Are you a young person aged 16 – 24 looking for work?
The government’s Kickstart Scheme has been designed for you. The government is providing funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24 year olds, to help reduce the risk of long term unemployment for your generation.
So who is eligible and how does it work?
Who is eligible?
For an employer to be able to hire you under the scheme, you must currently be on Universal Credit, and be aged between 16-24. You can find out more about Universal Credit and apply for it if you need to here:
How do I apply for a vacancy?
You must be referred to vacancies through your Jobcentre. KickstartGo lists all the current vacancies from our employers at this page – if you find a job that you would like to apply for there, take the details and share them with your Work Coach at the Jobcentre.
How long will I be employed for?
The Kickstart Scheme funds wages for 6 months. It is up to each employer what happens at the end of the 6 month period – some employers may choose to offer you permanent employment, whilst others may not. Once you have completed a 6 month placement, you could be employed again for another 6 months with a different employer under the scheme.
What will I learn?
The government ensures that each employer will provide training for the candidates that they hire through the scheme, to improve long term employability. This means that aside from the job that your employer is asking you to do, you will get training and learn new skills in areas such as CV writing, interview techniques and much more. If your employer is using KickstartGo as their gateway, you will have access to our online learning platform.
How much will I get paid?
This is up to each individual employer. The government pays employers minimum wage for 25 hours per week through the Kickstart Scheme, but some employers may choose to pay a higher salary or to employ you for more hours.