Kickstart scheme launches – £2 billion of funded roles now available

On the 8^th July earlier this year, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a range of new incentives and schemes designed to reignite the economy, create jobs and help employers grow and develop during the Covid-19 restrictions.

We shared details of the apprenticeship incentive scheme, which is still available, a few weeks ago. Many of our employer partners have since been in touch to ask about the Kickstart scheme, which proposed to fully fund new jobs. We now have the details and we are pleased announce that we will be a provider and intermediary, helping employers apply for the funding, liaising with JobCentrePlus, choosing the right candidates and providing any additional training needs alongside the work placements.

How does it work?

Funding available for each job will cover the relevant National Minimum Wage, plus NI contributions and any auto enrolment pension costs for up to 25 hours a week. While you can choose to top up and pay above the minimum wage, or cover the costs beyond 25 hours per week, you will be able to benefit from a fully funded new member of staff.

There will also be funding available to support young people to develop new skills and to help them move into sustained employment after they have completed their Kickstart funded job. For example, they could undertake additional training courses alongside their funded working hours. Free upfront and on-going training, designed to support the new roles you have created, will be provided by us to ensure your new employee can make the most of their opportunity.

Through the scheme, you’ll be able to access a large pool of candidates with potential and ambition, ready for an opportunity to kickstart their career. We will initially prioritise young people aged between 16 and 24 who are ready for work and will be supported by their Jobcentre Plus work coach to enrol in the scheme. You will then have the opportunity to interview and select the candidates to fill your vacancies.

The rules

• The job placements must be new roles – you can’t fill any existing posts or planned vacancies.
• You can’t create roles which will lead to other employees or contractors losing work or have their work reduced.
• The job placements must be 6 months long and be paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age group.
• Any role created must not require extensive training prior to starting the role (although training during the placement is encouraged).
• Your application should focus on how you will help the participants develop their skills and experience (we can help you with this).
• Applications must be for a minimum of 30 vacancies – as an intermediary you can partner with us to access the funding if you only require a small number of roles.
• You can access a £1,500 grant to cover costs such as uniform, PPE and pre-employment checks.
• Any sector can apply for funding.

Find out more by watching the Kickstart video.

How can we help?

We work closely with JobCentrePlus centres across the UK, helping the unemployed get back into work through intensive training schemes. We have a track record of successfully providing large employers such as Warburtons, Fox’s Biscuits and Premier Inn with groups of new employees who have been trained and prepared in line with the culture and ethos of the organisation. We also service the training needs of over 2,000 employers across the East Midlands and North West, recruiting and training apprentices and providing both professional and mandatory training courses for a range of sectors.

We are now working with employers to help them make the most of the new Kickstart scheme. We will:

• Help you with your application for funding – we know and understand how the system works and will help you ensure your application meets the criteria
• Liaise with JobCentrePlus and help you assess the available candidates
• Suggest and provide any additional training needs for your new employees. This will run alongside the funded work placement –we will secure the funding for this training on your behalf

If you would like to find out more, please contact us as soon as you can. We have already had a great deal of interest from the employers we currently work with – make sure you don’t miss out and start the application process today.