At Banco Santander we are firmly committed to progress and inclusive sustainable growth, and we have had a long-standing commitment to higher education over the last 27 years, which sets us apart from the world's other financial institutions.
Our unique and pioneering commitment to supporting education, employability and entrepreneurship involves contributing to the progress of individuals and companies by helping them to improve employability and career prospects. Over the years, we have received multiple awards from international institutions such as the Varkey Foundation and the Global Compact Network Spain.
In 2023 we have been recognised as one of the companies that has made the biggest contribution to changing the world for the better, according to the magazine Fortune ‘Change the World’ 2023, which publishes an annual list of 50 companies helping to solve some of the biggest social challenges. We are the first bank in the ranking and we made the list thanks to our support for education, employability and entrepreneurship.
We help adults prosper through hundreds of free scholarships and training programs. We do so not only during their university years but also at later stages, as lifelong learning is fundamental amid of a job market in constant change. We also support companies to create opportunities, consolidate and grow with training and resources.
Access to all the information about the five Universia summits
supporting education, employability and entrepreneurship
euros invested in 27 years
people and companies helped in 27 years
institutions and organisations from 26 countries
supporting education, employability and entrepreneurship
euros invested in 27 years
people and companies helped in 27 years
institutions and organisations from 26 countries
In 2023 alone we invested 105 million euros and supported more than 498,000 people and companies. In addition, we plan to invest a further 400 million euro between 2023 and 2026.
“When society invests in education, it grows sustainably, is more open and diverse, creates opportunity for everyone, and can tackle the conflicts and challenges of the future. Santander decided, 27 years ago, to focus our efforts on supporting education, employability and education because there is no better social investment”.
“We help people and businesses by offering them continuous training, which is key in today’s ever-shifting job market. We promote lifelong learning through hundreds of grants, courses and free content so people can adapt to transforming landscapes and even change career”.
At the bank we support education, employability and entrepreneurship through different initiatives:
Support for education is one of our three pillars, encouraging access to university, training and the resources necessary for the university students, and helping to the institutional transformation, mainly in the digital field. We do this through:
One of our axes of action is the promotion of the employability of people through access to university, the promotion of professional skills and access to the labor market. And we do it through 3 initiatives:
Companies are our third focus of action, making it easier for entrepreneurs to create and market their own companies.