Kickstart Scheme deadline extension
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
The
Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new job placements
for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term
unemployment.
Originally due to end on 31 December 2021, it has since been announced (4th October 2021) that the scheme has been extended until March 2022.
Employers of all sizes now have until 17 December 2021 to apply for funding which covers:
- 100% of the National Minimum Wage (or the National Living Wage depending on the age of the participant) for 25 hours per week for a total of 6 months
- associated employer National Insurance contributions
- employer minimum automatic enrolment pension contributions
On top of this funding, an additional £1,500 payment is also made to the employer per placement to support with setup costs and employability training.
Employers can spread the start dates of the job placements up until 31 March 2022, with funding available for 6 months once the young person has started.
Further funding is available for training and support so that young people on the scheme can get a job in the future. So far more than 120,000 jobs for 16 to 24 year olds have now been created through the Kickstart Scheme, as ministers have urged more employers to get involved.
Download Kickstart social media posts and content
Read the Kickstart Scheme - a guide for employer
Now even simpler for employers to join
Since February 2021 the Department for Work and Pensions allows retailers to apply directly for its Kickstart Scheme regardless of the number of jobs to be funded, having amended from the previous requirement for retailers applying for funding for 29 or fewer placements to partner with an external ‘Kickstart Gateway' for quality checks.
Placements must start by the end of March 2022 and must be new jobs - they cannot reduce working hours for other colleagues. To ensure all job placements continue to be of a high quality, the government will continue to apply rigorous checks on training support and finances.
Further guidance about the Kickstart Scheme is available here. Please contact the ACT directly if you would like any further information about the ACT, Cytech or the Kickstart Scheme.