Adobe is offering design studios $20,000 (about £15,000) to hire apprentices to boost opportunities for the next generation of creatives. The scheme was announced by Adobe’s SVP of Design, Eric Snowden, at Adobe MAX in London yesterday. It’s part of a wider programme to provide “real-world job, mentorship, and networking opportunities” which also includes paid-for Adobe commissions, which will be offered via Behance. Creatives who complete these jobs will be put forward for apprenticeships at studios and agencies that Adobe selects as partners. The apprenticeships can last between three and six months and be full- or part-time, although apprentices should work 480 hours across the placement. Adobe expects most of the grant to be used to pay the apprentice, although businesses can also use a portion of the money for software, equipment or relocation. Initially the scheme will run in the US, the UK and Canada. A poster for Adobe’s Creative Apprenticeship programme “I think especially in times of economic turmoil, entry-level jobs get compressed the most,” Snowden told Design Week. “And in general, creative jobs can feel like a bit of a mystery. So as a creative company, I think we have an interesting role to play.” He explained that Adobe had spent a lot of time listening to creative leaders, many of whom would like to do more to support young designers but struggle with the time, money and space to help. “There are so many people who want to give back to the industry, but there’s not really a system in place to do so,” Snowden says. “We are trying to create that framework for people.” The new scheme has been designed to help both businesses and young designers. “You have to see this as a long-term investment in the future of this person,” he explains. “If you don’t recognise that, then it can be really challenging. “Both sides have to be in it for the same reasons, and so we believe that we’re making the connections on both sides with this,” Snowden says. Adobe is also building a mentor network to offer advice and portfolio reviews for young creatives. For Snowden, it’s a scheme that resonates personally with him. On stage, he shared the story of leafing through the phone book and ringing any company with design in its name when he was first trying to break into the industry. And he explained that he still benefits from mentorship and advice, even in his very senior position. “Even now, there are people within Adobe who I go to when I need advice. I don’t think that ever stops – it’s a forever thing. I think young designers imagine that you get to a phase in your career when you don’t need that support, but there are lots of people I still bounce ideas off, ask questions and grapple with the future of design.” And he thinks that established designers can learn a lot from the different perspectives young creatives bring. “Look at it through that lens – what can I learn from this person? What are they doing differently, what mediums are they using, how do they use social media? “I think all good mentor-mentee relationships are a two-way street,” he adds. Most of the product updates shared at Adobe MAX focused on AI, with a beefed-up Firefly model and a new Boards tool to help concepting and ideation. But Snowden doesn’t see Adobe’s commitment to AI as a threat to professional designers. “The creative person is making very deliberate choices,” he says. “That has always been true about our tools, and it continues to be true. “Doing something that’s very deliberate and controlled is not the same as typing in a prompt, hitting a button, and seeing what happens,” he says. “A lot of AI is good at making something generically beautiful, but I think we’re trying to make something that allows you to take what’s in your head and get it exactly the way you want it on the screen. I think that nuance gets lost sometimes.” Snowden references the recent trend for people to create action figures of themselves with AI image generation tools as proof that designers won’t be replaced. “As a designer, when I saw that, it made my job feel very safe,” he says. “Everybody in the world was given an infinite generation machine and they all made the same thing. You have to have an idea. Designers have ideas. Creative people have ideas.” Design studios can learn more about the apprentice scheme and apply to be part of it here. Industries in this article Brands in this article Recent Jobs