Creative agency challenges ageism with paid internships for over 55s

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The Thrive@55 programme aims to challenge discrimination against older workers, and prove that greater diversity can only strengthen a company

Spotted: Thinkerbell, an independent Australian creative agency, has launched Thrive@55, an eight-week paid internship for people over 55, in a bid to challenge ageism and offer an older generation the chance to change and experience a new career, or make a new start at any age.

The agency believes that creative industries can benefit from the life experience of older workers, who are so often discriminated against in the hiring process; according to Thinkerbell, only 5 per cent of staff in the advertising industry are aged 50 and older.

Located in Sydney and Melbourne, the internships are available in a range of positions and departments, from the creative — design, media, photography and illustration, to the strategic — account management, office management, finance. 

Emma O’Leary, head of culture and operations at Thinkerbell, is clear that they are accepting applicants from all walks of life: “You could be a retired hotel concierge that’s interested in running our front of house, a detective who wants to do some insights work, or a newspaper cartoonist who’s looking for the next creative challenge,” she says.

Thinkerbell isn’t the first company spotted by Springwise to be responding to calls for a more diverse workplace. Dyversifi is the “Glassdoor” of the minority workforce, helping everyone from BAME applications to the disabled and military veterans. Springwise has also interviewed Kim Myers, CEO of All of Us, an organisation aiming to challenge unconscious biases when it comes to the hiring process, whether that be in terms of race, gender, age or sexuality.  

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