Job Placements for those aged 16-24

As of 14 September, UK businesses have been able to apply for funding from the Kickstart Scheme to provide a 6 month placement for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. The scheme will cover 100% of the employment costs for a placement of 25 hours per week. It will fund the national minimum wage, associated employers National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. There is also a grant of £1,500 per job placement to help fund set up costs, support and training.

To qualify for the scheme the job placements must be new jobs. They must not replace existing or planned vacancies or cause existing employees or contractors to lose their employment.

As part of the application process the prospective employer will need to provide a detailed job description, including the location of the role and a summary of what support and guidance will be offered to the participant to enable them to move forward in their career, for instance interview preparation, CV writing and career guidance. The role of the employer in this scheme is to prepare the participant for the workplace and make them more employable by the end of the placement.

Applications can be made directly to the Kickstart Scheme if the employer is able to offer 30 or more job placements. For the smaller employer an application must be made through a representative of a group of employers. Some representatives will be private individuals or businesses and you can apply to be such a representative. There are, however, many existing representatives, some of which are local councils and trade bodies. If you are interested in getting involved in this scheme and you can offer less than 30 placements please visit the following link for a list of local representatives:

Organisations that can help employers based in Scotland

Organisations that can help employers based in England

The scheme is currently set to close in November 2021.