Our “Summer of IP” campaigns

Summer of IP is an outreach campaign led by Careers in Ideas. Its purpose is to raise awareness of and improve access to IP-related careers.

The campaign includes events and resources designed to raise awareness about IP generally and the careers available here. More hands-on activities such as open days, workshops, talks, mentoring sessions and even work experience opportunities are provided alongside, throughout the summer, by IP sector employers. Some of this is online, but there are also opportunities for would-be recruits to meet with IP professionals in person, in a range of locations around the UK.

We first ran Summer of IP in 2023. It was such a success that we repeated it during the summer of 2024, taking place around the UK and online.

Here’s a short video created for us by Careers in Ideas intern Sara Belazregue, explaining what Summer of IP has to offer.

The Summer of IP events and resources are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about a career in IP, from secondary school and university students to graduates and career changers. We are particularly keen to reach people in currently under-represented groups within the IP professions.

First up, keep an eye on our website Events page for information about when we’re next going to run a Summer of IP campaign.

In the meantime, you might find it useful to check out the event recordings and other resources from previous campaigns. They’re all available free of charge. See in particular:

• This summary of the introductory events and resources from Summer of IP 2023
• This summary of the Summer of IP 2024 introductory events and resources

and, for more general information about the 2024 campaign, this Summer of IP page on the IP Inclusive website and this compilation of employer opportunities that were on offer from June to September 2024.

Our first Summer of IP in 2023 proved hugely popular, not only among participating students but also among the IP professionals and employers who hosted events. So we repeated the campaign in 2024, again with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Click on the image to the right to read our series of blog posts written by participants from Summer of IP 2023. You’ll learn what they found useful about the events they took part in, what they enjoyed and why they’d recommend the campaign to other people hoping for a “career in ideas”.

In June 2024 we held an online event for careers advisers and outreach charities that explained how Summer of IP works and the opportunities it offers for people considering a career in IP. The event also provided a great overview of the different IP roles available.

The recording provides a fantastic free resource for expanding the insights you can provide as part of your careers advice and support:

• Access the recording here
• …and the speakers’ slides here