McCann Worldgroup Pledges Commitment to Kickstart Scheme

McCann Worldgroup, along with its sister agencies, FutureBrand and McCann Health, has developed over 80 internships to support the next generation of talent in Britain enter into a career in Advertising and Marketing. Backed by the UK Government’s Kickstart scheme, the agency network has designed a nationwide programme to help young people gain meaningful long-term employment and experience to address the serious skill and talent shortages in the UK.

According to the latest figures from the House of Commons Library (2021), the unemployment rate (the proportion of the economically active population who are unemployed) for 16-24 year olds was 12.9% in May-July 2021[1]. To ensure young people have increased access to the creatives industries, young people aged 16 to 24 years old that join McCann Worldgroup, FutureBrand and McCann Health London through the Kickstart Scheme application process, will gain experience in Account Management, Creative, Strategic Planning & Research, Digital, Production & Adaptation, PR, Social Media, Media Buying, New Business Development, HR, IT, Operations and Finance across office locations in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Milton Keynes, and Bristol. Longer term, McCann Worldgroup plans to create apprenticeships for interns after their six-month work placements, creating more entry-level roles and is partnering with Creative Access to help underrepresented groups get into the creative sector through its UK programme.

Mark Lund, president, UK and Europe at McCann Worldgroup, said: “We see it as our responsibility to leverage the unique breadth and depth of our network in the UK to help address the talent shortage among young people in our sector. Following the announcement of the Kickstart Scheme by the UK government we are working even harder to create new and sustainable opportunities for a generation of young people to experience all aspects of the marketing communications industry. Our aim is to create careers that have a wider impact on the future of our industry and use our platform to nurture the next generation of talent.”