Part 1: Transformation in action; a Dentsu story

At Dentsu, we are about action and through our various local and global initiatives we aim to further develop and invest in the talent that makes us proud and in society showcasing our continued commitment to transforming African lives.

Dentsu’s transformation agenda

Investing in the future

The Dentsu internship programme provides a variety of development opportunities through experiential learning on the job, self-development, and guidance through mentorship. After a six-month evaluation of performance and capability, we seek to retain our successful interns by appointing them into permanent roles where there is a suitable job match and opportunities across the region.

At least 83% of our interns in Nigeria and Kenya have gone onto becoming permanent employees after the programme was completed. In South Africa, a total of 65 interns have been onboarded into the programme with a 77% absorption rate. We pride ourselves on offering practical and comprehensive skills to our interns and are committed to building future leaders. This is evident with our intern’s growth and development at Dentsu as they hold permanent positions.

To the future media gurus

Dentsu  26 Jun 2019

“My journey at Dentsu has been the most valuable experience of my working career, and it has been the most wonderful in terms of growth (both personal and professional). I have learnt and undertaken more than I ever thought possible. My experience at Dentsu has been nothing short of life changing, in the most positive way,” said Franki Lock, who started her internship in 2017 and is currently an account manager at Carat South Africa.

A mind stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions – Walt Disney

Bursary programme

The main purpose of the Dentsu SA bursary scheme is transformation, upliftment and empowerment. The biggest opportunity is to upskill and create equity in our industry and create future leaders within the business. There is a dire need to develop thought leaders in our industry and in Africa as a whole and to create equity in our industry and develop a better South Africa.

Across Dentsu Africa, the programme enables young people to see the media, data and creative industry as an attractive career opportunity. By offering these bursaries Dentsu creates a great pool of qualified, young talent to feed the employment pipeline.

Shevon Lurie, managing director at Vega, commented on working with Dentsu: “Vega School, an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education, is grateful for the ongoing bursary commitment from Dentsu over the last few years. These bursaries have enabled talented Black students to pursue studies in high demand fields such as copywriting, digital design, digital marketing and brand management and communication at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There is much pressure and talk to transform the advertising and communication sector with far too few dedicated bursary programmes such as this initiative committed to the long haul.”

Dentsu Aegis Network launches bursary scheme

Dentsu  1 Oct 2020

Andrew Allison, chief commercial officer at Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, stated the following: "The Red & Yellow Creative School of Business has a social promise that at least 10% of our students won't have to pay for themselves. In 2021, more than 27% of our students will benefit from bursary sponsorships thanks to the tremendous support of our agency and brand partners. The Dentsu Group has been a passionate supporter of our school and our students for years, and their contributions - through financial support of previously disadvantaged students, provision of cutting-edge expertise and input into our curriculum and lectures has been instrumental.”

Allison continued: “The amazing employment opportunities they have provided for our graduates have changed so many lives and set up young home-grown talent for exciting careers in advertising. We are enormously grateful to Dawn Rowlands, Saskia Daniels and the Dentsu team for their partnership in helping drive transformation in the Mac Sector and building a better, brighter South Africa through education.”