At the end of September, the UK Government announced the launch of their new Kickstart Scheme. This is a new initiative aimed at creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for people aged between 16-24 across the UK.
How does it work?
Set to cost the UK government around £2 billion, the Kickstart Scheme is giving businesses the option to provide a 6-month government funded placement, for people who are:
- Aged between 16-24
- Claiming Universal Credit
- At risk of long-term unemployment
What is funded?
Employers will be able to receive funding for 100% of a full-time National Minimum Wage employee for 25 hours a week. Plus, associated employer National Insurance contributions and Employer Minimum Auto-enrolment Pension contributions.
The government will also pay employers £1,500 to set-up any essential support and training, as well as covering the cost of uniforms and other set-up costs.
Can employees top up wages?
Yes. Employers are free to top-up the wages if they wish, but this is at their discretion and no additional funding is available for this.
What size of business can apply?
There is no limit on the size of business that can apply to take on a Kickstart placement. Nor is there a cap on the number of placements that can be offered.
When does it start and end?
The Kickstart Scheme will start from 1st November 2020. However, applications for open positions are already being taken through Jobcentre Plus. The scheme will run until December 2021, but the UK Government has made it clear that this will be extended if required.
I’m Interested! How do I apply for the scheme?
For businesses, who are looking to take on over 30 placements you can apply directly here. However, if are looking to take on fewer than 30 placements, you will need to apply in partnership with a group of other businesses.
This can prove to be tricky for new start-ups and smaller businesses, so the Government added a list of organisations who will be able to apply on their behalf. You can find a full list here.
I would love to bring in a member of staff through this scheme, but I’m still not sure where to start. Is there anyone Modus Accountants would recommend supporting me with this?
At Modus we have been working with Mark Neild from MD Agileering Ltd who have helped us through the application process and kept us in the loop of any updates. If you would like to get in touch with Mark his contact details are as follows:
Tel: 07747 896 324
Email: mark@agileering.com
Hopefully, this has been useful, but if you feel like you need a little extra support or guidance, or you would prefer us to introduce you to Mark and the MD Agileering team, please call us on 01993 225030 or email hello@modus-accountants.co.uk.