6 minute read
Skills
Kickstart Scheme
The Government Kickstart Scheme was announced back in September 2020 to help young people, aged 16-24 years old and on Universal Credit, to gain valuable work experience and employability skills. The scheme has been extended for recruitment of candidates until the end of March 2022 however all new applications for places closed on 17th December 2021.
Supporting young people
Kickstart has helped young people across the country to develop new skills, build confidence, and get a crucial first foot on the career ladder, Kingston Chamber of Commerce as an approved Gateway Organisation has helped local employers access the scheme and to date, we have over 120 placements approved with over 60 young people having been offered employment. For many young people, the scheme has provided the springboard they needed to secure permanent jobs. Nationally the government has said the scheme has created more than 100,000 new jobs. The Kickstart jobs filled locally through Kingston Chamber of Commerce have been from a huge range or industries, including IT, video production, admin and even brewing in a local brewery. There are still lots of opportunities available to young people, so if you know someone who is eligible to join the scheme then do point them in the direction of the Gov Find A Job website: www.gov.uk/find-a-job
Harry joins the Chamber
The Chamber also offered a Kickstart placement as part of the scheme and in October were pleased to recruit a new member of staff to support the delivery of its diverse range of networking events. Harry Duckworth joined the team just days before the Chamber hosted the Chessington Expo, the first large scale event it had been able to host for almost 2 years due to the pandemic. Harry therefore had to learn quickly and really hit the ground running but he settled in quickly and proved to be a great asset to the team on the day, helping to set up and register guests attending the event.
Dominic North, Wanda McFarlane & Harry Duckworth
Harry saw the Kickstart scheme as a great opportunity after a difficult year due to the impact of the pandemic, saying: “Upon being let go from my job in the heavily impacted hospitality sector during the pandemic, opportunities like working at the Chamber were seemingly unattainable without the help of the kickstart scheme. Once I understood the nature of the scheme and the variety of impressive roles available to people like myself who found themselves in unfavourable positions, I was surprised yet encouraged. Considering I had studied politics at college, the opportunity presented by the Chamber was undeniable and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the team. I have been made to feel as part of the furniture and I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of my placement holds for me.”
Forbes Low, CEO of Kingston Chamber said: “It has been great having Harry join us. He has adapted well, been willing to learn new skills and has gained our trust from the beginning with his consistency and attention to detail. It isn’t always easy fitting into a small and well established team but Harry has managed to do that and bought his own personality into the office which is a big credit to himself.”
Partnerships
Kingston Chamber partnered with Kingston Adult Education to offer employers training and support opportunities to assist young people on the scheme. The packages were tailored to meet the needs of the employee and the role they were employed to do as well as ensuring they had employability skills to support them when the placement ended.
Lesley Searle, Advice, Guidance & Welfare Manager for Kingston Adult Education commented, “KAE feels the Kickstart scheme has offered benefits for all 3 parties involved: the young person, the employer and KAE. The young person has gained that first step on the ladder of their career, where they learnt new skills, gained in confidence by recognising the positive contribution they have made to the business, and had support throughout to consider a growing range of options based on their experience, directing them to their next step. The employer has gained from the skills brought to the organisation by the young person, helping them grow and develop in order to support the business. KAE have also gained from the experience of working with some wonderful young people and small businesses, continually learning from our business relationships and passing on our advice/guidance to both parties.”
As the final few months of the Kickstart scheme roles out, hopefully many more young people will be able to benefit from the opportunities available to them. Equally, many employers are still finding recruitment challenging, especially during these uncertain times so the scheme has offered them the financial security to provide employment opportunities to young people at risk of long term unemployment.
Looking Ahead to
Developing Skills in Kingston in 2022
As 2021 draws to a close it is a time for reflection on our partnership working within the Kingston Borough community. Over the last year we have been building upon existing relationships and we are working with a large number of new partners in the region to support skills and employment across South West London.
We have applied for and won a number of grants from the Greater London Authority and Department for Education to support collaboration, education, training, and employability, including funding to support digital skills in the region.
The team are working closely with the All-England Lawn Tennis Club to support them in recruiting and training 1500 adults to work at the two-week Wimbledon Championships in a variety of roles in July 2022. In line with their guidance, we are aiming to recruit locally which is such a wonderful opportunity for adults across South West London.
Along with many other organisational partners, we also work with local DWPs, Work Match, the local council and the Chamber of Commerce on a range of opportunities. We are holding Job Fairs across South Thames Colleges Groups’ campuses to support local and regional employers.
We are also responding to the new challenges of skills shortages and rising vacancies by offering a portfolio of qualifications for young people from 16 plus, adults and employers alike in order to support changes in conditions of employment and upskilling, we also have a plethora of courses for those who wish to change their career at whatever age.
We are offering both short free online courses to upskill and classroom-based courses from Entry Level to Degree programmes. We are developing Centres of Excellence based upon our exceptional provision across the Colleges Group and have support and finance options available for all, which we run here at the Colleges Group.
Whatever 2022 brings, we are here to support employers to unlock their workforce’s potential, email business@stcg.ac.uk today to find out more or visit our website stcg.ac.uk/ employers.
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