- 19,672 jobs created for young people so far by landmark Kickstart Scheme
- jobs in tech, film and TV, communications, fitness, and the charity sector among the roles on offer
- more than 4,350 applications from employers and gateways
The landmark scheme, which gives 16-24-year olds a future of opportunity and hope by creating high-quality, government-subsidised jobs across the UK, began last week.
The Scheme has also received 4,359 applications from employers across Great Britain, with a wide range of jobs available, including in tech, construction, communications, fitness and media. New applications from employers are being accepted each week.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said:
Our country’s future will be built by the next generation, so it’s vital that we harness the talent of young people as we rebuild from the pandemic. But this isn’t just about kickstarting our economy, we’re giving opportunity and hope to thousands of young people, kickstarting their careers and offering them a brighter future.
Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:
Every job created by the Kickstart Scheme is a potentially life-changing opportunity for a young person, and the heartening response of employers shows they recognise the huge value in giving youth a chance.
The pandemic has hit young people hard, but we are doing everything in our power to give them hope and the chance to find their place in the world of work.
Employers from all corners of the country have signed up, creating thousands of new and interesting jobs and helping us to level up as we build back better.
Young people have been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic and unemployment can have longstanding implications for their future jobs and wages. The Kickstart Scheme runs until December 2021 and is expected to create more than 250,000 high-quality jobs for them.
On a visit with the Prime Minister to a Tesco warehouse yesterday (11 November), the Chancellor met some young people who are set to start their Kickstart placements next week. Other businesses including Bloomberg, British Chambers of Commerce, Network Rail, Barnardo’s, YMCA, LADbible Group, Tech Nation, The Royal Mint, KFC, and Farrow & Ball have also committed to support the scheme. Over 500 gateways – organisations that act on behalf of employers offering 29 or less vacancies – have registered to help the smallest businesses to hire young people too.
Each job placement lasts six months and is fully funded by the government, helping young people build their confidence and experience in the workplace, while earning a regular wage. Young people on Kickstart will also get additional employment support and training to help them progress during their placement, with £1,500 available to employers to cover this training as well as other onboarding costs.
The scheme is just one part of a package of support for young people. The government has invested £1.6 billion in increasing the number of apprenticeships, traineeships and employment support schemes, helping people to build the skills they need to get back into work.
Further information
- on 31 August, 523,000 jobs were furloughed where the employees were 24 and under
- in August 2020, there were over 600,000 16-24-year-olds not in employment on Universal Credit
- BBC Panorama found people aged 16-25 were more than twice as likely as older workers to have lost their job, while six in 10 saw their earnings fall
- the scheme is open to people 16-24 years old, who are claiming Universal Credit, and are at risk of long-term unemployment
- referrals to the scheme will run until December 2021 with the Kickstart Scheme expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs for young people on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment, with those eligible referred through their Jobcentre Plus Work Coach
- the government will fully fund each Kickstart placement – paying 100% of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage, National Insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week.
- employers will be able to top up this wage, while the government will also pay employers £1,500 to set up support and training for people on a Kickstart placement, as well as helping pay for uniforms and other set up costs
- more than 500 bodies have signed up to serve as gateways on the £2 billion programme, providing assistance to employers offering fewer than 30 vacancies under the scheme.
- referrals to the Scheme will run until December 2021 – to find out more visit the Kickstart Scheme page
Here’s what some of the organisations involved in the scheme have to say:
Peter Grauer, Chairman, Bloomberg L.P. said:
The coronavirus crisis has taken an enormous toll on job markets around the globe, with young people some of the worst affected.
As we turn towards the future, the UK Government’s Kickstart Scheme offers an innovative solution to helping young people back into the job market. We are proud to be part of such an ambitious initiative and look forward to welcoming a promising array of young talent across our UK business.
Gerard Grech, CEO, Tech Nation said:
Kickstart is a fantastic enabler for the economy. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, so it’s really important we all do our best to help everyone fulfil their potential. I’m delighted to see the Kickstart Scheme embraced by UK scale ups which will inspire a new and diverse generation into tech. Digital tech now accounts for 9% of the UK workforce and more than a fifth of the workforce in the UK’s biggest cities, plus over 90,000 jobs a week in tech were advertised in August.
James Martin, Director of Policy, British Chambers of Commerce said:
The Kickstart Scheme will help firms create and support thousands of opportunities for young people, maintaining their access to the job market and driving the UK’s economic recovery.
Rooted in local business communities across the UK, Chambers are playing a leading role in connecting businesses with young people to create long-term quality employment opportunities. They will want to see the application process simplified.
Hayden Wood, co-founder and CEO of Bulb, said:
We’re proud to be giving more young people the opportunity to work inside a high-growth company building new technology to bring simpler, cheaper and greener energy to 1.7 million homes.
As the UK’s biggest green energy company, a B Corp and one of the fastest growing firms in the country, we hope to play an important role creating jobs and building a greener way of living and working.
Sarah Barnes, Bauer Media’s People and Culture Director said:
At Bauer we work hard to level the playing field so that all can access opportunities within our teams, and so we were really drawn by the government’s fantastic new Kickstart programme that aims to give unemployed young people a future.
These promising young individuals will have the unique opportunity to apply for placements that provide on-the-job training, skills development and mentoring from some of the UK media industry’s most well-respected professionals, giving them the well-deserved first break that can so often be hard to come by, particularly in the ongoing climate.
Anne Jessopp, Chief Executive of The Royal Mint, said:
We are delighted to join the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, and provide valuable work opportunities for 16 to 24 year olds. We recognise the importance of providing practical placements and mentorship for young and diverse talent – helping them gain experience and to develop their careers.
As one of the largest employers in Wales, we have a wide variety of opportunities available in areas such as design, IT and marketing – and look forward to welcoming our first placements later this year.
Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England & Wales said:
YMCA welcomes the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, its renewed focus on job placements and recognition of the additional support young people need in order to mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19 and find a job.
Young people continue to face deep uncertainty about what is next for them in the wake of this pandemic. Equally so, businesses are facing challenges around finances and sustaining themselves as they grapple the everchanging economic landscape. The Kickstart Scheme is a brilliant opportunity to provide young people with experience, employment, and pay to succeed in the future, and we are thrilled to see local YMCAs across England and Wales come together in order to help deliver this opportunity.
YMCA believes that all young people deserve the right to be paid a decent wage and the opportunity to develop a career to ensure they thrive now and into the future. It is very encouraging to see the government’s focus on equipping young people with the skills they need in order to do this.
Andrew Haines, CEX of Network Rail said:
We’re proud to be supporting the Kickstart Scheme. It fits perfectly with Network Rail’s aim to develop a diverse range of talent and to provide opportunities for younger generations in STEM careers. We want to help develop skills and open future career paths for the next generation and we are delighted to help make a difference to many young people facing unemployment and uncertainty during these difficult times. This is an exciting opportunity for us as a business to showcase careers and develop future talent.
Nick Wells CEO, Whistl, said:
The Kickstart Scheme enables future talent to join Whistl and begin their career in the fast growing logistics and e-commerce fulfilment sector. The initial 30 people who are joining us will gain valuable on the job training to develop their employability and worked based skills at our facilities across the UK.
Amanda Stainton, HR Director, Portakabin said:
With a core focus on offering transferable skills, we are best placed to introduce a new audience to fresh opportunities within the modular construction industry. We are also looking to use our position within the market to make a positive impact and open up avenues to these young minds to help them consider a future career in any industry.
