Five Years of Impact: Celebrating the Career Pathway Internship Programme.

Written By Team United in Design

On Thursday 13th November, Our partners, community, and the United In Design (UiD) family of interns came together to celebrate Five years of United in Design’s Career Pathway Internship Programme, united in our belief that the design industry can be reimagined to include everyone who dreams of being part of it.

At the heart of this movement and our event were our incredible partners and interns, supporting us in making this vision a reality by helping dismantle the invisible walls that prevent so many from accessing our world our Interiors in the UK. Our approach at UiD is simple: we collaborate with industry leaders to close the gap between education and employment by facilitating access to knowledge, networks, and real-world experience through our three core programmes: 1) The Career Pathway Programme, 2) The Mentorship Programme, and 3) The Education and Outreach Programme.

During the event we heard from our long-standing partners, who have supported us year after year since inception. Their ongoing commitment to onboarding interns has been invaluable in creating meaningful opportunities to employment. We were delighted to hear about their insights of taking on interns and the impact it has had on their organisations, the speakers included:

Their insights and reflections highlighted the transformative power of internships in shaping both the careers of young designers and the future of the industry.

Recap: Five Years of Hard Questions — and New Answers

At UiD we have spent half a decade road-testing solutions with our partners via: mentorship models, diversity and inclusion training, recruitment reviews, open studio days, student work placements—each initiative acting as a pressure test for what genuine access looks like and how we can achieve it.

Over the last five years, United in Design has delivered:

  • The Career Pathway Internship Programme, now four cohorts strong, has maintained a 98% employment rate and a 96% retention within the industry.

    • Partnered with 53 of the UK’s leading luxury interior studios. Together, they’ve carved out tangible opportunities for the designers of tomorrow to gain real-world experience and access knowledge and networks.

    • Several graduates from the first cohort have been promoted, started entrepreneurial ventures, and are now supporting the journey of our current interns from cohort five.

    • Across the 24 interns (over 4 years), each with a year-long placement, we’ve collectively built 24 years of professional experience.

  • Our leading partnership and generous support from Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour has strengthened our industry connections through our collaboration with the iconic WOW! House and produced a new spotlight guide of ‘Makers and Creators’ celebrating diverse artisans —written by the multi-talented journalist Busola Evans. The series has quickly become a go-to reference for discovering emerging talent.

  • This progress has not only benefited young graduates but attracted mid-career professionals—people who once believed design was a closed door. Individuals transitioning from careers as medical doctors, PhDs, chemical engineers, and biologists have found new futures in interiors, applying analytical and technical expertise to spatial and material design. It’s proof that creativity isn’t nurtured by privilege—it’s unlocked by opportunity.

The event marked a special moment for Cohort 4, as they received their Certificates of Participation in the year long ‘Career Pathway, Internship Programme’ with the studios and industry cheering them on. Cohort 4 included:

  1. Cecil Okoro – Interned at: Rachel Allen, Maddux Creative, Porta Romana

  2. Millicent Simon – Interned at: Accouter Design Studio, Ashby Dodds, Shute

  3. Ria Hughes – Interned at: Pooky Lights, These White Walls, House & Garden

  4. Lucia Lanzalaco – Interned at: Hubert Zandberg, Invisible Collection

  5. (Tomi) Oluwatomi Olaosebikan – Interned at: Carden Cunietti, Brady Williams, BOS Studio

  6. Fanta Dembel – Interned at: Olivia Outred, David Collins, Colefax & Fowler

2025, Year Five: The Year of Scale

This past year has marked a quiet but decisive shift, committed to scaling with intention. Internal systems were refined, partnerships strengthened, and programmes sharpened for the future.

Among the highlights:

  • We have tripled the number of interns for the upcoming Cohort 5 (25/26).

  • United in Design’s Education and Outreach Programme has now reached 3,500 school learners across under-resourced UK constituencies (2025). Many of these young people had never stepped into a design studio, let alone imagined a career in interiors.

  • We delivered seven fireside chats with industry leaders, bringing emerging creatives face-to-face with experts—a series that has become one of the organisation’s most anticipated offerings.

  • The Mentorship Programme was relaunched, now open to applicants nationwide. In partnership with a new digital platform, we introduced an innovative issue-based mentorship model: three-month cycles that match mentees with experts for highly focused, goal-oriented collaboration. Applications are now open, with the next cohort beginning in January 2026.

The Bigger Picture

United in Design has always operated with a clear philosophy: talent exists everywhere; opportunity does not. Five years on, our work is closing the gap between Education and Employment and reshaping an industry that has long been shaped by ideas, now focussing on transform itself.

If the first five years were about testing, proving, and refining, the next five years are about amplification. More partnerships. More pathways. More voices in the rooms where design decisions—and futures—are made. And perhaps most importantly, a renewed belief that the creative industries thrive not when they guard the gate, but when they open it collaborating with the industry and across industries..

Team United in Design
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Designing with Purpose: In Conversation with Rachel Allen