Factsheet: Kickstart Scheme

On 2 September, the government officially launched the Kickstart Scheme which covers England, Scotland, and Wales (with funding made available for a similar scheme in Northern Ireland).

For each Kickstart job, the government will cover the cost of 25 hours’ a week at the relevant National Minimum Wage in addition to pension and National Insurance contributions. Employers will also receive £1,500 per placement for wraparound support for the young person, including personal development and employability skills.

The Q&As below have been taken from a recently published factsheet which give you all the information you need to know about the government's scheme for young people.   

1. What is covered? DWP will cover costs for a 25 hour a week placement at the national minimum wage.  An additional £1500 is made available to the employer to provide in work support and cover costs. 
    
2. Can this be topped up? An employer who chooses to offer more than 25 hours or pay more than the minimum wage can do so but they must cover additional costs themselves.
    
3. Is training involved? This can be included but is not mandatory.
    
4. Can anyone apply for the posts? Initially these posts are only available to young people claiming Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment.  DWP have signalled that in early 2021 the criteria will be expanded to include 16-24 year olds not in receipt of benefits.
    
5. How many vacancies does an employer need to have to be involved? An employer can have a single vacancy or limitless.  For employers with between 1-29 opportunities in their business they must identify an intermediary to work with.  For those with 30+ they can deal directly with Job Centre Plus.
    
6. What is an intermediary?  These are organisations who are working with a collection of employers to build a bank of 30+ vacancies.  They act as the intermediary between JCP and the employers.  Anyone who can build a bank of 30 vacancies can be an intermediary from private recruitment agencies to local authorities.  They will receive a payment of £300 per vacancy.
    
7. How are intermediaries identified?  Most intermediaries will be reaching out to their employer network to promote the scheme.  If an employer has not engaged with an intermediary, they can speak with JCP who will be able to help them find an intermediary.  DWP are currently developing a database to identify intermediaries.
    
8. What if there is no intermediary in my area? Participation is not limited by geography, for example, if an employer on an island wishes to participate, they can reach out to an intermediary anywhere to become involved.  Similarly, national organisations can link with a single intermediary in England for positions in Scotland and Wales.
    
9. How long will the scheme run? The first vacancies are expected to go live 1st November and the last vacancies recruited for in March 2022 (but can run for the following six months).

For more information about the Kickstart Scheme, please click here.