We speak to chief people officer, Yevenia Naidoo, and chief creative officer, Pete Little, about Publicis Groupe’s 2024 internship initiatives and the importance of nurturing young creative talent to create a diverse and future-fit industry in Africa.

In 2021, Publicis Groupe Africa identified a need to create a bespoke internship programme that included hands-on mentoring, tailored training and exposure to real work experiences – like client briefs and pitches – to help truly upskill and prepare young people for the ever-evolving world of work in the creative industry. In other words, an internship that sets its people up for success in the workplace.

“The only way to create a future-fit team, is to truly invest in upskilling and developing our young talent in the industry,” says Yevenia Naidoo, Chief People Officer. Since Yevenia started in her role in 2022, the internship initiative has evolved to become a fully funded certified graduate programme today, run in partnership with the ACASA and the Red & Yellow Creative School of Business. “Our programme helps to develop deep skills, expertise and knowledge, to advance people’s careers in the creative industry and speaks to our ongoing commitment at Publicis Groupe Africa to grow diverse talent on our continent,” says Yevenia. “We didn’t want to be a company that simply ticked off BEE points,” she adds.

“The Le Cubs programme offers young, diverse talent the opportunity to gain valuable work experience within a leading global creative organisation. The programme offers real opportunities and sets the graduates up for sustainable career growth within our industry,” says Pete Little, Publicis Groupe Africa’s chief creative officer.

“The creative industry is constantly evolving and it’s so important that we, as industry leaders, continue to upskill our young talent with training, mentorship and access to the most modern tools and capabilities available. But more importantly, it’s about creating spaces for connection, brainstorming, sharing of ideas, exposure to real briefs and problem-solving opportunities. This is how we build dynamic and diverse teams of the future.” says Pete.

“At the heart of it, Le Cubs is about ensuring that our young people are equipped with the right skills to help them build their careers. It’s also about giving back and fostering our commitment to developing young people from all kinds of diverse cultures and backgrounds,” says Yevenia.

Both Pete and Yevenia are hosting masterclasses as part of the programme’s initiative.

More about Publicis Groupe

Publicis Groupe is the world’s second largest communications group, employing 100,000+ talented minds across more than 100 countries. As one of the largest advertising and communications groups globally, Publicis has made a name for itself by putting people first. Publicis Groupe Africa is no different. With over 60 agencies across 36 countries on the continent, there’s no better place to grow a rewarding career in media, communications, marketing, or advertising in Africa.

Visit PublicisGroupeAfrica.com for more information.