DDB hosts high school students as part of diversity programme

DDB Group Aotearoa has welcomed four high school students as part of its internship programme in partnership with careers agency, the ICE Base and its Student360 initiative.

Running for the second year, and as part of DDB Group’s DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) initiatives, Student360 is designed to encourage young, predominantly Māori, Pasifika and Asian students into advertising and communications careers.

The four students spent two weeks of the April school holidays at the agency, which has designed a bespoke programme that allows them to experience every area of the business and learn about the different job roles available.

DDB Group Aotearoa CEO, Priya Patel, says that in developing the programme they identifed the sheer breadth of roles available in an integrated agency like DDB. “From planners to PR, data scientists to developers, as well as the more familiar creative and business management roles, there is something for everyone.”

The ‘Everybody Fits’ programme, complete with booklet, job description cards, career and tertiary education advice, was first rolled out last year.  

Emma Loubser, Student360 programme engagement lead, said the placement at DDB is extremely popular as it was so well thought through.

“It’s not just a fun, inspiring environment to be in. DDB has really made the effort to show our students how an agency works and how integrated communications campaigns are created and executed.”

One of this year’s students, Caroline Tu’a of Green Bay College, says: “Student360 has helped me understand my learning areas more in depth while I study business studies at high school. Since starting at Student360, it has helped me find my career pathway after school. And the intership at DDB has helped me understand the importance of business more and especially by providing me with an opportunity to work in my chosen field.”

DDB’s ambition is to ensure that its employees are as diverse as the country’s population, including representation from as wide a range of ethnicities as possible. “To achieve this, one of the paths we identified was encouraging more Māori and Pasifika to get into advertising and communications,” Patel says. 

“We know a more diverse team makes for the best work and enhances creativity. This is just one initiative of many we’ve implemented in the past few years and we look forward to continuing to invite fresh talent and perspectives into our business to stay at the top of our game.”

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