RCS - Unite Group PLC - Unite commits to donating 1% of annual profits

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09/06/2022 07:30

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RNS Number : 2349O  Unite Group PLC (The)  09 June 2022

09 June 2022

Unite Students commits to donate 1% of annual profits to social initiatives
every year

 

·      This commitment means Unite Students will donate c.£2million to
social initiatives a year

·      Funds will go to Unite Students' successful Leapskills programme,
which has helped thousands of young people to be better prepared for making
the 'leap' to university life

·      The Unite Foundation, which provides free year-round accommodation
for care leavers and estranged students, will receive additional funding in
2022 - its 10(th) anniversary year

Unite Students, the UK's largest provider of student accommodation, has
committed to donating 1% of annual profits to social initiatives going
forward, amounting to a commitment of c.£2million a year.

These initiatives will be closely aligned to its purpose of providing a Home
for Success for students and its aim of widening participation in higher
education.

There will be two main funding streams in 2022. The first covers Unite
Students' Leapskills programme - an interactive set of workshops designed to
prepare school-leavers for independent living at university. The second will
cover the Unite Foundation, the charitable trust founded by Unite Students in
2012, which provides free accommodation for care leavers and estranged
students while at university.

Leapskills

Funding will be directed to Unite Students' Leapskills programme, which helps
young people to fully prepare for making the 'leap' to university life.

The programme, which is endorsed by the Department of Education, was
originally set up in 2018 after research by Unite Students highlighted a gap
in student expectations versus the reality of university life. It supports 17
and 18-year-olds through workshops and online training and has successfully
helped more than 4,000 school and college-leavers prepare to live more
independently.

This summer, Unite Students is partnering with UCAS to reach even more young
people and assist their preparations ahead of the start of the 2022/2023
academic year.

Leapskills aims to help students get the most out of living with different
people, making new friends, balancing work with fun, while managing money and
juggling academic study. Schools interested in accessing Leapskills for their
pupils preparing to go to university can sign up here
(https://leapskills.unitestudents.com/) .

Unite Foundation

This year, Unite Students will to be supporting 100 students to mark the Unite
Foundation's 10(th) anniversary.

The independent charity, which currently partners with 25 universities across
England and Scotland to provide free university accommodation for care leavers
and young people estranged from their families, has helped 514 students to
date. Since its inception, Unite Students has committed £18million to the
Unite Foundation.

Richard Smith, Chief Executive at Unite Students, said:

"We are hugely proud to pledge 1% of our annual profits to social initiatives
going forward. This is a significant commitment - for us as a business, and
the sector more broadly. We have a long track record of funding social
initiatives, but this new commitment ensures a sustained positive social
impact.

"Widening participation in higher education has always been important to Unite
Students - reflected in the two pre-existing initiatives we are funding here.
Our Leapskills programme plugs that expectation-versus-reality gap for
students, providing essential tools to prepare them for university life, while
the Unite Foundation is doing vital work to level the playing field."

ENDS

For further information, please contact Unite Students press office

press.office@unitestudents.com (mailto:press.office@unitestudents.com)

Tel: +44 117 450 6300

 

Notes to Editors

 

About Unite Students

Unite Students is the UK's largest owner, manager and developer of
purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) serving the country's world-leading
higher education sector. We provide homes to 74,000 students across 172
properties in 25 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner
with over 60 universities across the UK.

Our people are driven by a common purpose: to provide a 'Home for Success' for
the students who live with us. Unite Students' accommodation is safe and
secure, high quality, and affordable. Students live predominantly in en-suite
study bedrooms with rents covering all bills, insurance, 24-hour security and
high-speed wi-fi. We also achieved a five-star British Safety Council rating
in our last audit in 2020.

We are committed to raising standards in the student accommodation sector for
our customers, investors and employees. This is why our new Sustainability
Strategy, launched in 2021, which includes our social impact strategy with a
significant focus on providing opportunities for all. Our Leapskills programme
(https://www.unitegroup.com/sustainability/leapskills) is endorsed by the
Department of Education.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, the Unite Group is an award-winning Real Estate
Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more
information, visit Unite Group's corporate website www.unite-group.co.uk
(http://www.unite-group.co.uk/) or the Unite Students'
site www.unitestudents.com (https://www.unitestudents.com/)

About Unite Foundation

The Unite Foundation is an independent registered charity offering unique
accommodation scholarships for care leavers and estranged young people at
universities across the UK.

The Unite Foundation scholarship takes care of students' accommodation and
bills, covering up to three full years of study for 365 days a year. Our aim
is that with a stable home taken care of, Unite Foundation students feel able
to access and experience everything that university has to offer.

The charity currently works with 25 universities across England and Scotland,
and the team works closely with Unite Students: the charity's accommodation
partner and principal corporate donor.

Founded in 2012, the Unite Foundation is currently celebrating its 10th
Anniversary. To date, the Unite Foundation has awarded 514 scholarships, with
254 graduates now pursuing their dreams.

For more information about the Unite Foundation and the scholarship visit
https://thisisusatuni.org/unite-foundation
(https://thisisusatuni.org/unite-foundation)  To find out what our students
have to say go to https://thisisusatuni.org (https://thisisusatuni.org) .

 

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