The school’s focus on academic and practical teaching and training will give the students a strong foundation to enter our profession, and we look forward to working closely together in these coming years to help all UCLan’s veterinary graduates prepare for a fulfilling and rewarding future in veterinary medicine.”
