By becoming a Saltire Scholar sponsor you play a vital role in expanding the opportunities available to the next generation of leaders in Scotland. This in turn ensures the continued success of Saltire programmes in the future.
The Saltire Scholar programme exists thanks to the participation and financial support of visionary individuals, universities, Trusts and corporates who believe in Scotland's potential and have taken the step to make a change.
Now in its 15th year, the Saltire Scholars Programme, was established to increase the confidence, ambition and global mindset of Scotland’s next generation of business leaders.
It matches high-potential undergraduates from all Scottish universities with summer internships in leading global and entrepreneurial companies. Students are in their penultimate year of university and come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds including business, economics, engineering, computer science, marketing and humanities.
In 2019, over 1000 talented students applied for the programme and of those, 181 were talent-matched with internships within 80 + companies across 11 countries.
"The one thing that really spurred me on and that Edwards Lifesciences has proven is that your host company picked you, sodon’t doubt yourself. They want to see you strive so are there for all your questions no matter how small.”
Make a difference to a young person’s development and create a legacy that will have a lasting impact on their future.
Give back to Scotland and help us drive sustainability for the Saltire programmes.
Follow an individual’s journey, which could include mentoring post-internship
Raise your profile amongst Scotland’s next generation of business leaders and the Entrepreneurial Scotland network.
Timothy is a student at Glasgow Caledonian University about to enter his final year studying BSc (Hons) Digital Design. Having secured a Marketing Design internship with Los Angeles based host company, Moving Analytics, Timothy was one of the first Scholars in the history of the Programme to undertake a Virtual internship in 2020.
When Timothy moved to Glasgow in 2016 he described the local culture as vibrant and diverse and found that he was able to involve himself in community-based programmes which helped him to settle in and build relationships. Timothy was later provided with the opportunity to give back to those who had initially supported him by volunteering his time to assist on various multi-media projects at his Church.
Timothy is passionate about community and is inspired to encourage other young people to unlock their creativity and to follow their dreams. As a creative person Timothy feels an obligation to use his skillset to communicate culture and values whilst also positively impacting businesses and society.
When reflecting on his internship experience Timothy stated that his confidence has increased significantly and that the commercial significance of his project was very important to him when he applied. He would tell future applicants that the experiences and the opportunities you gain really are worth it and if it were not for the Saltire Scholar Programme he would still be unsure about his career path.
Elizabeth is currently studying at the University of Stirling, in the final year of her BSc (Hons) degree in Management. She secured her placement with Edwards LifeSciences as an Accounts & Tender Mapping Project Intern, and was one of the small number of Saltire Scholars whose international roles were able to go ahead in person in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic made global travel decidedly more complicated. Her internship was situated in Prague, Czech Republic, where she worked alongside another Scholar.
Elizabeth completed several projects at Edwards, such as gathering tender information by contacting the company’s distributers, and researching the various heart-surgery based charities and virtual communities that exist in over 12 different countries. Along with her co-Scholar, she was invited to present these findings to Management.
Elizabeth noted that the Saltire Scholar Programme was the ideal fit for her over other internship programmes as it is so different from other opportunities: she progressed through the recruitment as she was assessed on her capabilities and skills, not her amount of work experience.
Looking back on her internship, Elizabeth describes it as life-changing, as she was surrounded with an adaptive and innovative business culture that was pulling through the challenges of Covid-19. She would tell other students that it was one of the best decisions she has ever made, and that it was invigorating to undertake something she had never experienced before and to know that she was going to make it the best it could be.
Ennis is a student at the University of Aberdeen studying for an LLB in Law and has just entered the final year of his degree. Over the summer, Ennis secured an internship with Scottish based agri-tech firm, Intelligent Growth Solutions, as an Intelligent Grid Intern. During this role he had the chance to carry out market research from the comfort of his own home, with industry experts in the UK, Mexico, Canada and Norway. In addition, he had the opportunity to carry out an on-site visit to the company’s first vertical farm in Scotland.
Passionate about giving back, Ennis has previously spent time volunteering in Lourdes taking care of children with special needs and also worked with Aberdeen City Council, giving out free legal advice to the public.
He was first attracted to his host company due to his background in geography and interest in making agricultural systems smarter and more renewable. However he was also keen to explore the company from the perspective of a Law student and ensure he provided a great service by using his passion for learning to get to know the company inside-out.
Ennis states that his internship experience has improved a variety of his skills including marketing, mathematics, sales, politics, communication and good time management. The key deliverables that he produced for his host company will assist them in valuing the worldwide market for a new product.
Sam is a BA (Hons) Game Design & Production student at Abertay University, now in his final year, and he was one of the very first Scholars to be confirmed in the 2020 Cohort. What was an internship placement initially based at image engineering experts Crescent Inc in Tokyo became a virtual role from his home in Scotland, working closely with the company’s UK branch, DigiCast UK, as a VR Artist.
Sam’s project involved him being a trainee within the company, through which he learned about many aspects of the team’s work, from modelling, to rigging, to animation. Through this project Sam feels he has grown in many professional aspects, such as communication through Zoom calls and emails, something he previously struggled with before the internship. His understanding of many processes in the industry has expanded, understanding he sees as crucial given his career aspirations.
When reviewing his time spent as a Saltire Scholar, Sam feels extremely lucky to have been able to work with the DigiCast team, which would not have happened had the trip to Tokyo been possible. His internship has changed his outlook on himself and his ambitions. Without it, he wouldn’t be as well-rounded a creator as he is now.
The second Glasgow Tech Fest saw more than 300 delegates gather to share ideas around growing the city’s burgeoning technology sector.
Entrepreneurial Scotland is on the hunt for organisations across Scotland and the wider UK to join us as a Host Company Partner to the Saltire Scholar Internship Programme.
Phlo, UK digital pharmacy leaders, have closed a £10m Series A round. This investment will support the scaling of Phlo’s operations and their partnerships with other healthcare providers.