You may have heard of the Kickstart Scheme which has been designed to create new 6-month job placements for young people, age range 16 to 24, who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.
The job placements should support the participants to develop the skills and experience they need to find work after completing the scheme.
Funding is available for 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week plus national insurance and, together with £1500 per job placement available for setup costs, support and training.
The job placements created with Kickstart funding must be new jobs. In order to apply directly, an employer must be offering at least 30 placements which rules out most businesses, but Gloucestershire County Council have offered to act as a “gateway” to apply and assist with the administration of the scheme. If you are interested in taking part, there is a Microsoft Teams virtual presentation and Q&A session on Monday 12th October at 2pm. If you would like to join it please email darin.springate@gloucestershire.gov.uk.
Further information about the Kickstart scheme is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/kickstart-scheme