Mace & Menter, the Bristol-based user research and service design consultancy, today launched its academy for recent graduates taking their first step into the user-centred design (UCD) industry.
The academy is a paid, 12-week programme, beginning in early September. It will give young people seeking a career in UCD the skills and experience to work in a user-centred design consultancy. They’ll receive training, work directly with Mace & Menter’s expert consultants, and deliver a full research and design project during the 12-week programme.
Sam Menter, Managing Director of Mace & Menter comments, “User-centred design is fundamental to delivering effective public services, but it’s a difficult sector to break into without experience. The academy will bridge the gap between education and employment. It will support talented young people to get started in this exciting discipline. As an industry, we need to work harder to find new talent and reach more diverse applicants – this is a first contribution towards this.
We definitely won’t just be asking them to make the coffee, do the photocopying, or run errands. They’ll spend the first 4 weeks learning from our top class team and their years of collective experience, with a mix of in-person workshops and self-led learning. They’ll then spend the next 8 weeks working as a team on a real-world project, from user research, through to service recommendations and final outputs. They’ll be fully embedded within Mace & Menter, attending meetings, knowledge shares and one-to-ones.”
The academy is aimed at graduates who are interested in a career in user research, service design or interaction design. They will need to have graduated within the last three years with a design or research-related degree such as HCI, User Experience, Service Design, Product Design, Psychology, or Anthropology. However, no previous work experience is necessary.
“We’re not looking for the finished article,” Menter adds. “We’re looking for brilliant people who are keen to learn from some of the best consultants in the industry.”
Mace & Menter is a team of user researchers, service design and UX specialists working to design better experiences for better lives. Its recent work has included improving diagnosis pathways for children with autism, improving fire and safety reporting in the construction industry post-Grenfell, and an award-winning project focussed on reducing waiting times for NHS urgent care services.
