Applications open to place 2,000 Black Interns this year, building on success of 2021 initiative

10,000 Black Interns (@10000BI), which aims to transform the horizons and prospects of young Black people in the UK, has today opened applications to young Black students and graduates for its ground-breaking programme to place over 2,000 interns in paid roles at more than 700 businesses across 24 sectors of British industry. @LewisHamilton, @Dawid1

The program follows the success of the first series of internships, which was focussed mostly on the fund management sector and delivered 501 successful placements at companies ranging from Goldman Sachs and HSBC, to Coutts and St James’ Place.

Applications for the 2022 programme will be open from 6^th September 2021 until 7^th November 2021, and are available to young people from Black African, Black Caribbean, Mixed Black and/or other Black British backgrounds who are over the age of 18 and are currently studying at University in the UK, or who have graduated since 2018. The internships will constitute paid work experience and last a minimum of six weeks, taking place in the summer of 2022. Successful applicants will receive training to ensure they are workplace-ready and can make the most of the opportunity.

The internships will provide successful candidates with valuable on-the-job professional experience in one of 24 industry sectors, including Banking and Finance, Investment Management, Insurance, Accountancy, Law, Healthcare Management, Education, Technology, Recruitment & Executive Search, Engineering, Marketing and Advertising, and more. Companies signed up to participate in the 2022 programme range from multinational corporations such as GSK, American Express and Google, to leading professional firms in law, accountancy and Executive search, as well as cutting-edge sector specialists such as TikTok, and public bodies including the NHS.

The programme is being supported by seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton MBE, whose Hamilton Commission highlighted reasons behind the lack of Black representation in the UK motorsport industry earlier this year and provided ten recommendations to help address them.

Sir Lewis Hamilton MBE said:  

“10000BlackInterns is an important initiative which aims to address the underrepresentation of Black talent in British business, by offering paid internships across a wide range of exciting sectors. This programme is a real game changer for young people and I strongly encourage Black students to apply.”

10,000 Black Interns launched in 2021 following the overwhelming success of the pilot initiative 100 Black Interns, which was developed to address the chronic lack of diversity in the UK’s investment management industry. The 100 Black Interns programme was heavily oversubscribed and saw over 500 young Black people placed in paid work experience at leading firms including HSBC, LGIM, Goldman Sachs, Investec, Capstone Investment Advisers, RWC Partners, Allianz, Deutsche Bank and St James’ Place, several of whom have since accepted full-time job offers as a result of the successful internships.

10,000 Black Interns was co-founded by Jonathan Sorrell, President of Capstone Investment Advisors, Dawid Konotey-Ahulu, co-founder of Redington and Mallowstreet, Michael Barrington-Hibbert, founder and managing partner of Barrington Hibbert Associates and Wol Kolade CBE, Managing Partner of Livingbridge. The Programme is coordinated by Esther Odejimi-Uzokwe, who is Programme Director.

Jonathan Sorrell said:

“The professional exposure on offer to successful applicants to this programme will be invaluable, and in many cases could be career-defining or even life-changing. The scale of the opportunity to young Black people in the UK through this programme is truly inspiring.”

Dawid Konotey-Ahulu added:

“More often than not, success in life is the result of being given an opportunity to show what you can do. Early in my career, I was fortunate to have people who believed in me and gave me a chance. I didn’t have a typical background for a City job but they gave me a shot anyway. That’s what this Programme is doing for thousands of young men and women who will soon show us just how far they can go.”