D&AD has partnered with HP to launch “The Graduate Academy supported by HP and D&AD”, an initiative that will enable the next generation of talented graduates to break into the creative industry.
Starting with a five-day creative boot camp for the top 100 entrants and culminating in a paid work placement, at the UK’s best creative agencies, for the Academy’s 50 most talented pupils; the training will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for young aspiring creatives.
The aim of the Graduate Academy supported by HP and D&AD is to develop and fine-tune graduates’ creative thinking and employability to support their transition from education to the work place. Hosted by a combination of industry superstars and specialists – skilled in all areas of creativity, technology, craft and innovation, these challenging workshops will be like nothing the attendees will have experienced before. Working with partners such as One Dot Zero, Tag Worldwide and Real World to create a platform that uses creative design and technology to foster multi disciplinary learning, the week will ultimately connect exceptional apprenticeship graduates with future employees.
"We're thrilled about the HP partnership: inspiring and assisting creative students is D&AD's principal reason for being and, now more than ever, students need all the help they can get to actually secure meaningful and rewarding jobs. The Academy will provide a vital learning bridge between student and working life, and the battle-ready Academy graduates will greatly benefit creative employers too, with a pool of new talent immediately able to function in the hurly-burly of professional life”, said Tim O'Kennedy, D&AD CEO.
The scheme will officially launch on March 28th. Lasting between one and three months, the paid work placements will allow the graduates to make invaluable contacts in the industry and gain experience at the most highly acclaimed creative work places.
“Initiatives like this one will be increasingly important as the full impact of educational spending cuts take effect. Creative thinking will be a major driver of long term, sustainable economic growth in this country, so it's in everyone's interest to see that creative talent is nurtured and encouraged...which this initiative will certainly do”, said Tim O'Kennedy, D&AD CEO.
HP will support the Academy’s best graduates by offering them one of the company’s most powerful and flexible platforms, the HP Workstation, to support them throughout their professional journey.
HP Workstations are currently used by leading digital design agencies and will allow the graduates to push the limits of their creativity at a professional level. The latest example of animation produced with the aid of HP Workstations is the record-breaking Gnomeo & Juliet. In this project, HP Workstations powered everything from modelling, surfacing and visual arts to the lighting and special effects.
“It’s a pleasure to partner with D&AD to pioneer this exciting project and we are very much looking forward to taking on the challenge of unleashing Britain’s creative talent. The added power of HP Workstations makes these the perfect tools to develop and maximise this generation’s potential. The role that technology plays in the graphics and design business is key; we hope this will become a chance for us to show the UK industry that emerging talent should be nurtured”, said Rebecca Shears, HP’s UK&I Head of Marketing
All successful entrants to this year’s D&AD Student Awards are automatically eligible for the scheme. Alternatively, final-year students and recent graduates can register their interest online under www.dandad.org/talent and have to answer a brief set by HP and D&AD. The best graduates will go on to take part in the training scheme, which will help them improve their skills before successful applicants then go on to industry placements.
The deadline for entries to this competition will be 26 May, after which a panel of independent professionals will judge all entries.
Agencies who are interested in participating in the scheme and wish to take on a graduate from September 2011 can register their interest by emailing partnerships@dandad.org.
