Here at Talented Recruitment Group, we've now become an official Kickstart Scheme Gateway. So we're here to tell you why you should apply to this scheme for your business.
What is the Kickstart Scheme?
During the summer of 2020, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced an inspiring brand new £2 billion scheme known as the Kickstart Scheme, to give young people between the ages of 16-24 who are currently on Universal Credit the opportunity to gain a six-month work placement with businesses that take part in this plan.
The Kickstart Scheme is available in England, Scotland and Wales (with a similar scheme available in Northern Ireland.)
Although the UK Government helped companies fund wages by 80% the past year, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits shot up dramatically. It shows that during March 2020 before the pandemic took it’s toll, 1.4 million people were seeking Jobseeker’s allowance or universal credit whereas now it’s currently 2.7 million.
This scheme was then introduced as a result of Covid-19’s huge impact on the economic decline and the rise of unemployment as younger people were at a high risk of long-term unemployment as well as businesses suffering from the effects of numerous lockdowns.
“This isn’t just about kickstarting our country’s economy – it is an opportunity to kickstart the careers of thousands of young people who could otherwise be left behind as a result of the pandemic.” – Rishi Sunak.
What does it do?
The Government have offered to fund the entirety of the wages for each successful candidate from the scheme, up to 25 hours a week at National Minimum Wage, on a six-month work placement and are also awarding a sum of £1,500 as a cash injection grant to contribute towards training and onboarding.
Sunak’s scheme will not only ensure that the next generation of this country’s workforce will be well trained and qualified across all professional sectors but will help our businesses continue to scale and grow – in turn helping our economy get back on track.
“The scheme will open the door to a brighter future for a new generation and ensure the UK bounces back stronger as a country.” – Rishi Sunak.
Once the six-month placement is up, ideally businesses will be able to continue to employ their Kickstarter’s with hopes that the economy is more financially stable.
However, if this isn’t a possible option, the young adult will be able to leave the placement with a high level of training and experience to be able to progress in the chosen field and find a longer term of employment.
What we do at Talented Recruitment Group...
Here at Talented Recruitment Group, we are officially a Kickstart Scheme Gateway and offer support throughout the process with our very own support representatives, giving businesses the opportunity to get their applications approved and to help the companies grow.
A lot of business owners apply for the scheme and don’t seem to get approved due to their support and training documents, which is why we have created our very own support and training package, this has been reviewed and agreed by DWP and the Government.
Our support package offers the right amount of training and support documentation, which is essential for the Government to see, to then make sure that the young adults will have enough support during their placement and will also be more employable once it ends.
Overall...
Since the scheme took place, nearly 200,000 roles have been created and around 16,500 people in the age bracket for Kickstart have started new roles in the last six weeks.
We were able to speak to Faye who joined our team recently on a Kickstart placement and here’s what she had to say about it.
“I joined TRG through the Kickstart Scheme and it has been very rewarding and valuable. I have gained further skills for my CV and future career prospects, alongside developing and utilising my current skillset. The opportunity to expand my current skills has allowed me to have creative freedom in my work. Furthermore, working within a team has developed my communication skills and given me responsibility to express and work with new ideas.
If you are looking for a new opportunity to grow, develop and be inspired by your work, then approach the Kickstart Scheme today.” – Faye Roxburgh.
We also managed to speak to Mike, an employer who strongly recommends hiring using the Kickstart Scheme.
“We decided to take part in the Kickstart Scheme as we truly believe in what the scheme stands for. As an employment agency, we are passionate about helping individuals find their dream job whilst enabling businesses to prosper. The Kickstart Scheme provides this by creating jobs that would not ordinarily exist and enables businesses to drive growth on the back of a very tough, global pandemic. As an employer, we are now starting to directly benefit from the Kickstart Scheme following the successful onboarding of 4 Kickstart Placements. The 4 new employees have been a great addition to the business bringing a variety of experience and expertise to help us continue our growth and provide more employment locally.”
Overall, the Kickstart Scheme is a positive and reassuring scheme being offered to the UK and is something that will be worthwhile for the employer, employee and the economy whilst we work our way out of the pandemic.
Applications for the scheme close on 31st December, so if this is something that appeals to you and your business, don’t hesitate to get into contact with us and we will be more than happy to support you through the process of being approved for the Kickstart Scheme!
