Today we are launching our ambitious £2 billion Kickstart Scheme which will put young people at the heart of our economic recovery by supporting young people at risk of long term unemployment into six month placements across the private, public and voluntary sectors.
We seek your support in promoting Kickstart by encouraging businesses in your constituency to create as many Kickstart jobs as possible. In doing so we will ensure that many young people benefit from this offer. Guidance for employers has been published and the online application for employers and representative organisations looking to create roles is now live.
As we look to build back our economy and return to work we know that for many young people, a lack of real-world work experience can be a barrier to even getting a foot on the jobs ladder. That is why we are taking steps to help young people gain experience, build skills and boost their career prospects through the Kickstart Scheme.
It is open to employers of all sizes to create new Kickstart roles. Representative organisations, local charities and other groups will be able to act as intermediaries to help smaller employers apply for the Kickstart Scheme. To find out more about how plans are developing in your area and how you might get involved, please make contact with your local DWP Service Leader.
Employers will need to show that the Kickstart role is an additional job that will provide the experience and support a young person needs to improve their chances of permanent employment. Funding available for each job will cover the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus the associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions where applicable. There will be an additional £1500 funding for start-up and wrap around support for each placement created.
Referrals of candidates for roles will be through the Jobcentre Plus network. Employers will be able to interview candidates. We expect the first participants to take up Kickstart roles from November. We expect the scheme to remain open until December 2021 with the final cohort of six month roles to end in Summer 2022.
For the best result from Kickstart, we seek your support in sharing information and recommending to private, public and charity sector employers that they access the Kickstart information available, create as many Kickstart jobs as possible and ensure as many young people as possible can access this opportunity.
Kickstart is a key pillar of our Plan for Jobs, a priority for this Government as we build back better, greener and stronger from this emergency. As you know, we’re committed to doubling the number of work coaches across the country to 27,000, alongside launching targeted interventions such as Kickstart to bring specific groups closer to the labour market. Together, we will get Britain back into work and back on its feet.
Full details of the Kickstart Scheme are available at www.gov.uk/kickstart, and in due course we’ll send you additional marketing materials to use with businesses and the community in your constituency.
Rt Hon Therese Coffey MP and Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP