The One Club Calls on Industry to Sign Paid Internship Pledge

The One Club for Creativity has advanced its commitment to creative activism by urging agencies, brands, ad schools and other organisations around the world to step up and help support workplace equity in the industry by signing its new Paid Internship Pledge.

The initiative launches with a number of founding signees already on board: Cartwright, COLLINS, The Community, Design Army, Edelman, FCB Worldwide, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, The Martin Agency, School of Visual Arts, R/GA, Sid Lee, Wieden+Kennedy, as well as The One Club itself.

Internships are a vital part of building a career in advertising and design, enabling aspiring creatives to get a foot in the door at agencies, studios and brands, and receive invaluable guidance, training and feedback from professionals.  

They also provide a flavour of real-world work expectations and cultures, mark the beginning of professional networking, and give recipients a concrete credential that makes them stand out during job interviews.

Too often, however, internships are unpaid and not a realistic option for students and other young creatives from disadvantaged backgrounds who need an income to help pay for college or life expenses. The resulting experience gap is often impossible to overcome.

“Agencies, brands and other industry organisations are in a unique position to help level the career playing field for thousands of young people looking to break into the industry,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club.  “We call on them to sign the pledge to only offer paid internships, and support our drive to provide more equitable opportunities for economically disadvantaged and diverse candidates.”

The full One Club Paid Internship Pledge pledge is here. Upon signing the form, agencies and brands can upload their logos to be displayed on the page on The One Club website, and provide a link to paid internships they currently offer.

The initiative was strongly supported by the organisation's Board of Directors, who played an integral, hands-on role in crafting the pledge.

For its part, The One Club itself will continue to provide only paid internships at a reasonable minimum wage level — currently $15 per hour in the US — and asks all of its agency partners to pledge to do the same.

The One Club for Creativity, producer of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Type Directors Club Communication Design and Typeface Design awards, Young Guns and Creative Week, is the world's foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community.  The One Show is a top global awards show for advertising, design and digital marketing, focusing on the creativity of ideas and quality of execution.  Established in 1921, the global ADC Annual Awards are the world’s longest continuously running creative award for advertising and design, honoring excellence in craft, design and innovation.  Creative Week takes place in June, and is the preeminent festival celebrating the intersection of advertising and the arts.