Council to give Kickstart to young people’s job prospects
We are backing the Government’s Kickstart scheme to create job placements for 16-24 year olds at risk of long-term unemployment.
What is Kickstart?
Kickstart, which is managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will support 6 month of work placements for 25 hours per week, up until December 2021. These will be paid at the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage dependent on the age of the participant.
We have registered as a ‘gateway’ organisation to support employers who wish to participate but cannot meet the Government’s requirement to create 30 placements. Employers have a choice of provider in Kirklees. In addition to the council scheme, partners including the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Federation of Small Businesses are also Kickstart Gateways. Find more information about the Kickstart scheme.
Working with partners
We will work with partners including the DWP, C&K Careers, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, Kirklees Active Leisure, Third Sector Leaders, our local Clinical Commissioning Groups, Huddersfield BID and other public, private and voluntary sector partners to create Kickstart placements and raise awareness of the scheme.
What support will you receive?
All young people participating in the council’s Kickstart programme will receive a wrap-around package of training and support to ensure their wellbeing and equip them with the skills they need to achieve a successful placement.
Participating employers will also receive support including a training allowance to provide specific on-the-job training.
Cllr Shabir Pandor, Leader of the Council said:
“Kickstart is a great opportunity for both young people and local employers to create something positive out of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that young people in particular are bearing the brunt of unemployment, and the council, with our partners, will play our part in ensuring that the virus does not affect their longer-term career prospects.
If you are a young person looking to boost your work experience, or a local employer looking to invest in the future, I urge you to get in touch with us, or one of the other gateway providers and see how Kickstart can help.”
More information
If you are a young person or employer interested in taking part please contact EmploymentandSkills@kirklees.gov.uk for further details.