On 24th September, the Prime Minister announced plans to change apprenticeships to provide greater flexibility – in response, we had a great roundtable at the Engine Shed, with inputs from all aspects of the apprenticeship picture. This article focusses on the industry.
James Ellis, Business Development Manager at Creative Alliance talked through their approach. They have a team of 30 people operating from Birmingham, and providing blended learning for the apprentices they support – 1:1 coaching, seminars and peer learning as well as training. It’s part of a “spiral staircase” approach, where each step for the individual leads to an opportunity. James’ slide deck is below.
They provide particular support to neurodiverse people – those with lateral thinking and creative brains that may not fit conventional education.They work with corporates who pay the Apprenticeship Levy as well as microbusinesses, with schemes at Level 3 (A Level), Level 4 (Foundation degree) through to Level 7 (Masters) to cover Production Management.Apprenticeships are a great way to develop your established team – local companies such as Our Media currently focus on this benefit. You can watch James’ presentation below.
Lydia Thornton from Professional Apprenticeships talked through how apprenticeships can address issues of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and are especially relevant in areas of defined deprivation such as South Bristol. Their apprenticeships focus on Content Creation, Marketing and more technical pathways. They focus on 18-24s, many of whom have studied film and photography. Their advice includes things such as the value of having a driving licence – something many young people don’t consider – or can’t afford.
Nick Young-Wolfe moved for the Creative Youth Network to set up MUTI Live – providing apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps across a wide range of professions in the live arts & events sector, for people at all stages of their career. He made the point that most careers guides in schools and colleges simply don’t know about the type of jobs in the industry, and that apprenticeships are the only route into the industry that is not debt-laden.
Infact, whilst apprenticeships may lead to university (or university-equivalent qualifications) whilst people are also earning a living, attending university shuts off access to apprenticeships!
Rachel Drummond Hay and Kibibi White from Drummer TV brought the industry perspective.
Rachel pointed out that creative microbusiness need to have 18 months of funded business ahead in order to host an apprentice (something that could be helped by the “flexi-job” approach, with multiple hosts, but is very challenging to organise). Drummer have years of learning from a strong work-experience programme as the first step in the “staircase”, and take on apprentices from that talent pool because they can learn their craft in “the Drummer Way”, when many graduates have to “unlearn” their practices to make their way inside the industry.
A strong learning culture within the company is a key to success. Kibibi is their latest recruit, supported by Cirencester College, and learning both inside and outside the office on an 80:20 model with roughly 1 day per week in the classroom. Duncan Fraser from A Productions pointed out that the “classroom time” can be front-loaded into the apprenticeship period with a 2-week block that can help get the apprentice work-ready.
Carmela Carrubba from Real SFX is also a passionate advocate for apprenticeships. Headquartered in Cardiff but now setting up at The BottleYard Studios, they have adapted the Level 3 Creative Digital Media apprenticeship to include special effects. Bizarrely, this can be done with the Welsh CDM course, but not the one in England… They have an 80% retention rate for their apprentices.
These are the people that are making apprenticeships work for our sector, and their companies are benefitting hugely. With the government also looking to energise skills development, we’ll look at the support that’s available in next week’s article.
Community-based youth charity Young Bristol has become the third South West charity to win a place on the region’s Noble Deeds programme.
Set up in 2021 by Bristol-based SME Noble, the Deeds programme provides digital marketing training & support to not-for-profits, helping them deliver vital services in the area. Increasing in-line with Nobles’ own turnover, this year the support package stands at £25,000. Young Bristol will use this to upskill its marketing team and ensure its services reach the young people who need them the most
Supporting children and young adults aged 8-25 during their critical out of school hours in some of the most challenging areas of the city, Young Bristol’s mission is to provide innovative programmes that create a positive and sustainable impact on the lives of young people
With eight community youth clubs across Bristol, a mobile youth club on wheels, outdoor activity centres and an employment programme just part of what the charity offers, the support from Noble will help the Young Bristol team prioritise where its digital marketing efforts will make the most impact. As well as helping the team to learn new skills and maximise their knowledge of social media, SEO and other digital promotion techniques for a lasting impact beyond the Deeds programme
Lucy Saunders, Head of Fundraising & Development, Young Bristol, explains; “We are thrilled to be the selected charity for this year’s Noble Deeds programme. It is an incredible opportunity for our organisation to gain valuable experience and support from a team of experts. Their support will make a big difference, not only by up-skilling our team and improving our digital marketing, but also by helping us to further our reach and services to even more young people.”
With numerous deserving causes across the city that could benefit from the Deeds programme, choosing just one recipient is difficult. Previous winners have included homelessness charity Emmaus Bristol and South Bristol social enterprise Heart of BS13
Lorenzo Campbell, chair of Noble’s UK Deeds committee, said; “It’s not easy to choose between the many worthwhile entries to Deeds we receive. However, Young Bristol gives us the opportunity to work with a charity that reaches the communities right across Bristol who need their help the most. Making sure young people get the right start in life is so crucial and the passion the Young Bristol team has for that is inspiring.
“The impact the charity has can be life-changing for young people and leaves a real lasting legacy. Hopefully by helping the team enhance their own knowledge and digital marketing skills we can help them make that impact as long-lasting as possible.”
The Noble Deeds initiative was originally started over twenty-years ago by Nobles’ parent [KS1] company in Nevada, North America. Mirroring the US programme, the winning not-for-profit is chosen by an employee-led committee, with the UK Deeds programme opening every June at a free ‘Be Better Bristol’ event for local charities and businesses
The Noble team then work alongside the winning charity from September through to February each year helping them to achieve their specific objective
To find out more about Young Bristol go to https://www.youngbristol.co
To find out more about Noble go to https://nobleperforms.co.uk,
Being an Employer of Choice: Mental health and financial wellbeing are inextricably linked!
Sometimes, all it takes to drastically improve your employees’ quality of life is a conversation and guidance that can lead to a positive impact that they feel every day. Nobody is immune to money worries and financial stress. So, let’s get talking, break down taboos and change lives.
Poor mental health and financial problems are often closely tied. Fixing one can often help fix the other. Talking about money worries is a bit of a taboo subject in the UK. The topic is surrounded by stigmas such as debt, poor mental health, and absence from work, so we avoid it. But sweeping things under the rug doesn’t work. Long-term, if we don’t break taboos, taboos can break us.
Financial education plays a huge part in increasing preparedness and reducing stress. But stress and worries can build barriers in people’s minds, a powerful resistance to engaging. They may have the answers but feel overwhelmed or unsure where to start. So, to forge a path forward, we need to be there with them.
To help people see through the haze of financial stress, we need to connect with people as individuals, on their own level.
A vicious cycle
Poor mental health can lead to money problems:
And money problems can lead to poor mental health: Stretched budgets could mean less food, heat, or medicine. Financial communications might trigger feelings of anxiety and panic and persistent worrying could lead to sleep problems and burnout
This cycle can get out of control, spiralling downward and affecting relationships, work, and every other part of an employee’s life. It’s critical we let them know that help is at hand.
Breaking the taboo
If you don’t offer much support yet, it’s a good opportunity to get employees involved. Ask them what they want and need and build around their answers.
Maybe some want private 1-2-1 meetings, while others would prefer group workshops or an anonymous online forum. By starting the conversations here, you’ll already be taking steps to normalising talking about money and financial stress and showing that it’s important to your business.
Why employers should care
Why dedicate resources and people to tackling financial stress? According to UK charity Mental Health At Work, 66% of employees feel like their company doesn’t care about their financial situation, making them more likely to salary hunt elsewhere and less productive in the working day.
In other words, beating financial stress is in your business’ best interests too. And if you have limited resources, you can partially rely on the government’s Money and Pensions Service.
Looking for a new jacket? According to Ibis World, there are 298,036 apparel manufacturing businesses globally. So how do you choose where to buy?
There’ll be several elements that affect a purchasing decision – particularly cost, quality, and/or location. But other factors that play a major role in where consumers shop are values and authenticity.
In fact, 90% of consumers say that authenticity is important when deciding which brands they support. In addition, 75% say they are likely to buy a product from a company that shares their values.
So, why are values and authenticity in marketing so important?
We’re now in an age where fake news, deep fakes and influencers peddling products they don’t actually use is the norm. And with the rise of e-commerce, we’re constantly being sold items and services every hour, of every day.
This bombardment of false promises and shallow marketing has driven customers to look for companies with more substance; companies that support their claims with actions.
Customers typically see straight through – and don’t appreciate – inauthentic and impersonal marketing tactics.
So how can you ensure your business doesn’t make these mistakes? It all starts with ‘why’. Why do you do what you do in the first place?
Being authentic and having strong values go hand in hand. But there are some important distinctions between the two.
AUTHENTIC: According to Oxford Languages, the definition of authentic is ‘of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine’.
VALUES: The definition of values is ‘principles or standards of behaviour; one’s judgement of what is important in life’
While values are about beliefs and one’s outlook on life, authenticity is about who you are as a person (or in this case, business).
Unfortunately, an all-too-common occurrence is businesses falsely claiming they have certain values and beliefs to gain social clout and more customers.
This is also known as colourwashing (which we’ve written a blog about here). Not only can colourwashing slow down progress towards positive and important changes, but it also creates distrust in your company.
Stretching the truth about your values, and not being transparent in your marketing activities, will weaken the connection you have with your customers.
Not convinced?
According to a 2016 study, almost 94% of all consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand when it commits to full transparency.
And when you obtain loyalty from your audience and customers, you’ll see business growth, more people making repeat purchases, and an enhanced company reputation.
Almost 94% of consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand when it commits to full transparency.
You may be wondering where to start when conveying your values truthfully to your audience.
First you need to establish what your values as a business are.
Next, start showing you mean what you say through action.
For example, you could raise awareness of issues and organisations that align with your values, or donate some of your business’ profits to relevant causes.
It’s also important to note that this action isn’t a one-and-done situation. You need to continuously back up your claims to build audience trust.
Now, it’s time to tell people about it!
Communicating your actions and values both internally to your team and partners, and externally to your customers and stakeholders, is vital for a business. It deepens connection and understanding between your company and your audience.
Communication examples include:
What to do: Mind Corporate Partnerships
Mind is a mental health charity that stands up to injustices in healthcare, work and law which make life harder for people with mental health problems.
A section of their charity is dedicated to corporate partnerships so businesses can work with Mind to support their work and help fight for mental health.
This feature is so effective because not only are they starting a conversation with individuals, but they’re opening connections with businesses so even more people can get involved.
Their website contains plenty of resources and support for those struggling with their mental health, including workplace wellbeing.
By pairing their business statements with tangible resources, more people are likely to work with them and recommend their services.
What not to do: Naked’s lack of transparency
For this example, we’ll look through a more B2C lens, although the principles still apply to B2B businesses.
Naked offers a range of juice drinks, manufactured by PepsiCo. These products are marketed in such a way as to lead consumers to believe they’re a healthy option.
Statements on its packaging once included ‘only the best ingredients’ and ‘no sugar added’, but the Centre for Science in the Public Interest filed a lawsuit in 2016 because they were misleading.
In fact:
Following the lawsuit, Naked amended the erroneous claims and offered compensation to those who purchased products between a certain timeframe.
But despite its attempts to rectify the situation, both trust – and therefore loyalty in the brand – was lost.
Authenticity and values are interlinked – being authentic is about staying true to said values and being intentional about them.
However, authenticity is about also showing people who you are as a business. It’s about transparency in your marketing. It’s about being open with an audience, even if you’re not perfect.
This vulnerability leads to brand trust.
“Your audience is used to ignoring inauthentic marketing attempts from other businesses. Differentiate yourself by being genuine.”
So how do you go about being authentic as a B2B business? And how do you share this with your audience?
It’s crucial you remain honest in your statements and efforts.
Establishing brand guidelines early on also plays a key role in exhibiting your authenticity. This is because it will help you stay consistent in your messaging, your marketing materials, and your goals.
A major part of authentic marketing is having direct communication with your customers. This may be through:
By opening the door to discussions in real time, you’ll receive invaluable feedback that will allow you to make profound improvements.
In fact, according to a report by Microsoft, 77% of customers have a better opinion of brands that ask for and accept customer feedback.
Another interesting method to show authenticity and gain brand buy-in is through ‘behind the scenes’ materials. Whether this is showing your audience where / how your products are made, the team behind the business, or a Q&A session.
And finally, testimonials are a great way to offer transparency. Sharing feedback from those not necessarily invested in the company itself – i.e. objective opinion – creates believability. This is known as social proofing.
Social proofing is:
“the psychological concept that people are influenced in their decision making by others, compelling them to act within societal norms or expectations.”
Social proofing done well
Airbnb utilises the power of social proofing in their marketing brilliantly. In fact, as a platform that’s built to both enable people to host strangers in their properties, and for people to stay in strangers’ properties, their business success depends on it.
Airbnb includes reviews from guests and hosts which can include photos, stories about people’s stays, and their names.
This adds a personal touch to the platform, which increases trust from users. But it also provides details of others’ experiences using the service, giving clear evidence of customer satisfaction.
Authenticity and value-based marketing ultimately comes down to 4 things:
It’s as much of a benefit to you as it is your audience. In return for your honesty, and so-called vulnerability, your audience will be significantly more likely to invest time (and money) into your brand.
With a loyal customer base, you’re increasing your chances of seeing more growth in your business as people recommend your products/services to others.
And it’s important to remember – this isn’t just for B2C companies, B2B companies should be doing the same.
We’re now in an age where businesses are trying to sell as much as possible and advertise wherever they can. So, when 57% of consumers think that less than half of brands create authentic content, make sure you’re standing out for the right reasons.
After all, people now value quality over quantity, and neither you nor your customers should settle for anything less.
Looking to find out how you can tell your audience about your authenticity and values? Get in touch at [email protected] to find out how we can help.
10.09.24: HeyFlow, the female reproductive health inclusion business, which aims to end disadvantage for women in the workplace, has become the founding investment client for Aer Venture Studios, the new SaaS impact-driven venture arm from Aer Studios. The £235,000 investment will support the build and architecture of HeyFlow’s tech platform and employee insight product, enabling it to reach even more enterprise clients.
A majority-female start-up, HeyFlow aims to create meaningful change for women at work globally, at a time when 31% of women experience severe reproductive health symptoms every year: 85% of women face at least four reproductive health conditions and mothers see a 60% drop in earnings following their first child, compared to fathers. HeyFlow transforms organisations through employee experience insight that reshapes workplace behaviour and fuels meaningful change for women’s inclusion, resulting in organisations retaining talent, promoting talent, boosting profitability, and creating an equitable future.
Aer Venture Studios has been launched by creative technology firm, Aer Studios, to help early-stage SaaS tech businesses with funding and creative tech expertise to accelerate their time to market. It aims to create meaningful digital experiences that have an impact on people and planet. It’s set up to deliver the financial backing that early stage ventures need, tech expertise required to develop products to a launch-ready stage and partnerships required for future investment rounds. HeyFlow marks its first investment client.
Following its launch in 2023, HeyFlow has worked with progressive companies including Hitachi Vantara, BIMA and Digitas UK, providing insight into their female employee experiences, management’s ability to support at all levels, informing leadership gender inclusion strategies and empowering them to create change. The funding will enable the development of its technology platform to deliver on a national and global basis, as well as providing progress measurement and on-demand industry benchmarking.
HeyFlow is now actively seeking an additional pre-seed investment of £250,000, to allow the firm to take the employee experience and diagnostics platform to market. A future roadmap introduces Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide on-demand learning solutions and delivering against mandated gender pay and ESG reporting, globally.
“We’re honoured to secure Aer Venture Studios’ investment and trust in HeyFlow’s vision. Its backing is a testament to our early success and powerful validation of our mission to champion reproductive health inclusion and close workplace gender gaps. At a time where only a small percentage of investment goes to female-founded companies, Aer Venture Studios’ belief in HeyFlow sends a clear message that innovative, women-led start-ups are worthy of investment. Their support strengthens our ability to scale globally, and together, we’re set to shake up the future of work,” comments Sophie Creese, Co-Founder, HeyFlow.
Geoff Wells, director, Aer Venture Studios; “Our mission is to help organisations realise their vision for digital experiences that have a positive impact on people and planet. Our ambition and values are perfectly aligned with HeyFlow’s, making it the ideal collaboration and partnership. We are excited at the opportunity to bring the full force of our creative and technical talent in Aer Studios to realise HeyFlow’s vision and accelerate its impact.”
HeyFlow is a majority female-founded and owned business, launched by Sophie Creese, Nick Dean and Sabrina Walls, with Kate Thompson, an applied behavioural scientist and co-founder of businessfourzero, recently joining as NED. With financial backing by ADLIB Recruitment, the team brings together many years of expertise in gender equality work and talent solutions. Aer Venture Studios’ Directors Geoff Wells and Tom Harber will play active roles in the future of HeyFlow, with Wells taking a seat on the board. Wells and Harber bring extensive expertise in delivering award winning creative technology solutions for organisations including BBC, Breast Cancer Now, Diabetes UK and Women’s Aid.
For media enquiries, please contact Sabrina Walls on [email protected] / contact Jess Morgan on [email protected] or on 07947 008 071.
Ending disadvantage for women in the workplace. 31% of women experience severe reproductive health symptoms every year. If not supported properly they can have a massive impact in the workplace and become a hidden burden leading to a lack of inclusion, increased absenteeism, and reduced retention.
Through insight, learning and action for female* reproductive health inclusion in the workplace, HeyFlow empowers businesses to create change and build a truly inclusive companies.
*We actually mean people with internal reproductive health organs, it’s just not as catchy.
You can read our full inclusion statement here: https://heyflow.co.uk/inclusion-statement
Aer Venture Studios works with impact driven founders and their teams, bringing creative technology expertise and financial backing to progress their concept to MVP and launch. Aer Venture Studios’ mission is to create meaningful digital experiences that have an impact on people and planet. Launched by creative tech firm Aer Studios, Aer Venture Studios bring financial backing that early stage ventures vitally need and combine this with the expertise required to develop the product to a launch ready stage, as well as partnerships required for future investment rounds to scale fast.
To address this issue, HeyFlow has launched a groundbreaking open-source suite of Reproductive Health Policy Guides to access information and best practices around reproductive health inclusion in the workplace.
Sophie Creese, Co-Founder and CEO discusses why this is an important initiative:
“Guidance on how to properly address reproductive health at work is often scattered across various sources or specific to a certain business, making it challenging for organisations to implement cohesive and inclusive practices and not knowing where to start. We wanted to create a source of information that is accessible so that businesses can develop informed and effective reproductive health policies.”
To mark the launch of the series of policy guides, HeyFlow has released two guides on Menstruation & Menopause. The suite will be expanded to cover other reproductive health topics, but these were selected as the two key considerations for employers as they directly impact most women’s experience within the workplace.
By 2030, 47% of all 50s are forecasted to be part of the UK labour workforce4, meaning that most employees who go through menopause will go through it at work and over half of menstruators have period pains that directly affect their work5.
Nick Dean, COO and Co-Founder of HeyFlow highlights the importance of this initiative, but it shouldn’t be the endpoint for employers:
“A large part of the lack of inclusion of reproductive health at work is due to societal taboos around the topics, and a lack of readily available information. You don’t know what you don’t know, so we’re so excited to launch these guides to give companies their first step into reproductive health inclusion. But a good policy is only the start. To embed effective change in a business you need to embed inclusion within your culture and bring everyone into the conversation; educating employees on available resources and supporting managers with training on how to implement policy properly.”
HeyFlow’s initiative aims to standardise reproductive health policies across industries, ensuring fair and consistent support for all employees. By offering these guides, HeyFlow is leading the charge in promoting workplace wellness and setting a new benchmark for inclusivity.
For more information about HeyFlow’s Reproductive Health Policy Guides and to access the Menstruation and Menopause guides, please visit https://heyflow.co.uk/ or contact [email protected] .
BIMA star James Hobbs appointed Head of Tech at Aer Studios
Aer Studios, a leading creative technology studio in the South West, is thrilled to announce the appointment of James Hobbs as Head of Technology. Hobbs, who brings a wealth of experience from his time at Dyson and Great State, joins at a time when Aer Studios also announces a new trio of practice leads, including Max Waring (Front End), Jon Chard (Back End), and Aaron Bushell (DevOps).
Hobbs’ appointment comes shortly after the addition of Lucy Rees, Head of People and Culture, further strengthening Aer Studios’ leadership team. These strategic hires mark a significant step in Aer Studios’ growth, as well as its commitment to excellence and innovation in the creative technology sector. Last year it secured a coveted place on the BBC Digital Design Roster.
Notable career achievements for Hobbs include a six-year period at Dyson, where he successfully led the global digital technical team from its inception to over twenty members. At Great State, Hobbs was instrumental in driving the company’s technology strategy, leading an engineering team delivering multi-award-winning work.
In addition to his impressive career achievements, Hobbs has been recognised in the prestigious BIMA 100 for Sustainability, underlining his commitment to sustainable practices. This aligns perfectly with Aer Studios’ 2024 BCorp certification and its ongoing efforts to prioritise sustainability in all aspects of its operations. Aer Studios won its own prestigious BIMA Award in the Innovative App category in October 2023.
“James’ appointment comes at a time when Aer Studios is gearing up for growth,” said Tom Harber Managing Director at Aer Studios. “His experience and values fit perfectly with our ambitions. With James on board, we’re excited to amplify our efforts and lead the charge in transforming the tech industry into a beacon of sustainability for the future.”
“I’m delighted to have joined Aer Studios,” said James. “It was immediately clear from my initial conversations with Lucy and Tom that Aer Studios have a deep focus on people and planet, both of which are really important to me, alongside delivering outstanding work for clients.”
Hobbs’ arrival at Aer Studios is set to propel the company towards new heights, enhancing its technical capabilities and reinforcing its commitment to sustainable practices. With a cross-capability leadership team in place, Aer Studios is well-positioned to lead the industry in creative and sustainable technology solutions.
About Aer Studios
Aer Studios is an award-winning creative technology studio based in the South West of England. Its mission is to create meaningful digital experiences that have a positive impact on people & planet. Partnering with leading brands in the public and private sectors, its clients include Warner Media, Cartoon Network, BBC, Dogs Trust, Diabetes UK, CNN, History Royal Palaces and GOV.UK. With a particular focus on employee experience, Aer Studios ranked in the top 100 best workplaces and best workplaces for wellbeing by the Great Place to Work awards.
www.aerstudios.co.uk
We are delighted to announce the eight young people who have been selected for the second round of the Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme, in partnership with Babbasa and eight creative businesses from the BCI membership community.
Launched with a successful pilot in 2023, the programme is aimed at young people aged 18-30 from under-represented backgrounds, wanting to gain more insight and real experience in the creative industries.
A long-term skills shortage and a lack of workforce diversity are two of the biggest challenges facing the creative industries. The internship initiative, part of BCI’s wider Talent Programme, is designed to help tackle those issues and create more inclusive workplaces.
For the second year of the scheme, another eight brilliant agencies from the Bristol Creative Industries member community have stepped up to provide paid placements for the interns over six months.
Clare Leczycki, Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme manager, explains the process for selecting this year’s cohort:
“Our aim was to make the application process as accessible and open as possible, to give the candidates different scenarios to share their skills and personality. To apply, candidates could share a short video, audio or written piece to illustrate why they were interested in participating in the programme and what they hoped to gain from it. We had over 60 applications for eight placements so it shows there is a lot of interest from young people wanting to work in the creative sector.
“Once applications closed, we held an insights day at the brilliant Gather Round workspace in St Paul’s, Bristol. This was a chance for the host agencies to meet the potential candidates, pitch their internship offers and share more about the nature of their business. We also ran an informal Q&A session for everyone to learn more about each other and the different job roles available in the agency world.
“From here, we shortlisted candidates for the formal interview stage during which we explored each young person’s skills and areas of interest to help us with the selection process. Having a two-part interview process allowed us to see the candidates in a variety of settings and learn more about them, which also helped with the matching process.
“Working in partnership with the team at Babbasa is a key part of our recruitment process. The organisation supports young people from underrepresented groups who are looking to pursue their professional ambitions, by providing them with employment support, such as mentoring, CV writing and interview preparation, to help them achieve their aspirations.
“The Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme, in partnership with the OurCity2030 Pathway into Creative & Tech, is an innovative example of how creative businesses can come together to offer opportunities to young people from ethnic minority and low income households.
“We would like to thank our interview panel Daniel Palmer, Marissa Lewis-Peart and Alli Nicholas for taking the time to meet all of the candidates. This was no small task. Their energy and insights were integral in making the selection process as smooth and effective as possible.
“In order to prepare for this year’s cohort, we have spent the last three months onboarding the host businesses with a variety of training sessions including equity, diversity and inclusion training from Babbasa, mental health training from Bianca Jones at Empower Develop People, and neurodiversity training from Devon Lowndes at Self Agency.
“Ensuring the workplaces are ready to welcome a young person and provide a meaningful placement is a key priority for our programme. Agency life can be pretty hectic and fast-paced, so taking time to consider the experience (onboarding/offboarding, bespoke work plan, mentorship and feedback) is integral to our internship offer. The eight interns have landed roles in content creation, marketing, press and PR, graphic design and strategy.
“The programme brings huge benefits to everyone taking part. We aim to provide the interns with a positive and enriching work placement, while the BCI team and host businesses have the opportunity to learn from the young people. Having different perspectives in the room brings fresh energy, innovation and new ideas.
“It’s a challenging time for many businesses so we are extremely grateful that the participating agencies are willing to invest time and money to support the next generation of creative talent from under-represented backgrounds.”
The agencies and Bristol Creative Industries members participating in the programme are:
Thanks also to Oakwood, Sunhouse Creative and Aer Studios for sponsoring the programme, and to Boomsatsuma and Gather Round as our venue sponsors.
The interns taking part in the 2024 programme are:
Read bios for the interns here.
Some of the interns explain what they hope to get out of the programme:
Kaden Gardner:
“Marketing and PR is an area of work that I have been interested in for a while, and is becoming more important with video work in recent years. I hope to gain some knowledge within this career path, and hopefully advance my videography skills as well.”
Inaz Hussain:
“I want to make more connections in the industry and learn about how the whole creative development process in order to establish myself as a multidisciplinary artist. I would love to establish a company or space to help bridge the gap for people to break into the creative industry without the barriers I faced.”
Wheri Dumuje:
“I hope to become a designer who helps everyone have equal access to the same services and throw light through research on areas that are often overlooked.”
Elma Hossain:
“I hope to become more confident in the skills I excel at, what roles interest me and build a solid network of people who have similar interests and goals as me. I’m also looking forward to making good friends and enjoying a great experience!”
Fyonh Bui:
“I hope to gain valuable skills and knowledge, become a reliable professional, inspire and guide junior designers in the future.”
Representatives of the host businesses explain why they are taking part in the programme:
Liam Britnell, Ambitious PR:
“We are excited and proud to be one of the agencies participating in this year’s BCI Internship Programme. We saw last from last year’s cohort the impact that the placements had, and the opportunities it offered to some amazing talent from across the city, so we knew we had to be part of it this time around. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our first placement to the Ambitious PR office.”
Chloe Cottle-Watkins, Armadillo:
“The BCI Internship Programme was a great experience for Armadillo last year. We hired two of the interns from the programme on a permanent basis, and they’ve both been excellent additions to our team.
“We absolutely recognise the benefits that having a diverse workforce has, not only on our business but on the creative industry and community as a whole. We’re proud to play even a small part in helping work towards that.
“Having met some of this year’s interns already, we can see so much potential waiting to be uncovered, and we’re really excited to witness the successes that will no doubt come out of this cohort.”
Alex Rife, The Collaborators:
“The Collaborators has always been about people first, so it’s natural that we want to help nurture young talent. We have a (borrowed) saying that “none of us is as smart as all of us”, so we’re excited to bring different perspectives into our business.
“We’re so grateful to Bristol Creative Industries and Babbasa for helping us to do this in a way that’s about driving real change in the wider creative industry, rather than feeling like a one-off tokenistic gesture. We’re delighted to be part of the programme and looking forward to getting to know this year’s cohort better.”
Abi Sargant, Taxi Studios:
“We are thrilled to be taking part in this year’s Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme, helping to shape a brighter future for the creative industries.
“We are looking forward to supporting our interns and nurturing their talent, all while gaining valuable insights and growing from the experience ourselves!”
Image credit: Big thanks to Sham Ahmed for capturing the brilliant images used in this post. Follow @shamphat on Instagram.
Bristol based Creative Agency joins the growing movement of companies using business as a force for good
Shaped By, a creative agency for the b2b world – based in Bristol, UK, has announced its certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp), joining a growing movement of companies that are reinventing business for the benefit of all people and our shared planet. Verified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, the achievement demonstrates that Shaped By meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability alongside a commitment to goals beyond shareholder value.
The news comes as the ongoing climate crisis and widening social inequality continue to pose urgent challenges to our economy. B Corp Certification assesses the entirety of a business’ operations and currently covers five main impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The certification process is rigorous, with companies required to reach a score of 80 points in the B Impact Assessment while providing evidence of responsible practices relating but not limited to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity, and corporate transparency. A business must also legally embed their commitment to purpose as well as profit in their company articles.
Shaped By is now part of a growing community of over 8,000 businesses globally that have certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the UK is one of the largest and fastest-growing in the world, with over 1,700 companies spanning a range of different industries and sizes. Names include The Guardian, Innocent Drinks, Patagonia, Tony’s Chocolonely, The Big Issue, Finisterre, Elemis, and Sipsmith Gin.
Chris Turner, executive director of B Lab UK, says:
“We are pleased to have B Corps of all shapes and sizes as part of our community — from startups to multinationals and across many different industries. Business is a powerful force and B Corps demonstrate that positive impact is possible in any sector. Welcoming Shaped By is an exciting moment for the creative industry. B Lab UK and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased that Shaped By is paving the way for a new way of doing things.”
Nick Farrar, founder of Shaped By, says:
“Becoming a B Corp and joining the global community of businesses dedicated to building a better world was one of the first, and easiest, decisions we made after changes to the agency’s ownership last year. It aligns perfectly with our belief that design and creativity have the power to improve lives and positively impact the world around us. I’m looking forward to embracing what being a B Corp company means and committing to maintaining and improving our standards now and in the future.”
The mustard team are pleased to unveil their status as B Corp, officially joining the growing community of accredited B corporations across the world. Becoming one of 2000+ businesses in the UK, with a shared vision for the future.
The rigorous process covers all areas of the business including Governance, Workers, Customers, Environment and Community. The Bristol-based creative recruitment agency have painstakingly assessed their impact and are committed to providing a better future for not only their clients and employees but also their community. They’ll be returning to this impact report year-on-year to assess their impact and identify areas of improvement. Providing key insight into their practices, as they strive to hit their enhanced sustainability goals of net-zero by 2030, 20 years ahead of the UK government’s SME net-zero goals.
They’ve already levelled up their community commitments, from increased volunteering allowances to fundraising for their Charity of the Year, The Grand Appeal in aid of Bristol Children’s Hospital.
The B Corp certification provides businesses with comprehensive, credible, comparable impact standards to support economic systems change. Founded in 2006, to support businesses to lead the way towards a new, stakeholder-driven model.
Directors of mustard hope that this spotlight on the recruitment agency will encourage others in the sector to aim for more transparency and accountability.
“We’re delighted to become a B Corp, it’s been a long process, but a needed one. We’re continually striving for higher standards throughout the business. The whole team are extremely excited to be listed amongst like-minded businesses that are taking steps towards positive change.”
– Dave Madden, Director, mustard jobs
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