Education charity D&AD today launched the inaugural D&AD Shift with Google program in Sydney.
The program, whiuch has been running in London and New York since 2016, is a free, four-month industry-led night school which aims to uncover, support and help secure jobs for self-made creative talent without a traditional degree qualification.
Consisting of industry briefs, talks and mentorship, Shift provides a supportive and educational space for creatives to gain an understanding of what it takes to work within the creative sector.
In 2019, six months after completing the Shift program, 60% of alumni in New York and London had paid creative employment.
The launch in Sydney follows ongoing initiatives developed by D&AD and The Glue Society in partnership with Google to provide emerging creatives with an opportunity to work with industry leaders to develop their skills.
The Sydney program will see D&AD partner with adidas to set a "brief in a day", which will enable participants to develop their portfolios and creative approaches, while giving them direct access to the brand’s creative teams.
Paul Drake, foundation director at D&AD: “With so much of our focus on building a fairer future for the creative industries, it’s important we continue to expand our programs to allow agencies across the globe access to more inclusive hiring practices.
"Expansion into territories like Sydney, that have a globally renowned creative community, will allow us to spread the core mission of Shift - that great creative talent is not born solely in universities and colleges, and in certain parts of society."
Tara McKenty, creative head, Google APAC: “Over the last four years, Rare with Google has had a strong partnership with D&AD. Today, we are proud to be building on this further, to bring the night school to Sydney. In New York and London, we have seen diverse talent gain immense value and confidence from this program, which reflects in the high employment numbers for these talented creatives. It is exciting to see what opportunities the Sydney chapter opens up.”
Jonathan Kneebone, co-founder of The Glue Society: “D&AD Shift has been such a success in every city where it has been staged - seeking out and encouraging unique creative voices in various corners of the world. We have been hoping to bring Shift to Sydney for a while - as unearthing brilliant, diverse and ‘hidden' talent is something that is truly needed within our rather uniform creative departments.
"The more different the experiences that people within our industry can have, the more it enriches our collective ability. And new perspectives bring new dimensions to the work. I can’t wait to break new ground with a new generation of raw Australian talent."
Successful applicants will gain a place on the four month night school running from November 15 with a final showcase of creative work April 4.
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