PRH internship opens only to people from lower socio-economic backgrounds for first time

Penguin Random House (PRH) has opened applications for its paid Summer Internship Programme, but for the first time only those who identify as being from a lower socio-economic background will be eligible.

The organisation said the decision to change the focus of the internship programme followed analysis of its 2022 data, which highlighted that lower socio-economic background is the greatest area of employee under-representation across the company.

Feedback from partners at the Social Mobility Employer Index 2022 also recommended that PRH provide more direct opportunities into the business for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. 

The Summer Internship Programme is Penguin Random House’s paid eight-week summer placement opportunity, taking place in July and August 2023. Nine interns will be leading on separate projects in roles ranging from editorial and sales to marketing and production.

Interns will be paid a London Living Wage and work in a hybrid setting. Financial support will also be provided for travel to and from the office. Applications opened today (Friday 24th March) on the Penguin Random House careers site.

PRH notes that inclusion will be “carefully considered” at every point in the application process and during the programme: from using a broad range of advertisers; anonymised applications; no CV, degree or work experience requirements; offering reasonable accessibility adjustments at every stage; objective scoring criteria; and keeping applicant experience at the centre of the company’s attention.

Val Garside, HR director, said: “Our 2022 Diversity & Inclusion report highlighted that socio-economic background is the greatest area of under-representation across our company. While our Internship Programme has always had inclusive recruitment at the core of its design, we are making this change to increase opportunities for applicants from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.”

She added: “We’re aware that those who identify from lower socio-economic backgrounds face many challenges in accessing both the publishing and wider creative industries, and we hope that this is one more step towards breaking down those barriers.

"A diversity of experiences and thought is key to nurturing creativity, and in turn, facilitating success as a publisher. We are therefore entirely committed to being an inclusive employer that encourages diversity of background and experience in job applications; ensuring that we are making meaningful progress towards our colleagues and authors representing the make-up of UK society.”