Kickstart

Kickstart is a Government scheme to help employers offer a young person a life-changing job opportunity through paid jobs for 16–24 year-olds on Universal Credit.

The scheme will:

· cover salaries at the national minimum wage for 25 hours per week for six months

· provide an additional £1,500 per placement to help wrap around support costs for the placement.

All jobs must be new. They must not replace existing furloughed staff or replace roles which have been subject to redundancy.

The Kickstart placement guide details all the things that you should think about as an employer creating your kickstart placement. You can read the Kickstart placement guide on the London Councils website.

You can also read more about the Kickstart scheme on the Government’s website.

Applications can be made directly to the DWP or through a Gateway which can help coordinate placements. Southwark Council is part of the Better Placed Kickstart Gateway with Lambeth and Lewisham councils.

If you are interested in applying for the Kickstart scheme you can complete this survey here. Or join one of the monthly free online information and Q&A sessions for businesses in Lambeth, Lewisham & Southwark.

It is worth keeping in mind that in order to be approved by the DWP, you need to have a comprehensive employability wrap-around support package in place. We know that many small organisations don’t have the resources to help a young person build their skills and progress into further employment and would welcome support with the application process and managing the placement. As a Gateway, we will provide this at-cost to local employers in order to support the creation of high-quality employment opportunities. Your business can be in the private, public or voluntary sector.