TALK O PERATIO NS
WHAT IS THE KICKSTART SCHEME?
THE
KICKSTART
SCHEME
The Kickstart scheme is an idea that the UK government put forward in September 2020, the idea is to help 16 to 24 year olds, who are on universal credit and at risk of long-term employment, to gain relevant work experience and employability support to help them get into long-term work as soon as possible. An initial £2 billion has been provided for this scheme, and there will not be a cap on the number of places available, this £2 billion is intended to provide funding for over 250,000 Kickstart jobs. The scheme runs until December 2021 at present but it is expected that the scheme will be extended beyond that date due to the significant take up so far. The most recent statistics from 4th February (https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/res earch-briefings/cbp-8965/) show that since the kickstart scheme was launched over 100,000 job placements had been approved and over 2,000 young people had started jobs. As well as SMEs a number of large companies have taken part in the kickstart scheme, companies such as Amey who have created 60 vacancies and Marks and Spencer's have created 360 kickstart vacancies. Excitingly for some lucky Kickstart employees, our very own local premiership rugby team, Gloucester, have also decided to take part in the Kickstart scheme and they have a number of vacancies for 16 to 24 year olds to come and join them in various roles.
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. - ARISTOTLE
What does the Kickstart Scheme cost? Each Kickstart placement lasts 6 months and the DWP will fund the Kickstart employee’s salary for 25 hours per week at the appropriate minimum wage for their age. Employers can choose to top
