Kickstart Scheme

Written on 10th, September 2020

Government Kickstart Scheme Information

To complete our Kickstart expression of interest form, please click here.

As part of the government’s Plan for Jobs, a new £2 billion Kickstart Scheme will create hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people across the country.

The 6 month placements are open to those aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit and at risk of long term unemployment. They will be available across a range of different sectors in England, Scotland and Wales.

You can use the Kickstart Scheme to create new 6-month job placements for young people. The job placements should support the participants to develop the skills and experience they need to find work after completing the scheme.

Funding is available for 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. There is also £1,500 per job placement available for setup costs, support and training.

Funding is available following a successful application process. Applications must be for a minimum of 30 job placements. If you are unable to offer this many job placements, you can use an Employer Gateway who will partner with other organisations to reach the minimum number.  Professional Training Solutions is an Employer Gateway.

Prior to completing our expression of interest, please be aware that the DWP will be running checks on your business and your application is more likely to be approved if;

• You have existed for a while.
• You regularly and recently submitted accounts.
• You have a credit score which is a low risk category.
• You have a low probability of imminent business failure
• You have enough liquid assets to pay your debts
• You do not have any recent county court judgments (CCJs)

Additional information can be found here;

The job placements created with Kickstart funding must be new jobs. They must not:

• Replace existing or planned vacancies.
• Cause existing employees or contractors to lose or reduce their employment.

The job placements created for Kickstart must be:

• A minimum of 25 hours per week, for 6 months.
• Paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age group.
• Should not require people to undertake extensive training before they begin the job placement.
• Should include support for basic employability skills.
• Should include support for young people to help them get work after they finish their Kickstart Scheme job.

If your application meets the requirements of the scheme, you will receive a letter with a grant agreement. This agreement will include what your company has agreed to provide, and how much funding you will receive from the Kickstart Scheme.

You must sign and return your grant agreement, using the details in the letter, before any job placements can begin.

You will need to provide job descriptions for each of the job placements you applied for. This should include what candidates need to do to apply for the job placement.  Local Job Centres will match the candidates to the job placement.

As part of our support, Professional Training Solutions have put together an employer package that will offer Kickstart participants the opportunity to develop their skills, which will include:

• Monthly 1:1 support
• Careers advise, information and guidance
• Employability qualification including communication skills, mind set and motivation.
• General day to day work behaviours such attendance, timekeeping, teamwork, etc
• Job search and preparation, CV writing, interview preparation.

Should you wish to take this offer, the cost would be £495 plus VAT per Kickstart participate, to be paid out of the employer grant of £1,500 (which is to be used for the set-up costs, support and training).

How is funding paid?

You will receive initial setup costs when you have confirmed the young person has started work, is enrolled on your payroll and is being paid through PAYE. DWP will use information from HMRC to check that the young person is still employed and will pay the grant in arrears. They may also contact you or the young person during the job placement to check what employability support has been offered. This is to make sure the young person has the best experience from the scheme.

Sound interesting? Please click here to complete the online expression of interest form and we will start the process!