How to eliminate regional disparities in job hunting? The globally acclaimed "47 INTERNSHIP"

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▼First-Ever Internship Program for Students from All 47 Prefectures
▼Over 1,500 Students Nationwide Applied in the First Year
▼Not a one-time event, but an ongoing initiative. Recruitment for the second cohort begins

Today's youth, often called "Generation Z," hold new values, and their approach to career formation is changing dramatically. To help young people, companies, and society build better relationships, Dentsu Inc. Wakamon (Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department) (*1) is working to redesign job hunting and develop creative recruitment approaches.

In 2020, when the first state of emergency was declared due to the impact of the novel coronavirus, the job hunting market was also in utter chaos. As companies explored new approaches to job hunting, such as conducting online company information sessions, Dentsu Inc. Wakamon and Encourage (*2) jointly challenged themselves to invent new ways for students and companies to connect.

Encourage is a career support NPO with university branches in all 47 prefectures. Combining Dentsu Inc.'s creativity with Encourage's strengths, "47 INTERNSHIP" was born to address regional disparities in job hunting.

※1 Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department (Dentsu Inc. Wakamon): A planning & creative unit whose mission is to design the relationship between youth and society. It produces new ways for young people and companies to connect through the redesign of job hunting.
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※2 Encourage: A career support NPO operating through over 100 university chapters across Japan's 47 prefectures. Student members form the core of each chapter, which hosts one-on-one career counseling sessions and other activities.

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Hosting the First-Ever Internship Program Featuring Students from All 47 Prefectures

47 INTERNSHIP is an online internship program selecting one undergraduate (or graduate) student from each prefecture, totaling 47 participants. Participating companies in 2020 included AGC, Ezaki Glico, Sapporo Breweries, JTB, Dentsu Inc., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (listed in Japanese syllabary order). By creating a framework for joint hosting by multiple companies, we designed an opportunity for students nationwide to connect with and deepen their understanding of Japan's leading companies, all from the comfort of their own homes.

While refining the program and conducting interviews with students in regional areas, one phrase echoed consistently: "There are fewer opportunities in regional areas." We wanted to create a system that addresses this challenge. Driven by this desire, we designed a three-day program and adopted the slogan: "Opportunities can be seized, no matter where you are."

47 INTERNSHIP Statement

For the key visual, we created 47 GIF animations featuring zoom-related situations modeled after the Japanese flag (Hinomaru) to symbolically embody the idea that job hunting offers equal opportunities regardless of location.

47 INTERNSHIP received the "Yellow Pencil" award in the Branding category at the world's premier creative awards, the "D&AD Awards 2021." This honor is given to the most outstanding creative work. The award recognized not only the design quality of the key visual but also the " " design approach implemented specifically because of the pandemic.

Over 1,500 students nationwide applied in the first year

Despite being its inaugural year, last year's 47 INTERNSHIP received applications from over 1,500 students nationwide. The entry sheet featured just one question: "In this ever-changing era, tell us what you want to solve."

The selection criterion was "whether they have passion for the issue." We didn't want to hear general explanations of social issues like food loss, vacant housing, or telemedicine. Instead, we wanted to meet students who could articulate their "Why" – why they wanted to solve it. What questions are they posing to a world without clear answers? With this perspective, our entire team reviewed every application and selected 47 students from each prefecture.

The internship ran from late August to late September, spanning three sessions: DAY1 through DAY3. Each session lasted over six hours, filled with passionate online discussions.

DAY1: Each participating student introduced the challenge they had written about in their entry sheet. Building on their self-introductions, they explored challenges they wanted to tackle as a group.

DAY1: Student introductions

DAY1: Screen showing student groups deciding on challenges to solve and discussing them

DAY2's theme was "Considering Corporate Actions and Behavior in the New Normal Era." Participants held individual discussions with each of the six participating companies on how to solve the challenges their group had defined on DAY1. They deepened their understanding of the companies while exploring how to leverage corporate resources to solve the challenges.

On the final day, DAY 3, students delivered their final presentations in the form of proposals to the companies. Although the entire event was held online, some students were moved to tears after the final presentations. Over the approximately one month from DAY 1 to DAY 3, many teams voluntarily held additional meetings outside the program schedule. As a result, every proposal was of surprisingly high quality.

DAY3: Materials compiled by students for the final presentation

Participating companies expressed satisfaction, noting they built relationships with students nationwide that previous recruitment efforts couldn't achieve, resulting in a 100% satisfaction rating. All participating students also responded that "participating was worthwhile." Here are some student reflections:

"It became an experience where I could confidently say I 'stuck with it until the end,' and it gave me a chance to think about my role within the team. Especially for me, who usually just reads the room and ends up not voicing my opinions, it was a really valuable experience to genuinely engage, clash repeatedly, and then move towards a deeper understanding of the core issues."

"Although it was a 3-day internship, working with the team for a full month to thoroughly think through and tackle one major challenge gave me immense satisfaction. It's no exaggeration to say it was the most enjoyable online event I've ever participated in."

"Honestly, I wasn't interested in Company XX at first, but the incredibly valuable feedback they provided was truly appreciated. The mindset and personalities of the employees really resonated with me and changed my impression. Company XX has now become a company I want to join."

Designing a space where students from all 47 prefectures could connect, clash, and blend their ideas together became a deeply rewarding endeavor for us as organizers and hosts.

Not a one-time event, but an ongoing initiative. Recruitment for the second cohort has begun.

Dentsu Inc.'s creativity extends beyond advertising into all corporate activities, including recruitment. 47 INTERNSHIP is not a one-time event but a continuous initiative, and we will hold it again in 2021 (application deadline: July 15). This year's theme is "What We Can Do to Solve Regional Issues."

We look forward to applications from students who approach challenges with passion.

Learn more about 47 INTERNSHIP here:
https://47-internship.en-courage.net/

Dentsu Inc. Wakamon (Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Division) is a special-purpose unit within Dentsu Inc. It researches the realities of teens and twenties, primarily high school and university students, and provides integrated services from planning to creative development to help companies, society, and brands build better relationships with young people.
https://dentsu-wakamon.com/
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