A product design company based in Bristol has launched an internship programme for university students from ethnic minority backgrounds to address the lack of diversity at the firm and the wider industry.
Kinneir Dufort’s Ethnic Diversity Excellence programme will offer placements from September to engineering, innovation and product design students who are finishing their courses in summer 2022.
Successful applicants for the fully-funded, six-month placements will be offered support with their final year projects as well as the opportunity to develop the skills and experience they require to launch their careers.
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Each intern will receive £2,000 and up to an extra £1,000 per person for travel and accommodation to enable them to visit Bristol and receive mentoring from Kinneir Dufort and other companies participating in the scheme.
A free webinar on Thursday, June 10, will allow candidates to ask the programme’s council members questions about their experiences as experts from ethnic minority backgrounds working for firms such as Astrazenca and No7 Beauty Company.
Speaking ahead of the event Sophie Patel, research prototyping packaging manager for No 7 Beauty Company said: "When I think about the time I was leaving university, and thinking about pursuing my own industrial design career I shied away from it, I'll be honest. I just didn't think that I belonged in the design world."
Parminder Bansal, a project leader at AstraZeneca added: "The more people from different ethnic backgrounds that come and work in our industry, the more we'll be able to finally say that products are truly designed for everyone."
The programme has been developed with input from the council members and students from ten universities, including the University of Bristol, but candidates from any university can apply.
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Ebony Stephenson, 22, an engineering design student at the University of Bristol, said she had seen a “severe” lack of diversity in the sector at both academic and industry level.
Ms Stephenson said: “Entering a field where you don't see yourself represented can be quite daunting. However, just because there is a lack, it doesn't always mean that change is not wanted!
“Schemes such as this, where you are chosen based on merit but supported because of your disadvantage, are invaluable. I would encourage Black and minority students to apply."
Postgraduate student Eilleen Atieno, who is president of the Black Engineers Society at the university, added that she had found micro-aggressions and shock at her presence within the engineering industry “difficult to manage”.
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Kinneir Dufort’s head of portfolio management Sunny Panesar, who will lead the programme said interns on the scheme would be offered a “potentially life-changing” experience.
Mr Panesar said: “Having often been the only person of colour in the room throughout my career, I know how important it is for ethnic minority students to have this incredible opportunity.
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“Our aim is to help them overcome complex systemic barriers holding them back at the start of their careers, such as a lack of existing professional networks, funds for commuting or relocation, and feelings of marginalisation.”
Professor Steve Eichhorn at the school of civil, aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Bristol, added: “For far too long teams have been largely white, like me, which results in designs that are not for everyone.
“These scholarships are one way of helping to push the needle towards a more diverse ethnicity of our design teams, and seeing that as a strength in our global industry.”
As part of the programme, the interns will be asked to collaborate with Kinneir Dufort to raise awareness of the programme in schools and universities, and of potential career paths in the industry for people of colour.
Candidates must submit a CV and short video explaining why they want to be selected by Wednesday, June 30. Successful interns will be announced by Friday, August 6.