41061 Unite AR22 HI-RES WEB-READY - Flipbook - Page 51
STRATEGIC REPORT
GOVERNANCE
EMPLOYEE VOICE
Our employee engagement forum, Culture Matters, is
designed to put the employee voice front and centre in
supporting the shaping of our People strategy. It provides
a forum for two-way communication between the senior
leadership team and the wider Company, involving and
engaging employees through consultation, enabling them to
contribute to the success of the business. Representatives
from across the business are elected to sit on our Culture
Matters forum, giving every colleague an opportunity
to shape our People strategy and create an inclusive
environment where people can fulfil their true potential.
The Culture Matters forum is overseen by Ilaria del Beato,
our independent Non-Executive Director for Workforce
Engagement, who attends the quarterly sessions ensuring
direct Board-level oversight. Culture Matters also includes a
number of Employee Resource Groups supporting specific
groups and topics including people of colour, women,
LGBTQ+ colleagues, and employee wellbeing. More details
are included in our Section 172 reporting (see page 66)
and the Board Leadership and Purpose section of the
Governance Report (see page 97).
HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE SUCCEED AT UNIVERSITY
Providing a Home for Success means helping young people
access Higher Education, providing the best possible support
throughout their studies, and signposting to opportunities
when they complete their studies. The Unite Foundation
has been facilitating access to university for students from
care backgrounds or who are estranged from their family for
10 years.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
OTHER INFORMATION
CASE STUDY
DOING THE RIGHT THING
FOR OUR COMMUNITIES
Unite Foundation 10th anniversary
The Unite Foundation offers a unique accommodation
scholarship for care leavers and estranged young people
at university.
Since its inception, 10 years ago, we’re proud to have been
its partner and principal corporate donor after setting
up the charity. To date, a total of 614 care leavers and
estranged students have been supported in accessing
Higher Education through the Unite Foundation.
This year, to celebrate its 10-year milestone, the
Foundation announced an expanded cohort of 100
new scholarship students, with our support. All new
scholarship students were provided with a welcome
pack worth £200. For students who were eligible, but
unsuccessful in their application for a scholarship, Unite
provided over £10,000 to give each student a £50 gift
card to support them in making their house a home.
In 2022, we relaunched our Leapskills programme, aiming
to help students make a successful transition from school
into independent living at university. Working closely with
the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) we
launched an interactive game reaching more than 25,000
prospective students with resources and content designed to
help build resilience, navigate new relationships, and manage
finances while at university.
We also launched a partnership collaboration with
Startup Sherpas (see https://startupsherpas.org for more
information) providing students with support to get their
own business ideas and innovations off the ground.
Unite’s financial contributions to the Foundation form
part of our commitment to donate 1% of annual profits to
social initiatives.
Since inception, the Unite Foundation has flourished into
a wholly-independent charity, currently partnering with
26 universities across the country.
For more about this project, go online to:
unitegroup.com/sustainability/leapskills
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