A design internship built around critique, not decoration.
Eight to twelve weeks of supervised product design work: research support, wireframes, component work in Figma, usability testing and handoff — reviewed weekly by a working designer.
What you will learn — and what you will never be asked to do.
You will learn and practise
- Turning briefs into flows, wireframes and testable prototypes
- Working inside a component library and design tokens
- Supporting real user research and synthesis
- Accessibility-aware design decisions
- Handing off to developers and QA-ing the build
Typical supervised tasks
- Wireframes and variants for review
- Component maintenance in the design system
- Usability test note-taking and synthesis support
- Design QA passes against built screens
- Case-study documentation of your own work
Prohibited for interns: unsupervised production responsibility, being presented to clients as experienced staff, replacing an employee’s role, and handling sensitive client data beyond the agreed scope.
The gate is skill, not certificates.
- A portfolio of at least student-level design work (course capstones count)
- Working Figma fluency
- You can explain the reasoning behind your design choices
- You can attend critique sessions consistently
Completing a Thrive Skills programme prepares you for this gate and makes you eligible to attempt it — it does not guarantee selection, and the gate is open to anyone who can pass the assessment.
Eight stages, applied identically to every applicant.
Application
CV or profile, portfolio or samples if you have them, and your availability. Honest beats polished.
Eligibility & availability check
Can you actually commit the hours, in the stated mode, for the stated duration? We check before wasting your time.
Track-specific skills assessment
A practical gate matched to the track — build a small feature, critique a flow, map search intent, test an app. No trick questions.
Portfolio or sample review
What you have made so far, reviewed for evidence of skill and honesty about what is yours.
Structured interview
Short and consistent for every candidate — the same core questions, scored the same way.
Offer with status and terms
The written offer states compensation status, duration, location, hours, mentor and expectations. Nothing vague.
Conduct, confidentiality & IP agreement
Clear rules on client data, communication channels and who owns what — signed before day one.
Onboarding & baseline assessment
A recorded starting point, so your final evaluation shows real, measurable growth.
Scored on ten dimensions. Outcomes recorded honestly.
The rubric
- Attendance and reliability
- Communication
- Task understanding
- Quality of output
- Response to feedback
- Problem-solving
- Documentation
- Teamwork
- Ethical conduct and confidentiality
- Final demonstration
Where it can lead
- Completion certificate
- Verified skills summary
- Portfolio permission for non-confidential work
- Reference, subject to performance
- Entry to the Thrive talent pool
- Extended apprenticeship
- Interview for a paid junior role
- No progression — with constructive feedback
Compensation is always stated — before you apply
Every published opening states one of: paid (with the stipend amount or range), unpaid training placement (with the exact learning structure and no misleading employment promise), university-credit placement (subject to university approval), or sponsored placement (funded by a partner). Interns doing productive billable client work should normally be paid, and unpaid participants never replace employees, never carry unsupervised production responsibility, and are never represented to clients as experienced staff. Full text: internship policy.
Join the list — hear first when a cohort opens.
Tracks open only when a named mentor, a defined workload and a genuine learning plan are confirmed. Interest-list members are notified first, with the full status, terms and deadline in the announcement.
Thank you — your enquiry is in.
It has reached our team and we will reply within one business day. Want a faster answer, or to add anything? Continue the conversation on WhatsApp:
Continue on WhatsAppWant in when this track opens? Get on the list.
You will receive the opening with its full status, terms, mentor and deadline — and a fair, published selection process after that.