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Calling all bright sparks, creativity is open to all!

But the creative industry? Not so much.

That’s where we come in

sparks is a new way to break into the creative industry for young people with no creative degree or previous industry experience.

What is it? An open academy created by Jones Knowles Ritchie to help you find your feet in the creative business.

We know a bright spark can come from anywhere, so we’re not looking for the finished article. Instead, we’re looking for those who are curious about what this industry can offer them… and willing to take a chance to find out.

So, if you’ve ever even considered a career in the world of creativity, but didn’t know where to start, sparks is for you.

What makes a spark?

We’re looking for people with no previous design experience who aren't afraid to...

Be Yourself

Be Brave

Be Tenacious

Be yourself

Be brave

Be tenacious

That’s it. If you're 18 and above and fit that criteria, we want to hear from you.

Wait, what exactly
am I signing up for?

sparks is a 15 week paid programme made to sharpen your skills and open new opportunities in the industry.


This isn’t a standard internship. We’ll be keeping you busy from day one with live briefs, specialist training and collaborative projects.

Download full programme

I'm in, how do I apply?

Show us your inner spark

Bit vague, right? Well, that’s kind of the point.

There’s no right or wrong way to answer.

We just need you to create something to tell us why the design industry would be better with you in it?

We’re not expecting you to deliver polished, perfect work.
We want to see sparks of your ideas, your energy, and your potential. Are you a wannabe designer?
An after-work illustrator? An ideas machine? Something else entirely?

We just ask that you respond visually, in whichever format you prefer, e.g. film, sketches, embroidery, photography, web or product design… we’re out of breath, but you get the idea...



*This is about you and your ideas, whilst AI is helpful (we often use it to help visualise our concepts in projects) we want to see your thinking and approach, so please submit your own work and make any Ai uses clearly labeled.

Show us your inner spark!

Visually show us why the design industry would be better with you in it.

See examples

The detail bit

Applications close Monday June 29th at 5pm and successful applicants will be invited to interview in the first 2 weeks of July.

Make it through that and you’ll be a spark, joining us for 15 paid weeks of work, starting on the 2nd of September.


Ready to ignite your career in creativity?

Apply now