Holition's Annual Summer Internship Programme: no coffee-runs here.

This week, we sat down with our Head of Strategy and UX, Ana Moutinho, to talk about Holition’s annual summer internship programme. 

Academia and education sit at the core of Holition’s mission of harnessing technology to amplify our understanding of human experience. For this purpose, five years ago, we endeavoured to launch a new initiative that would bolster our partnership with academia.

Now on its sixth year, the summer internship programme seeks to provide students from leading universities with unrestricted access to Holition’s dynamic and multi-disciplinary teams, network, and partners from industry.

There’s no coffee runs, picking up lunches, or hours wasted in the photocopying room here at Holition (though we do offer free coffee 24/7, paid lunch, and a wonderful office dog). Instead, students get a full dose of true-to-life project management and holistic mentorship from the Humans of Holition. This initiative provides students with a learning canvas to apply fresh new insights and ideas, geared towards our aim of shaping the future of consumer experience. From doing research and strategy work with the UX team to closely collaborating with the producers in crafting client proposals and presentations, the programme empowers chosen students to take full involvement and ownership of the project. It’s a true platform for innovation and creativity.

What makes Holition’s internship programme unique?

1. Students get to select what project they want to work on

Students are given the liberty to decide what topic they want to work on, based on various areas of interest provided by Holition. At this point, the students are able to fully immerse themselves in concept development and pitching to the client.

The previous internship programmes we’ve had saw students collaborating with the likes of Tate Modern, British Fashion Council, Google, Condé Nast, and Pulsar.

2. “It’s the authenticity of the project that makes it different from others.”

What’s unique about Holition’s internship programme is that we try to recreate a real project scenario with a particular client. The project is always tailored according to the clients requirements, needs, and goals. Throughout the internship programme, all students are involved in the different phases of the project - from production, strategy, crafting the proposal, - it’s not a simulation of tasks that they need to do - it’s the real thing. It’s quite risky, but it’s more exciting too. 

The calibre of collaborations that we get and the students’ output from the previous cohorts have been very outstanding as well.

Interested in joining us for an internship programme? Here’s everything you need to know:

1. We always think people-first.

Students from any field or specialisation are welcome to apply for the summer internship programme. 

Holition is a synthesis of retail experts, scientists, film-makers, artists, mathematicians, UX designers, technologists and other curious minds applying their cross-discipline knowledge to deliver innovation. Our 42 person team spans 22 nationalities, 53 topics of study and 42 languages. 

This diversity enables us to drum up creative ideas, cut them half, shake them up, and then turn it on it’s head. That’s why we’re always on the hunt for creative, innovative minds - regardless of background, degree specialisation, or nationality. 

2. It’s all about attitude.

More than anything, we’re keen on working with curious and creative minds, who are hungry for knowledge - individuals with a very positive mindset, an open and  collaborative spirit, and with a slight sprinkle of eccentricity!

3. The internship programme is a good stepping stone to kickstart your career.

Apart from the support and mentorship from the Humans of Holition, the internship programme is also a great way to gain firsthand industry experience.

A closer look at the 2018 Summer Internship Programme: from the perspective of one of our former interns

We also had a quick chat with one of the members of the 2018 cohort, Matt Storey to ask him about his internship experience.

In 2018, Holition partnered with the BFC, as well as Google, Condé Nast and Pulsar to produce a unique data visualization project, ‘Blossoming Fashion Conversation’ showcasing the amount of posts and reach on social, news and reviews for twelve major fashion topics before, during and after recent London Fashion Weeks.

The visualisation aimed to engage people in and outside of the industry, educating and intriguing them, while showcasing the creativity and global impact of London Fashion Week. The visualisation morphed into a tree with roots and branches, reflecting the topics’ evolution across London Fashion Weeks. 

On to the next!

Introducing the 2019 Summer Internship Programme’s Tate Ecosystem Data Visualiser project...

Join us for the 2020 Summer Internship Programme

If you’re interested in participating in the 2020 Summer Internship programme, please send us an email at ux@holition.com with a cover letter and your CV.