McCann Worldgroup Pledges its Commitment to Kickstart Scheme

McCann Worldgroup, along with sister agencies FutureBrand and McCann Health, has developed more than 80 internships to help young talent in Britain enter a career in advertising, media buying and marketing.

Backed by the government's Kickstart scheme, the agency network has designed a nationwide programme to help young people who are at risk of long-term unemployment gain meaningful experience to address the skill and talent shortages in the UK.

According to the latest figures from the House of Commons Library, the unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds was 12.9% in May-July 2021. The government's £2bn Kickstart scheme, launched by chancellor Rishi Sunak, provides funding to employers to create six-month job placements for young people between the ages of 16 and 24, who currently claim Universal Credit. Employers can spread the job start dates up until 31 December 2021.

To ensure young people have increased access to the creative industries, 16- to 24-years-olds who join McCann Worldgroup, FutureBrand and McCann Health London via the Kickstart application process will gain experience in account management; creative; strategic planning and research; digital production and 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.

In the future McCann Worldgroup plans to create apprenticeships for interns after their six-month work placements, create 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."

Earlier this month, marketing and communications group Havas UK announced it would be offering 100 entry-level jobs with Kickstart backing - tripling the intake of its entry-level placement scheme, HKX Platform.