Employers in Cheshire asked to join thousands of businesses signed up to the landmark Kickstart Scheme

Eddisbury MP Edward Timpson has welcomed the Government’s plans to make it even easier for employers of all sizes to join its flagship £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, which has already created more than 120,000 Kickstart jobs across the UK.

The Government’s Kickstart Scheme is designed to give young people at risk of long-term unemployment a future of hope and opportunity by creating high-quality, Government-assisted jobs across the UK, supporting them into work as it delivers on its commitment to level up the entire country.

Introduced as part of the Plan for Jobs, the Kickstart Scheme allows employers to offer young people between 16 and 24 years old who are on Universal Credit a six-month work placement that is fully funded by the Government.

Under this scheme, the Government will pay 100 per cent of the young person’s age-relevant National Minimum Wage, 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, it is now making it even easier for companies of all sizes to apply for any number of vacancies.

From Feburary, businesses can apply to the scheme for any number of placements, with the 30 vacancies minimum threshold removed so they can sign up directly. Employers can still apply through one of the over 600 Kickstart gateway organisations—including local authorities, charities and trade bodies—that have supported them in applying for funding for 29 or less job placements through the Scheme.

Edward Timpson CBE MP said:

“As we look to our economic recovery, we will honour our commitment to level up opportunity so no young person is left behind as a result of the pandemic.

“The Government’s Kickstart Scheme is a clear demonstration that we are putting young people at the heart of our plans to build back better, and with over 120,000 Kickstart jobs already created, businesses are giving them their backing too.

“By investing in their potential, we can put thousands of young people on the path to a brighter future, and I would urge as many employers as possible in Eddisbury to sign up.”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP said:

“Young people are among the hardest hit in times like these, which is why we’re doing everything we can to ensure they’re not left without hope or opportunity.

“The Kickstart Scheme is central to this. Since opening for applications last autumn, we’ve worked with some of the most exciting companies to create more than 120,000 Kickstart jobs, which is a huge vote of confidence in our young people at a challenging time.

“With £2 billion available and no limit on the number of places, it’s now easier than ever for businesses across Great Britain to take part. Join us as we harness the talents of the new generation of Kickstarters.”

Work and Pensions Secretary, The Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP added:

“Kickstart has moved up a gear, and I encourage employers to join us and invest in the next generation of talent by joining our Kickstart Scheme.

“By removing the threshold of a minimum 30 jobs for direct applications, we are making it even simpler to get involved.

“Now is the time to prepare for post-lockdown placements and employers will now have a choice to apply direct or through one of our 600 fantastic Kickstart gateways who may be locally connected or sector-specific providing that tailored support”. 

We are moving our flagship Kickstart Scheme up a gear by:

• Working with thousands of companies to create over 120,000 Kickstart jobs - demonstrating a massive vote of confidence in our young people during this challenging period. To date, more than 120,000 Kickstart jobs have been created across a wide range of sectors in every region of the country, with 3,000 employers including Tesco, Bloomberg, The Royal Mint and Farrow & Ball already signed up to supporting the scheme.

• Making it even easier for companies of all sizes to apply for any number of vacancies, as we encourage more employers to sign up. From Feburary 2021, companies of all sizes will be able to apply to the scheme for any number of job placements, with the 30 vacancies minimum threshold being removed so they can sign up directly. Employers can still apply through one of the over 600 Kickstart gateway organisations, including local authorities, charities and trade bodies, that have supported them in applying for funding for 29 or less job placements through the Scheme.

• Ensuring every Kickstarter benefits from a high-quality placement. For each job placement, we expect employers to support every Kickstarter in finding long-term work, through providing career advice, support with interview preparations and developing their skills in the workplace. As the Scheme continues to grow, we will continue to apply rigorous training support and finance to ensure all placements are of the highest quality.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have introduced an unprecedented package of measures to help protect people’s incomes and jobs by:

• Delivering one of the most comprehensive economic responses in the world to support jobs, businesses and livelihoods during the pandemic. We’ve provided over £280 billion in economic support since the start of the pandemic, including protecting 12 million jobs through the furlough and self-employed schemes, which have been extended through to the end of April, and over £100 billion in business support – from 1.4 million Bounce Back Loans to grants, rates relief and VAT deferrals.

Through our Plan for Jobs, we are supporting employment and new opportunities for young people by:

• Launching our landmark £2 billion Kickstart Scheme to create employment opportunities for young people out of work. On 2 September we launched our landmark Kickstart Scheme, which will initially run until December 2021, as part of our Plan for Jobs, helping young people into work and spur our economic recovery. Through the Scheme, businesses will be paid to create high-quality jobs for 16-24 year olds claiming Universal Credit, with companies receiving £1,500 per cent placement for set up costs, and we will also cover 100 per cent of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage, National Insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week over the six-month placements.

• Paying businesses £1,000 to take on trainees, with triple the number of places there are now, to get young people ready for work. We will provide £111 million to triple the scale of traineeships, which consist of work experience placements, training and work preparation for 16-24 year olds. We will also increase the eligibility of traineeships to include young people qualified up to Level 3 (advanced – equivalent to 2 good A Level passes), up from Level 2.

• Providing £2,000 to employers for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25, helping more people into the workplace while developing key skills. We will also provide £1,500 for any apprentice over 25.

• Giving young people who have just left school the skills they need to find work in high-value sectors, such as engineering, construction and social care. We will provide £101 million to help 18 and 19 year olds to take high value courses at Levels 2 and 3 where work opportunities are not available.

• Expanding the support on offer to help people find a job, so they can get back on their feet and into work. We will: double the number of Work Coaches through Job Centre Plus to 27,000; provide an extra £150 million into the Flexible Support Fund to remove barriers to work; and help DWP react quickly to large-scale redundancies by expanding the Rapid Response Service. We will provide £32 million to recruit more advisers for the National Careers Service, so that it can provide advice to 269,000 more people. In total, these measures are worth over £1 billion.