Mumbai: After successful completion of its maiden internship programme 'Havas SPARK' in 2021, Havas Group India has announced chapter two this year.

The Group had recruited 13 interns through its flagship programme last year and aims to scale it up further in the second edition. The intensive six-month internship programme led by Havas Group India leadership, and other industry experts trains young minds with practical skills and career development and advancement opportunities.

“Havas SPARK represents our ethos of playing a critical role not just in the industry but also within the community. Evaluating, inspiring, and ensuring that these young minds are armed with the best on-the-job skills gives us an immense sense of pride and purpose as a network,” the Group said in a statement.

The upcoming six-month programme will involve formal and on-the-job learning opportunities, working on challenging live projects, and a chance to gain full-time employment with Havas Group India, after completion of the programme. The candidates are shortlisted through a rigorous selection process, following which the shortlisted interns go through personal interviews for the final round. The network then trains these final candidates for six months. As part of their final evaluation, the interns prepare a whitepaper. After the successful completion of the programme, these interns are recruited by the 10 companies (under creative, media and healthcare) of the Havas Group India network, across various functions.

“What began as a means to introduce fresh talent in our industry has now become a programme that sets an example across the country on identifying, mentoring and nurturing talent,” said Havas Group India CEO Rana Barua. “An inherent part of our sustainable growth, Havas SPARK is an embodiment of our progressiveness and proactiveness. That we played our part in introducing these fresh, talented minds to our industry is something that all of us at Havas Group India will be proud of, forever."

Havas Group India CHRO Vandana Tilwani said, “Armed with training through the Havas SPARK programme, these young millennials get the best exposure to the industry and become well-versed with its way of working. By the time they graduate, we already have a team ready to display their best skills. Our practical and structured approach ensures that the interns become much-sought-after in the industry once they successfully complete the programme. The interns of our first batch are now firmly entrenched in the Havas Group India family as management executives.”