Have you heard about the governments new Kickstarter Scheme? They’re offering grants to companies by supporting the salaries of 18-24-year-olds for up to 6 months.
It’s a great opportunity to bring in young talent, that can help your company!
The Kickstart Scheme was launched by the government in September 2020. It provides £2billion funding to employers to create new 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. The first placements are likely to be available from 1st November 2020.
Funding for each job placement will cover:
100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week for 6 months
The associated employer National Insurance contributions
Employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions
There will also be an extra £1500 funding per placement to cover set up and training costs to support young people to build their experience and help them move into sustained employment after they have completed their Kickstart Scheme funded job. The job placements should support the participants to develop the skills and experience they need to find work after completing the scheme. Through the scheme, you’ll be able to access a large pool of young people with potential, ready for an opportunity. If you’ve got under 30 placement opportunities, then you can apply through The Bigger Pie, Direct applications must be for a minimum of 30 job placements. For 1 to 29 placements, apply through a representative. The Kickstart Scheme is available in England, Scotland and Wales until December 2021. The Bigger Pie is your gateway to this funding and is acting as a representative. Apply Now
Who can apply for funding?
Any organisation, regardless of size, can apply for funding.
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 you are applying for must be:
A minimum of 25 hours per week, for 6 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
Each application should include how you will help the participants to develop their skills and experience, 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
Once a job placement is created, it can be taken up by a second person once the first successful applicant has completed their 6-month term.
Apply Now What do you need to do as an employee? Checkout the 12 step checklist for hiring employees, especially if you’re a first time employer. The Bigger Pie have partnered with Farnell Clarke, so that you have a solution option for all of your new requirements as you grow your team. Allowing you to focus on your business and giving you the time to spend with your new employee to be impactful and effective in their role, while we take care of the admin and mandatory tasks. Payroll and Workplace pension price guide can be found here. Apply Now Remote or at work placements? As we don’t know what lockdown policies will be implemented in the coming months, it’s good to consider whether you’re able to offer a virtual/work from home placement, either flexi, full time, or in any lockdown periods. Hiring for your placements You can apply for the grant through our representative group. You’ll have to access the pool of talent through the Job Centre, your representative will introduce you to your contact there, and you’ll be responsible for writing your job posting and the interview and hiring process and choosing your successful candidate. Key drivers to success Having experience with working with remote teams what we’ve learned is that it’s crucial that your employees feel like they’re part of the team and part of a bigger purpose that they align with. The onboarding process is key to stickability, being able to consistently inject fun, create a sense of belonging to a wider community, foster personal responsibility and deliver on the opportunity to develop personally as well as professionally are key drivers for getting the most from your placement. This is often difficult to do as a small firm. Be prepared to have experiences that range from your placement taking more time and effort from you that you ever receive back in return, to breaking even in terms of effort, to being absolutely amazed by the ability, drive and passion your new employee(s) bring to the table. We want you and your young employee(s) where ever possible to have a positive placement, one that’s a worthwhile and rewarding experience for all parties. Grant applications are only successful if the employer can demonstrate how they’re going to support the placement with attendance, time keeping, travelling to work, basic work skills, CV development, interview preparation and future employability. This is why The Bigger Pie is offering pastoral care, personal and professional development to every placement under the Training and Development program. Discover more here. Apply Now