Hachette UK has announced its 2022 traineeship programme, partnering for the second year with literary agency Curtis Brown and booksellers Waterstones. It will open for applications today, with 10 trainees joining Hachette UK at the end of October for the year-long programme. Hachette UK will again be working with Creative Access, the leading social enterprise in progressive career development and support, to recruit exceptional talent from under-represented groups, with all applications for the traineeship being made via the Creative Access website.
The trainees will spend the year within one of Hachette UK’s publishing divisions, the central function teams or the education business, specialising in either editorial, digital marketing, publicity, audio, operations, sales, communications, production or rights. Those specialising in editorial will spend a month of their traineeship at Curtis Brown to learn how to represent authors and matchmake them with publishers. All the trainees will spend a month at Waterstones to learn the art of bookselling and to understand consumer buying behaviour and will also participate in a bespoke learning and development programme, with the opportunity to learn about the journey of publishing a book from pitch to production.
This will be Hachette UK’s fifth intake of trainees and the programme will continue to focus on making publishing more accessible to under-represented groups, as part of the publisher’s ‘Changing the Story’ vision for diversity and inclusion. It is actively seeking applications from candidates from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds and particularly men from both of these backgrounds, to improve the representation of these groups in Hachette UK’s staff base.
Lisa Waterman, Group HR Director at Hachette UK, commented: “Our traineeship in partnership with Curtis Brown and Waterstones has been such a successful initiative as part of our Changing the Story programme and further strengthens our ongoing commitment to inclusion. This innovative scheme, originally conceived by Sharmaine Lovegrove, patron of Changing the Story, gives our trainees direct contact with our publishers, authors, agents and ultimately our readers to give them an incredible introduction to the industry. Our 2021-22 cohort of trainees have been such a success and we hope this experience has given them the broad knowledge to build brilliant careers in publishing. It demonstrates that when we work together as an industry, we can make a lasting and positive change.”
Josie Dobrin, CEO at Creative Access, commented: “We are delighted to once again be partnering with Hachette UK to offer 10 incredible paid traineeships across its divisions for talent from groups under-represented in the creative industries. The placements will give the successful applicants a year of experience working in publishing across different areas of the industry, providing them with the ideal foundation to thrive in a long-term publishing career.”
Kate Skipper, Chief Operating Officer at Waterstones, commented: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Hachette UK for the second intake of their industry-leading trainee programme, which provides such a vital new route into the industry. We can’t wait to welcome this year’s trainees into our shops, with the aim of providing a behind-the-scenes look at what makes a bookshop tick and allowing trainees to experience the thrill of putting a book into a customer’s hands. We hope the experience will prove invaluable for those at the start of exciting publishing careers, offering a glimpse of bookshop magic and some understanding of the passion which drives booksellers.”
Felicity Blunt, Literary Agent at Curtis Brown, commented: “It is an honour to get to continue to work with Hachette UK for the second year of their traineeship scheme. The candidates they placed with us in year one were singularly impressive and dynamic, with so much to offer the industry. Curtis Brown places each candidate with an agent and office that is aligned with their reading interests. The trainees are exposed to a variety of deal-making, client care and editorial process. As this element sits alongside the experience of working for a publishing house and a bookseller, we believe the Hachette UK traineeship scheme offers individuals a deep understanding of the publishing ecosystem as a whole, allowing them to zero in on the facet that most appeals to them.”
Lauren Brown in the Bookseller has reported: “Creative Access and Penguin Random House have opened applications for the second year of their joint mentoring programme for those aspiring to work, or currently working, in publishing and the wider creative industries.”
The mentoring programme will help 500 people from under-represented backgrounds in the creative industries connect with and gain support from publishing professionals by 2025.
Read here.
2022 programme is open for applications from those aspiring to work in or currently working in publishing or the wider creative industries
Penguin Random House UK and Creative Access, the leading social enterprise in progressive career development and support, are today announcing year 2 of their long-term programme to provide mentoring to over 500 people aspiring to work in or at entry-level in publishing by 2025. The aim is to break down barriers and myths and showcase the rich mix of roles and opportunities on offer within publishing.
The programme’s focus will be on reaching career talent from communities currently under-represented in publishing, for example in terms of ethnicity, socio-economic background or disability. It is open to people over the age of 18, including students at college or university or those who have some professional experience (in publishing or wider industries). Also welcomed are applications from those not currently in education, employment or training.
Successful applicants will be mentored by individuals who have at least two years of experience in the industry from across the different teams at Penguin Random House, including editorial, marketing, HR, design, digital, legal, technology and finance. The senior leadership team will also be participating again. There are 90 places available on this year’s programme which is open for applications from today until July 11th (2022).
This programme is designed to be an equal partnership between mentors and mentees and mutually beneficial to both. Mentees will have the chance to gain insights and expertise, develop skills and confidence, and build new connections and networks. And mentors will have the opportunity to learn from the fresh perspectives of their mentees and challenge their existing ways of thinking. To help set the new relationships up for success, Creative Access will offer training to both mentors and mentees.
Over the last year, Penguin Random House and Creative Access have partnered to offer 250 under-represented people in publishing mentorships. The impact has been significant, with 90% of mentees sharing they’d been supported by their mentor to apply for roles in publishing and 84% that their industry contacts and networks had expanded. Fifteen mentees have gone on to secure roles in publishing, five with Penguin Random House.
Josie Dobrin, CEO, Creative Access:
“As we celebrate our 10 year anniversary this year, it is fitting that we are launching the second phase of our mentoring programme with Penguin Random House, who hosted our first ever publishing trainees back in 2012. For those who have no connections or any experience in publishing, it can seem a daunting industry to navigate. This programme is designed to reach talent from under-represented backgrounds who are curious about the world and passionate about books and give them one on one support to help them access and build a career in this incredible industry.”
Val Garside, HR Director, Penguin Random House:
“We are delighted to be partnering with Creative Access again to fulfil our longer-term ambition of offering 500 mentorships by 2025. We recognise and value the mutual benefit that mentoring brings and know that our work together sparks change and creates opportunities for both mentees and mentors. Creative Access’s work to open up the industry aligns perfectly with our mission to make books for everyone, because a book can change anyone. We know that mission starts from within, and we’re excited to meet new talent through this programme.”
In the latest episode of the Independent Publishers Guild podcast, Josie Dobrin – CEO of Creative Access – discusses diversity and inclusion in the publishing industry and how Creative Access supports people from under-represented backgrounds get into publishing. Listen here.
Our head of intern recruitment Anoushka Dossa spoke to Jordan Page for their recent article on the rise of ‘OTT’ job applications, discussing whether or not they are ‘worth it’, in VICE.
Speaking on how branded CVs and cover letters, and even gifts, can affect under-represented groups when applying to jobs, Anoushka said:
“A candidate’s chances should not be improved by how much they spend on printing or presenting their application,” Dossa argues. She continues that this immediately puts applicants from more privileged backgrounds at an unfair advantage and that instead, graduates can display their passion by showcasing the fresh perspectives and ideas they can bring to an organisation.
Read the article.
Evie Barrett has written about Creative Access’ new research regarding ‘Generation Post-Pandemic’ and their career expectations.
“An employer’s values, commitment to staff wellbeing, and reputation as a good place to work are more important to PR newcomers than a good salary, according to new research.”
Read here.
BookBrunch have highlighted Creative Access’ recent findings that “new grads” are “looking for inclusive work culture, an organisation’s values, and commitment to employee wellbeing”.
Read here.
Creative Access’ recent research into the career expectations of school leavers, students and graduates has been featured in Lauren Brown’s article for The Bookseller. The research found specifically that “salary and diversity among publishing hopefuls’ top employer concerns”.
Read here.
Meet “Generation Post-Pandemic”: the first generation to enter the workplace post-pandemic is putting mental health and employer reputation before salary
Creative Access, a leading social enterprise specialising in diversity and inclusion, surveyed 800 of this year’s school-leavers, students and graduates to find out what the first generation to enter the workforce post-pandemic – so called “Generation Post-Pandemic” or “Gen P-P” – expect from their future careers in the creative industries.
The research reveals that this incoming generation are most influenced by an organisation’s values, commitment to employee wellbeing and inclusive culture, when looking for their first role, placing more importance on these factors than on salary.
The top five factors influencing where “Gen P-P” wants to work are:
- Employer’s reputation as a good place to work
- Training and support on offer
- Employer’s commitment to employee wellbeing
- Organisation’s values
- Offering a good salary
For 71% of Black, Asian and ethnically-diverse young people surveyed, though, diversity of the team ranked as the most important influence.
When looking for their first role, the research shows this generation place more importance on the role being challenging, interesting or inspiring (23%) than on the attached salary (19%). Meanwhile, an accessible, inclusive, achievable job description was most important to 16%.
The pandemic, the impact of Black Lives Matter and a rising awareness surrounding mental health have impacted what this generation of workers expect from their new employer in the first 6 months:
- 36% said they expect skills training
- 24% expect a mentor
- 17% expect the ability to work flexibly and from home
- 16% expect training around diversity and wellbeing
The future’s bright
Despite the pandemic and the current cost of living crisis, the survey found that overall this generation is optimistic about their chances of finding a role – with over half (54%) expecting to find a job within a year of leaving education. Overall, “Gen P-P” is also optimistic about progressing quickly in their new careers with 82% expecting a promotion from their first-entry level within the first year to two years. However, this expectation for fast promotion drops to just over half (57%) for people from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Leading the way
Looking further ahead in their careers, 4 in 10 (39%) of those surveyed expect to be in a senior position after 10 years in the creative industries. However, surprisingly only 16% expect to be in an influential leadership position, 13% to be self-employed or working freelance, and only 12% expect to be running their own business. This hints at wider trends surrounding the death of the ‘dream job’ and an increasing prioritisation of mental health. “Gen P-P” seem to aspire to careers and employment which will put their mental health first and offer stability.
Josie Dobrin, CEO of Creative Access, says:
“Despite everything that is happening in the world at the moment, it’s positive to see how optimistic the next generation is about their future careers in the creative industries. It is heartening to see the agency they have in expecting and not being afraid to ask for skills training, mentoring and career progression support from their employers. However, our findings clearly show that this optimism is not universal and is not shared at the same level by those from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds. To attract and retain diverse new talent coming into the industry, it’s critical that employers show tangible progress in diversity, equity and inclusion and commit to providing mental health and skills training.”
In its article, ‘Book firms in sharp ‘move from talk to action’ after BLM—but work remains‘, The Bookseller spoke to a number of organisations and figures working in the publishing about diversity initiatives in the industry, including CEO and co-founder of Creative Access, Josie Dobrin.
“For Creative Access co-founder and executive chair Josie Dobrin, the Black Lives Matter protests were “a watershed moment for the publishing industry”, prompting organisations which had not even started on their “diversity, equality and inclusion [DEI] journey” to take action, “and fast”. She said: “Those who had plans in place needed to accelerate, stop talking about their plans and instead show real, tangible progress.” In the past two years, Creative Access has seen a sharp increase in the number of organisations “wanting to move from talk to action”; from consultancy on putting a DEI plan in place or accelerating it, through to diversity and inclusion training for their teams, specifically on race in the workplace, allyship and anti-racism.”
Lauren Brown in The Bookseller reports, that the Mo Siewcharran Fund has supported 27 trainees and awarded more than £132,000 to organisations supporting aspiring talent from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse communities since its launch in 2018.
Read the article here.
In its news brief for the week, Provoke Media has reported that former Golin London managing director, and current director of communications at Creative Access, Bibi Hilton has been promoted to CEO of Creative Access.
Read here.