Professionals UK are becoming a gateway provider for the Government Kickstarter Programme. We are looking for companies who would like to get involved in the scheme, helping youth unemployment in the UK while also benefiting from an extra pair of hands.

The basics in a nutshell

• The Kickstart Scheme is a £2 billion fund to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6-month work placements for young people at risk of long term unemployment. 
• Through the scheme, companies will be able to access a large pool of young people with potential, ready for an opportunity. 
• It is a temporary job creation programme specifically aimed at 16 to 24-year-olds who are claiming Universal Credit, regardless of their education level (i.e. from school leavers through to graduate).
• Employers across England, Scotland and Wales will be able to sign up to the scheme to offer a young person in this age bracket a six-month work placement.
• The government will fund each placement, paying 100% of the minimum wage for 25 hours per week plus the associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. Employers can top these wages up if they wish.
• The hope is these placements will act as “a springboard to find a long-term, sustained job”.
• The intention is that companies participating in the scheme will “give young people a high-quality job, including training and/or job search support” during the work placement. 
• Placements can be in person or remote.
• The DWP will begin to match candidates to companies in the scheme from  mid/late November 2020, through to December 2021.

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Applications from interested companies need to be done in batches of 30. This means that while large companies can apply directly, smaller businesses only able to offer 1 or 2 roles, need to apply via a Gateway Provider, who will co-ordinate the application.

Professionals UK can be your provider, bringing our experience of having placed over 9,000 students in internships across the UK. In acting as an intermediary, we help companies of all sizes benefit and contribute.

As a Gateway Provider Professionals UK will:

• Apply directly for the funding for the 30+ roles on behalf of participating companies
• Be responsible for passing on salary payments from the Government to the participating partners’ payroll departments. 

OPTIONAL As a Gateway Provider Professionals UK can also partially assist, as companies require, with the training involved in  the scheme:

• These include providing the soft skills training in teamwork etc plus  necessary career coaching services and assessment, post placement support for employability, including optimised CV, and future career prospection training

The £1500 received by companies can be allocated to this in part.

Full details and tailored costs will be provided in due course.

• Employers will be allocated £1,500 at the beginning of the placement to cover set up costs (uniform, computers, software, CV optimisation and preparation, skills training etc).
• Employers will not receive the funding of wages, National Insurance and Pension Contributions until month 3. This first payment in month 3 will include the payments for month 1 and 2. Subsequent payments will be one month in arrears with the final payment in month 7. This means that employers will need cashflow in place to pay the young person.
• Companies will need to set up PAYE for the young person in order to pay them.
• Companies can pay more than national minimum wage and can offer more than 25 hours per week. However, this will not be funded by the government.
• While there is no direct cost for taking on a young person under the scheme, employers should be aware of indirect costs. These may include insurance, putting policies in place, managing recruitment, and support to increase the employability of the young person for the future.  
• Companies will be able to interview 3 to 4 young people per role and will have complete control over who they offer the position to. If none of the applicants are appropriate, you will be able to interview another round of 3 to 4 young people.  
• Companies will only receive funding for young people who are introduced via the DWP scheme and who have a DWP work coach.​
• Companies need to provide supporting information confirming that the job placements are new jobs and do not replace existing or planned vacancies or cause existing employees, apprentices or contractors to lose or reduce their employment.

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