Applications are being accepted for a social media and marketing internship programme for students that will run for six weeks this summer.

SkillCraft is presented by Rise Marketing Ltd under the guidance of programme director and coach Margot Shane and cofounder Emilie Faulkner-Meek.

The programme, for students aged 16 to 18, aims to bridge the gap between education and employment.

It will accept 15 students and 15 organisations in need of social media assistance and interested in hosting an intern.

Interns will be guided by a marketing expert in acquiring knowledge and skills in the fundamentals of marketing and social media.

Each intern is paired with one organisation as their host, where they practise what they learn and help with social media throughout the six weeks.

Interns will be supported in achieving their personal and professional goals through one-on-one coaching sessions every other week.

The SkillCraft team will share their expertise to provide real-life experiences to young people that better prepare them for achieving their professional paths.

The programme launched last year.

Ms Shane said: “In our first year, our students' drive, initiative-taking and problem-solving skills were shown to increase throughout the programme.

“Two of our ten interns were offered further employment with their host businesses as a result of their work and every participant passed our final marketing assessment with an average score of 87 per cent.”

She added: “One of the things we’re most proud of was creating an environment in which participants felt comfortable to be themselves, speak their minds and learn together.”

SkillCraft will run from July 3 until August 11.

Applications close March 3.