Cohort Five Onboarding: Building Pathways for Equity in Design

United in Design welcomed Cohort Five with an inspiring onboarding session in 2025, generously hosted and sponsored by KLC School of Design at their Bloomsbury campus, with unwavering support from Geoffrey Makstutis, Head of KLC School of Design, West Dean College.

The session opened with a powerful welcome from Alex, co-founder of United in Design, who shared her personal journey and reaffirmed the organisation’s mission to address inequity within the design industry.

The keynote address was delivered by Clare Gaskin, a long-standing supporter of UiD who has hosted interns since Cohort One and now welcomes Rebecca into her studio as part of Cohort Five. Her guidance on professional presence, confidence, and industry conduct was invaluable. The onboarding brought together 20 shortlisted interns, with 10 securing placements to date and a further seven opportunities to be filled throughout 2026, reflecting both the scale of demand and the programme’s continued growth.

The session also highlighted the wider context driving UiD’s mission. With ethnic minorities representing just 10% of the design workforce and 79% of professionals coming from privileged backgrounds, systemic barriers persist. Workplace discrimination remains prevalent, with 90% experiencing bias based on race and gender—reinforcing the urgent need for change and opportunity.