Launch your creative career and get discovered with the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship
Posters for Adobe MAX London 2025, created by Adobe Creative Apprenticeship pre-launch participants. Sources: Jannah Holder, Jessica Lee, Katy Kennedy, Louie Barker, and Lucas Parfitt.
The world is bursting with creative talent, from art school graduates ready to apply their skills in the professional workforce to freelancers carving out a name for themselves on Instagram and YouTube. What’s more, demand for business-minded artists continues to explode. According to KBV research, the U.S. digital advertising market will expand nearly 13 percent by 2030, with both brands and agencies on the hunt for creatives to grow their teams.
But it takes more than talent to succeed in the creative industries. While many aspiring designers, illustrators, photographers, and videographers have the skills and vision to create standout work, they lack the real-world support, mentorship, and confidence needed to navigate the industry. Questions like how to get your foot in the door? How to pitch yourself? How to build a network? These are the practical skills creators need to turn their talent, taste, and technical skills into a career, and we want to help bridge the gap.
That’s why we are thrilled to announce the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship, a new program that provides young artists and creative entrepreneurs with real-world job, mentorship, and networking opportunities from Adobe and our committed brand partners. The advice and feedback they receive, and the skills they develop working on paid projects will help participants to strengthen their creative abilities as well as encourage them to build relationships with industry professionals who can accelerate their learning and put them on the path to career success.
Unlocking opportunities for a new wave of creative professionals
Anyone can access the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship on Behance via our new Career Resource Center. A wealth of free information and career guides are available, including courses, articles, and live-streaming discussions about the soft skills required to launch and develop a creative career in today’s market.
You can also apply to work on a paid Adobe-commissioned project. These opportunities allow creators to collaborate directly with Adobe teams, build their portfolios, and bring their ideas to life for a real client and audience. For instance, the pre-launch participants who helped us fine-tune the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship before today’s official launch are seeing their work featured front-and-center at Adobe MAX London.
One of those participants, graphic and motion designer Rosie Maddison, appreciated the resources and experience offered by the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship, especially the exposure of having her work showcased at Adobe’s flagship creative conference.
“This year’s theme for Adobe MAX London is “Dream Bigger,” and being invited to create swag for the conference was literally a dream come true. I’m immensely proud of the work and feel grateful for everything I learned through the experience.”
Rosie Maddison, graphic and motion designer
Adobe Creative Apprenticeship promotional giveaway for Adobe MAX London 2025 designed by Apprenticeship pre-launch participant Rosie Maddison. Source: Rosie Maddison.
We also commissioned Finn Evans, a student of mixed media who plans to graduate from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn next month, to create social videos to promote Adobe Photoshop. In the videos, Evans walks audiences through his creative process on the Photoshop for iPhone app, which was released earlier this year and opens up a new world of possibilities for creators on the go.
“It’s one thing to work on a brief in school, it’s another to work on a real project where requirements change by the minute and where feedback is fluid. That learning experience was invaluable,” Evans says. “I also got to add Adobe to my portfolio as a client, which will be a leg-up when I start applying for jobs after graduating.”
Creatives who successfully complete an Adobe-commissioned project can take their learning experience a step further by putting themselves forward for an official paid apprenticeship with one of our brand partners.
Organizations like Portland-based independent agency, Instrument, child skincare company Tubby Todd, and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco have joined forces with Adobe to provide our creative apprentices with real-world work experience that no amount of theory or technical training can replace. We intentionally partnered with small- and medium-sized organizations on this program so that apprentices can join teams where they can stand out and make a genuine impact.
Driving success for the creative community with our brand partners
The Adobe Creative Apprenticeship aims to create enduring relationships between our apprentices, mentors, and partners, who are the heart of the program. These partners are giving back to the creative community by helping the next generation of talent to build long and rewarding careers.
Adobe provides our partners with subsidies to cover the cost of the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship, including salaries, training, equipment, and relocation costs. By providing support to hire and work with talented apprentices, we are helping them to share their experience as creative leaders with the creators of tomorrow.
Turning creative dreams into real-world realities
Evans dreams of joining with artists from other disciplines to launch an independent creative studio. To get there, he plans to hone his illustration skills at an agency while building his network of creative and business connections. Evans thinks that the number one thing art students lack is confidence in conversation, especially students who studied during the COVID-19 pandemic and missed out on work experience.
“Technical skills matter but if you can’t get people interested in your work, you’re just creating in a void. That’s why it’s so cool that Adobe is helping creatives to build their networking skills and enter the workforce with the confidence to approach people and showcase their work.”
Finn Evans, mixed media artist
Anyone who has risen through the ranks in their industry will tell you that there is no greater advantage than surrounding yourself with experienced people and partners who are dedicated to guiding and supporting you. That’s the experience we are striving to provide with the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship.
To learn more about the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship, visit the Career Resource Center on Behance. Whether you’re looking for a bit of guidance, want to sign up for a mentorship session, or are ready to apply for an apprenticeship, Adobe has you covered so you can take the next step in your career with confidence.
Note that while the new Career Resource Center on Behance is available worldwide, the option to apply for a commissioned project with Adobe and take part in the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship is currently only available in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.