Kickstart Scheme - how to get involved

06 August 2021

The Government has launched a new scheme to help get young people into long-term employment. The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit and who are at the highest risk of long-term unemployment.

Government will fund new six-month work placements, as part of the government’s Plan for Jobs and aims to create hundreds and thousands of new, fully funded jobs across England, Scotland and Wales.

Free weekly webinars

The Department for Work and Pensions is holding free weekly webinars aimed at employers to provide more information on the benefits of the scheme and how you can get involved.

The first webinar takes place on 16 August. Book your place now.

Employers will provide training and support to scheme participants, such as developing teamwork, organisation and communication skills, help with CV and interview preparation and support to look for long-term, sustainable work once the 6-month placement has ended.

The funding will cover for each job placement:

100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week
Associated employer National Insurance contributions
Employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions

There will also be extra funding to support young people to build their experience and help them move into sustained employment after they have completed their Kickstart Scheme funded job.

The scheme will run from 2nd September 2020 to at least December 2021, will cover the whole of the UK and be available to employers of all sizes.

Currently, only employers offering at least 30 roles can apply for the scheme directly, with those offering 29 or fewer roles needing to apply through a Kickstart gateway organisation. As of 3 February 2021, all employers will be able to apply directly to the scheme.

While all employers can access Kickstart, sole traders will only be able to access it through a specific type of gateway termed a ‘gateway plus'. Presently, the only gateway plus available is that provided by Adecco and the Federation of Small Businesses. However, NFU understands from dialogue with the DWP that two further gateway plus options will be coming online in due course.

Applying through a gateway organisation can provide wraparound support and a local connection for employers. There are over 600 gateway organisations across the UK, such as Local Authorities. Find one for you here.

You can find out more about the scheme here, at gov.uk or in this guide for employers.

A list of Kickstart gateway organisations can be found here.

Young people can find out more about the Kickstart Scheme at the jobhelp site.

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