Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the Government’s Kickstart scheme and encourages local employers to sign up and help young people into work.
The £2 billion scheme has been designed to ensure young people at risk of long-term unemployment have a future of opportunity and hope by creating quality, Government-subsidised jobs across the UK, helping to spur the country’s economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the scheme, announced in June as part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs, employers that sign up will be able to offer young people aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit a six-month work placement that is fully funded by the Government.
This means the Government will pay 100 per cent of the young persons’ age-relevant National Minimum Wage, National Insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week, which the employer can top up if they choose to. Additionally, the Government will pay the employer £1,500 for each young person they take on, to support any training or associated costs that they might incur when setting up the scheme.
The scheme will initially be open until December 2021, with the option to extend. Young people will be referred into the new roles through their Jobcentre Plus work coach, with the first Kickstarts expected to begin at the start of November.
Nus Ghani said: “I welcome the Government’s newly launched £2 billion Kickstart scheme and I would like to encourage employers across Wealden to sign up and provide jobs for our young residents. We cannot allow young people to be left behind as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and schemes like this will be vital for creating jobs and giving young people the skills to access them. This is a great opportunity to start the careers of thousands of young people and open the door to a brighter future for a new generation. I hope that many businesses in Wealden are able to take part and help in ensuring that the UK bounces back stronger as a country.”
Full details of the Kickstart Scheme are available at www.gov.uk/kickstart.
