As the £3,000 government incentive to hire an apprentice is about to expire, the School of Marketing is encouraging marketers to support alternative pathways to the industry.
Market leaders must show their support for internship marketing before the £3,000 employer bonus expires next month. The School of Marketing, a skills-based marketing education organization, is challenging marketers to raise awareness of the importance of internships before the £3,000 incentive for employers hiring a new intern expires on 30 September.
It is very important that anyone who participates in the government’s Kickstart program – which offers Universal Credit 16-24-year-olds a six-month internship – can also be converted to an internship and that the employer receives the £3,000 bonus.
Ritchie Mehta, the founder of the School of Marketing, points out that if a brand is considering hiring a new marketing intern, there’s no better time than with the financial incentive still available. It also highlights the many young people in the Kickstart program who are at the end of their six-month internship, meaning they will be effectively unemployed, making the internship a “great way” for an employer to retain them.
To break the news, marketers are being asked to record a 30-second video explaining the importance of internships, the £3,000 government bonus, and then post it on their brand’s social media channels. The post is also shared by the Marketing School.
The video’s message could explain why young people are critical, especially given the career disruption caused by the pandemic. The idea is to position learning as a great way to learn and earn, which adds direct value to the business and creates opportunities for young people.
“There is no better time to hire a young person as an apprentice than right now,” says Mehta. “Many talented young people are looking for great opportunities and it seems like the time is right to act if you want to help the industry and your organization.
The crisis of early careers is urgent. In May last year, according to data from Prospects, a specialist in graduate careers, and 26% of students lost their internship, and 28% postponed or ended their work at the university. While brands like Unilever, Henkel, and Britvic continue to bring in graduates, some companies are struggling to transform themselves into a virtual process.
The industry also supports young people through the marketing school’s Generation Z mentoring initiative. The plan to help young people aged 16 to 28, launched just eight months ago, and destroyed all its goals.
About 500 young people have participated in the free weekly mentoring sessions, with more than 50 potential students applying each week. The goal is to reach 5,000 students in the next 12 months, to help them find marketing.
Several prominent marketing mentors have participated so far, including former Unilever CMO Keith Weed, Boots CMO Pete Markey, and Nando’s director of customer service Sarah Warby. The 90-minute sessions are now reserved for mentors until February 2022.