I recently updated the House of Commons , as the DWP Minister for Employment, on how we are continuing to engage with employers of all sizes to create new high-quality placements for our young people to get their start on the employment ladder, through the Government’s Kickstart Scheme. In doing this, we wanted to make the scheme even simpler. So, from February 3rd, we removed the 30 jobs minimum for job applications, giving new applicants a choice to apply direct or via one of over 600 excellent, approved Kickstart gateways. These can be found here: https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/find-a-kickstart-gateway
Under this scheme, the Government will pay 100% of the young person’s age-relevant National Minimum Wage for 6 months, National Insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week, which the employer can top up if they choose to. In addition, the Government will pay £1,500 per Kickstarter taken on to cover any associated set up costs. Since it first launched in September, the Government has been working with companies across a wide range of sectors to create over 120,000 Kickstart jobs; and in encouraging more employers to join, we are now making it even easier for companies of all sizes to apply for any number of vacancies.
Kickstart Gateways
Employers who are looking for support in delivering employability support for young people can apply through one of our approved gateways, which can also offer valuable connections into local communities.
We have over 700 approved gateways able to support employers who choose to access the scheme through this route.
Employers will not be charged to use a Kickstart gateway but they may use part of the £1,500 grant to secure the appropriate level of employability support either from the gateway or another provider, particularly the element focused on employment skills and work search preparation. Many gateways are making great offers of support to young people and employers.
A list of gateways is available on the gov.uk/kickstart website.
Recent engagements re Kickstart
I recently spoke with Danielle, one of our DWP Work Coaches at Swansea Jobcentre, about her role and how the team have adapted during the pandemic. She was telling me about the role of the youth team there and how engaging young applicants to the scheme had been. You can see our full conversation on my twitter feed: @mimsdavies
I am continuing to engage with work coaches across the country, as well as with the rest of my team in DWP, in order to encourage even more businesses and young people to get involved in the scheme, and more information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-kickstart-scheme-grant
If you want to ask about Kickstart policy or have a matter that cannot be addressed by our local team then please contact
