Council provides young people with Kickstart to their career
Published: 23 October 2020
Exeter City Council is proud to be helping local businesses support young people by providing valuable work experience.
The Council is acting as a Gateway Organisation for the Government Kickstart scheme ,which supports young people (aged 16-24) gain work experience.
Normally a company applying directly would need to offer a minimum of 30 placements to qualify for the scheme. However the City Council can apply on behalf of a company if that threshold cannot be met and the number is less than 30.
The scheme offers employers the opportunity to:
- Create new 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment
- Access funding for:
- 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week
- the associated employer National Insurance contributions
- employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions
- Access additional funding to support the young person to access the placement and improve their skills.
It is important to note the following criteria for the scheme;
The job placements created with Kickstart funding must be new jobs. They must not:
- replace existing or planned vacancies
- cause existing employees or contractors to lose or reduce their employment
The roles companies apply for must be:
- a minimum of 25 hours per week, for six months
- paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age group
- should not require people to undertake extensive training before they begin the job placement
- be funded by the Kickstart Scheme grant and would not exist without this funding
- be paid from the grant money for the 25 hours per week on National Minimum Wage (employers can pay a higher wage and pay for more hours)
Employers must be able to develop the applicant’s skills and experience (Exeter City Council will support companies with this), including:
- support to look for long-term work, including career advice and setting goals
- support with CV and interview preparations
- supporting the participant with basic skills, such as attendance, timekeeping and teamwork
Companies interested in offering a placement to a young person, can complete the online application form and find out more by visiting the Council’s dedicated web pages
For questions about the scheme, email skills@exeter.gov.uk