About the fund

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The Scholarship:

While there have been significant efforts to support various marginalised communities across the UK, there are alarming statistics surfacing about one demographic group, in particular: working class young men.

The latest reported figures of progression into Higher Education found that only 13.7% of white young men who were eligible for free school meals moved on to university after finishing school. This is the lowest percentage of the reported groups. Furthermore, young men of mixed ethnic heritage who were eligible for free school meals progressed at a rate of just 16.1%.

These statistics resonated with TalentMapper co-founders, Martin Mason and Carl Tucker. Both men grew up in a working-class families and worked throughout their university experiences, in order to afford themselves the opportunity to create a different future. Years on, now partners in running a fast-growing tech company, and the co-founders have the desire to help another young man find his way to success.

So, this scholarship is designed to remove barriers for a student from a similar background to Martin and Carl. We will be offering one £3,000 scholarship for the upcoming academic year.

Not only will our selected scholar receive the funding, but we will also provide mentorship across the academic year, and are hoping to provide opportunities for work experience and networking within the technology sector.

Requirements:

This scholarship is designed to support one student from a similar background to the co-founders of TalentMapper. As such, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• You describe yourself as a man
• You describe yourself as part of one of the following ethnic backgrounds:
• Any white ethnic background
• Any mixed ethnic background
• You have the right to work in the UK
• You meet the social mobility requirements for the programme
• This is that you have been eligible for free school meals during your school years (must have finished school after 1980)
• You are currently enrolled on or about to enrol on a 3-year degree in one of the following subject areas:
• Accounting & Finance
• Business
• Communications
• Computing & Technology
• Humanities
• Law Related Degree
• Marketing & Management
• Mathematics
• Psychology
• Social Sciences

Timelines:

• Applications open: 31 March 2025
• Applications close: 23 May 2025
• Shortlist notified: Week commencing 7 July 2025
• Final winners selected: Week commencing 28 July 2025

About TalentMapper:

TalentMapper is an integrated talent management platform, built by HR professionals for HR professionals. We provide real-time insights for better decision making, enhanced HR efficiency and employee engagement, and sustainable business growth.

At TalentMapper, removing barriers is built into our DNA. Our technology uses generative AI to remove all bias when suggesting candidates for internal job roles, leaders for projects, or mentors/mentees. The platform has demonstrated that women are twice as likely, and folks of ethnic diversity four times as likely to be selected during the process.

However, while our technology can help people with “getting on” once they have joined an organisation, we know that there are still many barriers to “getting in”. That’s why we are creating two scholarships to support students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to get through their studies and into the world of work.

Eligibility criteria

This fund is only available to people in the categories listed below. Please do not apply if you are not in one of these.