The Central Government launched the £2bn Kickstart jobs scheme in September 2020 to encourage businesses to offer placements for 16–24-year-olds at risk of long-term unemployment. As of 3rd February 2021, DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) have made it easier for business with fewer than 30 placements to apply, by accepting direct applications for as little as one placement at a time.

The funding covers:

• 100% of the National Minimum Wage (or the National Living Wage depending on the age of the participant) for 25 hours per week for a total of 6 months
• associated employer National Insurance contributions.
• employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions.

Your business does not need to be able to commit to a minimum number of placements to apply. You can offer one placement if that is all your business can manage. You can also offer more than one Kickstart placement at different times, e.g. starting one placement in April and a second in July. However, it is important that the role is a quality placement that will be beneficial to the young person. Therefore, your business and your proposed placement will need to meet certain essential DWP criteria to be approved.

It may still be useful for some smaller businesses who lack the additional administrative capacity to apply through an approved Kickstart gateway organisation. There are currently 6 approved gateway organisations that we are aware of operating in Haringey specifically who each offer different types of support:

• 4-22 Foundation
• Catch 22
• North London Partnership Consortium
• Work Works Training Solutions
• Capital City College Group
• Princes Trust
• Collage Arts

A full list can be found using the Kickstart Find a gateway tool

Haringey Works is working closely with the DWP, Haringey Adult Learning Services and other local providers, to support young Haringey residents that are eligible for the scheme to prepare for the quality opportunities that Kickstart presents. We can also support with pre-placement, in-work, and post-placement support

If you are a Haringey based business and would like to discuss options regarding employing local young people through the Kickstart programme, get in touch.

We can help assess what will be the best approach for your business. You can also obtain more detailed information about getting involved with Kickstart visit the gov.uk website.