Initiative helping young Black people via internships opens for applications again

The latest intake in the 10,000 Black Interns programme follows the success of the first series of internships, which delivered 501 placements at companies ranging from Goldman Sachs and HSBC to Coutts and St James’s Place.

Applications for the 2022 programme will be open until November 7, and are available to young people from Black African, Black Caribbean, Mixed Black and/or other Black British backgrounds who are currently studying at university in the UK, or who have graduated since 2018. Previous participants have included students at Scottish universities, and various businesses in Edinburgh and Glasgow are offering internships in the next round.

Sir Lewis Hamilton says he 'strongly' encourages Black students to apply. Picture: Dan Mullan/Getty Images.

The internships will constitute paid work experience and last a minimum of six weeks, taking place in the summer of 2022. Organisations signed up to participate in the 2022 programme include GSK, American Express and Google, as well as TikTok, and the NHS.

The programme is being supported by seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, 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.

He said: “10,000 Black Interns 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 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, managing partner of Livingbridge. The programme is coordinated by Esther Odejimi-Uzokwe, who is programme director.

One previous participant is Jaden Haynes of the University of Edinburgh. He said he would “definitely” recommend taking part. “I found that asking questions really enhanced my understanding of a whole range of topics during the internship.

"I can’t understate the value of the internship. I learnt so much. I’d say apply, and give it your all.”

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