Creative agency TBWA\Australia has opened applications for its Freshies paid apprenticeship program.
Freshies, now entering its eighth year in Melbourne and its inaugural year in Sydney, offers a full-time, 12-month immersion into agency life, rotating through strategy, creative, client leadership, production and PR.
Since launching in November 2018, 80% of graduate participants have gone on to secure permanent roles at TBWA.
The brief for 2026: Don't Fear the Blank Page, Fill It. Instead of résumés or portfolios, applicants are asked to respond with imagination.
"Freshies isn't about your credentials on paper," said Kimberlee Wells, CEO of TBWA\Australia.
"We want people who see the world differently. People who are hungry to learn, unafraid to disrupt, and who can turn a blank page into something remarkable."
Shortlisted applicants will be invited into either TBWA Melbourne or TBWA Sydney in November for a collaborative group task and interview.
"The program effectively sees Freshies take on five new roles," said Ricci Meldrum, managing director of TBWA Melbourne.
"It's an intense, challenging, transformative and rewarding year. You don't just discover what advertising is, you discover where you belong in it."
"What sets the program apart is that there are no restrictions and no prerequisites. Your curiosity is your main asset."
"Too many graduates and career changers hit the same wall: no job without experience, no experience without a job," said Elektra O'Malley, managing director of TBWA Sydney.
"Freshies removes that barrier. We don't ask for a polished portfolio; we look for potential."
No industry experience or prior study is required.
Applications close on October 27 at 6pm. The program begins in January.
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