Richard has welcomed the Government’s landmark new Kickstart scheme and calls on local employers to sign up and help young people into work. The £2 billion scheme has been designed to ensure young people at risk of long term unemployment have opportunity and hope by creating quality, government-subsidised jobs across the UK, helping to spur the country’s economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic.
The government has released a guide for employers on how to access the Kickstart Scheme which can be found here.
The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create new 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.
This is part of the government’s Plan for Jobs and aims to create hundreds and thousands of new, fully funded jobs across England, Scotland and Wales. The first placements are likely to be available from November.
Funding will cover for each job placement:
- 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week
- the associated employer National Insurance contributions
- employer minimum automatic enrolment contribution
Commenting, Richard said: "The Government’s £2 billion Kickstart scheme is now live and I’m calling on local employers across North East Bedfordshire to sign up to provide Kickstart jobs. We cannot allow young people to be left behind as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and schemes like this will be vital for creating jobs and giving young people the skills to access them.
“I’m delighted that the Conservative Government are putting young people are the heart of its plans to build back stronger after the pandemic, and hope as many as possible locally are able to take part.”
There will also be extra funding to support young people to build their experience and help them move into sustained employment after they have completed their Kickstart Scheme funded job.
Young people can find out more about the Kickstart Scheme at the jobhelp site. Employers can get further information here.
