Summer Stars Internship Programme
Running for its eighth year, this annual programme connects PR, public affairs, and communications agencies, as well as in-house teams, with talented students, graduates, and school leavers (18+) from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds. It offers a unique opportunity to support the next generation of PR and communications professionals while helping diversify our industry.
About the Programme
The Summer Stars Internship Programme provides paid internships, with no prior experience required. Each intern benefits from entry-level exposure to the industry, which helps foster professional growth in their area of interest.
Employers benefit from the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s matching service, where we shortlist and propose suitable candidates, advancing our shared commitment to inclusion and diversity.
All internships are paid directly by employers, with a minimum expectation of the London Living Wage (or Living Wage for placements outside of London). We advocate for standard salaries to ensure fair compensation, reflecting what you would offer for similar internal roles.
A few of our
annual Summer Stars Employers
Our Summer Stars Internship Programme has been designed to support an organisation’s early career DEIB talent attraction strategy, goals and objectives. As attracting diverse talent continues to remain competitive, our programme delivers success in our tailored and collaborative recruitment approach which meets your talent attraction goals, alongside introducing you to some of the best and brightest talent of the future. Our pastoral support for interns and employers throughout the process sets us apart when it comes to employers confidently securing, managing, retaining and converting diverse talent into permanent hires.
Before starting an internship, the programme begins with a three-day PR & Communications bootcamp from June 22nd – 24th, 2026, preparing interns with sector insights, media landscape overviews, and workplace skills like professionalism and confidence.
Why participate?
The Summer Stars Programme isn’t just an internship; it’s a pipeline for future talent. By participating, you can inspire and motivate interns, potentially inviting them back in subsequent years or considering them for entry-level roles upon graduation. Many employers, including Four Communications, Amazon Web Services, and Barclays, have hired interns full-time after their Summer Stars experience, integrating them as valuable team members.
“Applying for the Summer Stars program was the best decision I made. There is so much support and the team will work endlessly in order to ensure you have an internship at the end of it. My internship provided me with so many hard skills and a glimpse into life with PR & Communications that you can only gain from a physical internship. I cannot thank the TBF team enough for the impact that the Summer Stars program made for my career development and I will definitely be recommending it to friends/ family” – Summer Stars Intern
Application Process
Applications are now open to host an intern in 2026. As part of the process, to best support your hiring process, employers have the option to choose from two recruitment methods.
Submit a Application
The first step in the process involves submitting a written application and sharing a role description. This will support us in understanding your organisational goals and requirements for the internship.
Attend Employer Briefing
Once submitted, a member of the team will follow-up with you and invite you to attend a employer onboarding in December 2025.
We will also share your opportunity with our candidate pool!
Recruitment Process
The TBF team will conduct screening interviews & shortlist candidates for your internship. At this stage, based on the recruitment option chosen, employers will provide final stage assessments & select their intern.
Internships Commence
Internship placements will be finalised and the successful interns will be onboarded. To prepare the interns, all interns will attend a hybrid Bootcamp hosted by the Foundation.
How to get involved
Applications for the 2026 Summer Stars Internship programme are open with the internships commencing in the Summer of 2026.
To take part in the programme, there is a £950 fee per intern placed within your organisation.
If you would like to host an intern and take part in the programme, please click on the link here or button below to submit a written application form.
Applications will close on Friday November 28th 2025 (11.59pm). If you have any questions regarding the application process or would like to speak with a member of the team please email summerstars@taylorbennettfoundation.org
