New Government Kickstart Scheme
Wed, 07 October 2020
Aimed at businesses being able to offer both short and long term opportunities to 16-24 year olds, the government has launched a new Kickstart Scheme. This is part of the government’s plan to help create thousands of fully funded jobs across England, Scotland and Wales, with placements available from November 2020.
From work placement, to apprenticeships, there are various options to support your business with this scheme, backed by Tameside College.
The £2 billion Kickstart Scheme will provide funding to employers, to create six month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit.
Employers who have less than 30 jobs to offer will have to access Kickstart through a Gateway organisation. Tameside College can apply on your behalf, offering a free qualification, with the trainee studying one day a week alongside the 25 hour placement. There is no cap on place availability and every kind of business is encouraged to join.
Government funding will cover 100% of national minimum wage per job placement including £1,500 for start up and training costs, employer national insurance contributions and any auto enrol pension costs. Extra funding is available to support young people, build on their experience and help them move into employment once they have completed their Kickstart Scheme funded job.
For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/kickstart-scheme, or visit the jobhelp site.
Traineeships are another option for 16-24 year olds to take on. Traineeships include a skills development programme which involves work placement, which can range from six weeks to a year, with a placement needing to be at least 70 hours minimum.
These traineeships can provide experience in training and mentoring for your current employees.
For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/find-traineeship.
Another great option for businesses are apprenticeships, giving young people opportunities and frequent training that can last between 1-4 years. Apprenticeships also provide an effective way for an organisation to develop workforce talent.
From September 2018 to 31st January 2021, grants of £1,500, £2,000 or £3,000 are available to businesses, wanting to take on an apprentice.
Please contact Andrea Leech, Director of Work Based Learning and Business Development, if you have any questions Andrea.Leech@tameside.ac.uk