The Taylor Bennett Foundation was launched last night in London at a reception on the eighth floor of the Unilever Building.

The executive search company Taylor Bennett has founded the charity to expand their training programme, first established in 2008, for black, Asian and minority ethnic graduates. (Communicate magazine, January 2009).

The internship currently has provision for six graduates on each ten-week cycle. The Foundation aims to increase the number of participants on the scheme – Heather McGregor, Taylor Bennett Director and principal shareholder, who created the original internship programme, spoke at the launch of wanting to have 100 students a year on the programme in the future, in order to truly foster a more diverse communications industry.

The Foundation is also looking to attract more partners amongst communications agencies. The international corporate communications partnership Brunswick have been strong supporters from the start, and two graduates of the programme currently hold permanent positions at the agency. Consumer PR specialists Talk PR have come on board as a second lead partner.

The recent alumni of the programme discussed the incredible benefit they felt the programme had imparted, through the intensiveness of the scheme and the calibre of those they worked with. They are all actively pursuing, or have already found, jobs in PR and communications.