Here’s how the Government can help you Kickstart your career

From apprenticeships to traineeships, T Levels and more, the Plan for Jobs is a win-win – a boost for young people and a bonus for Great British businesses

The UK Government’s Plan for Jobs has a range of programmes designed to create job opportunities around the country. It enables eligible people to develop the skills required to progress in their chosen careers while acquiring valuable experience of the working world. What’s more, the programmes prove equally beneficial for businesses that take part, not only helping companies to

find fresh talent, but also providing such firms with financial incentives for participation.

TRAINEESHIPS SCHEME

One such programme is the traineeships scheme. A skills development initiative, the scheme helps to prepare people aged between 16 and 24 – or aged 25, if they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan – for an apprenticeship or a job within a business.

The idea is for employers to build a programme which is beneficial for both trainee and the company, encompassing at least 70 hours of worthwhile work experience. Traineeships can be flexible: they may be altered while in progress if the needs of either the trainee or the employer require it. They can also span anywhere between six weeks and a year in duration, although under six months is a more common timeframe.

The traineeship programme should end with the offer of a trainee interview, either for an apprenticeship or a job, should such an opportunity exist within the company, or if not, in the form of an exit discussion, accompanied by detailed, written feedback on the trainee’s overall performance.

The aim is to ensure that, at the end of the scheme, the trainee has developed a wide range of skills enabling them to move to the next step in their career.