Kickstart scheme helps youngsters ...and employers

Businesses throughout Perthshire have an opportunity to‘kick-start’ young people’s careers and also receive crucial funding via the government’s £2 billion employer initiative programme.

Currently, Perthshire Chamber is drawing in just under £1.5 million which is distributed to support local businesses through this critical period.

The Kickstart scheme enables employers to create new six-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.

A part of the government’s Plan for Jobs initiative, it aims to create thousands of new, fully funded jobs across England, Scotland and Wales.

A number of firms throughout Perthshire are already participating in the scheme and Perthshire Chamber, as an intermediary, has worked closely with local employers to create well over 250 Kickstart placements.

Perthshire Chamber chief executive Vicki Unite said: “It’s a great opportunity for businesses to get government funding, but also to help create a job for a young person who may otherwise not have had this chance.

“It’s really a win-win situation for businesses because they get an additional employee at effectively zero cost and they also a £1500 support and training allowance which might be invaluable at this time.

“And for the young person it could be the catalyst to a successful career.

“We have only had positive feedback so far from both business and young people.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the initiative last year, aimed at creating six-month paid work placements for young people who were at risk of longterm unemployment.

For each Kickstart job, the Government will cover the cost of 25 hours a week at the relevant National Minimum Wage in addition to pension and National Insurance contributions. Employers will also receive £1500 per placement for wraparound support for the young person, including personal development and employability skills.

The scheme is currently due to run until December 2021 and is open to businesses of all sizes and across all sectors.

Vicki Unite said:“The Chamber, with partners, will be offering packages of support as we understand that providing a placement will be a significant undertaking for some of our businesses (particularly our smaller companies) and they may prefer to effectively‘outsource’some of this support.

“This could entail the Chamber merely facilitating companies sharing a session on specific topics right through to us delivering all the wraparound support.

“We can provide mentors, relevant training, wellbeing support and also tie in to our Chamber platforms to explore career aspirations, entrepreneurship, leadership and to help the young people build their own peer networks.”

Anyone interested should contact Perthshire Chamber on info@ perthshirechamber. co.uk or call 01738 448325 for further details and application information.