A helping hand into the jobs market
HOW THE UK GOVERNMENT’S KICKSTART SCHEME WILL CREATE VALUABLE ONTHE-JOB TRAINING FOR 16-24-YEAR-OLDS
Businesses have faced tough times during the Covid pandemic, but the UK Government has acted quickly to protect lives and jobs.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a package of measures to support jobs in every part of the country, giving firms the confidence to retain and hire staff as well as providing people with the tools to get better jobs.
Nearly 12 million people were furloughed with a £160 billion support package, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. And now the £2billion Kickstart Scheme will create hundreds of thousands of jobs for 16-24-year-olds.
I think it’s a great scheme and you can learn a lot, particularly in a small company or a start-up
James Rennie, 32, who runs menswear retailer Ryan James Studio in Glasgow, is one employer who’s thinking of using the Kickstart Scheme to create an oppor tunity for a young person.
“I work by myself, and trying to manage everything from orders to the website is a lot, so I’ve considered the Kickstart scheme to employ a digital marketing assistant,” he says. “They can focus on social media, updating the website and writing blog posts, driving traffic to the website for sales.
“It’s challenging for those coming out of school, college or university. We all know how competitive it is to get into the creative industries, so I think this is a really good way to enable small businesses to give coaching.”
Under the new scheme, companies can create 30 jobs – or if they’re a small busi
“We’re really lucky in Scotland to have a supportive creative network, with associations such as the Creative Entrepreneurs’ Club,” says James. “I’m part of Business Collective Scotland, and we’re seeing a lot of collaboration coming through. I’ve been in touch with the Glasgow City Chamber, so being part of a group is definitely an option.”
Back Loan earlier this year, which allowed him to grow the business by building an app. “That’s been key,” he says. “It gave us the opportunity to invest in the digital side of the business.
“I’m pleased the Chancellor has extended the loan scheme – it’ll allow more businesses to invest in moving forward as well as extending the time to repay.
For James, the website and social media are now priorities, so employing someone to focus on that through the Kickstart Scheme will benefit the business as well as giving one young person the chance to boost their career with on-the-job training.
“I think it’s a great scheme and you can learn a lot, particularly in a small company or a start-up,” he
says. “Any experience is valuable. I studied broadcasting and somehow found my way into visual merchandising. I learned how important it is to work with different people, to build your personal skills.
“These creative industries give an insight into what’s happening at the minute too. Digital and social media are at the forefront of this, so spending six months getting experience in these is key.”
Business in England, Wales create new six-month job placements for young people currently on Uni versal Credit. They’ll get the experience they need to find work once they’ve com pleted their placement, and funding is available for 100 per cent of the National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus National Insurance contribu tions and employer automatic enrolment contributions.