2022 marks our second year partnering with Open Doors for our Break Into Advertising Programme. Our first year in 2021 was a huge success, with 4 out of 5 participants going on to find employment across a number of sectors after completing the programme.
Both the industry professionals involved and the participants felt they gained a huge amount from taking part and discovered opportunities they never anticipated at the start.
The group this year is comprised of a broad spectrum of talents with artists, photographers, graphic designers and an author amongst them. These diverse talents all bring unique perspectives and experiences to our sector.
This year, the number of participants has grown to 11. They will take part in a comprehensive training programme that finishes on the 25th of March. After training, the aim is to match participants with an IAPI member agency for a 3 month paid internship.
The benefits of what we are doing will be two-fold – it will open up the labour market to some of those who have been unable to access it; and in doing so it will help us to attract and retain our future workforces.
Of course none of this would have ever been possible without the help of our members, partners and supporters who deliver training and offer placements. We are so grateful to be able to offer such a worthwhile programme with your help.
The business case for inclusion and diversity is also well established. A study of 1000 companies across 12 countries by McKinsey found that companies with ethnic and cultural diversity had 33% increase in performance.
"The Open Doors Initiative members helped over 2,300 people on pathways to work last year with 33 companies. Even before Covid, nearly 70% of people with a disability couldn’t gain access to the labour market. An early school leaver is twice as likely to be unemployed than another person aged 18-24. We are delighted to be now working with IAPI's members as well to further our work."
Jeanne McDonagh (CEO Open Doors).