Stockport College has registered as a gateway organisation for businesses to offer work placements to young people as part of the Kickstart scheme.
The Kickstart Scheme allows businesses to access government funding to host young people aged 16-24 currently on Universal Credit on a six month paid work placement. Government funding covers 100% of the relevant minimum wage for 25 hours a week, plus National Insurance and auto-enrolment pension contributions.
While organisations offering 30 or more placements can apply directly to take part in the scheme, smaller organisations must apply through a a Kickstart Gateway organisation such as Stockport College.
Stockport College will work in partnership with employers to facilitate training and development tailored to the needs of young people, giving them the best chance of sustaining long-term employment. This will form evidence that employment training has been provided in order to access the funding. The training and development from the placement should:
- Support the young person into employment
- Support career development
Stockport College also offers a programme of courses to get candidates work ready pre-interview and we offer re-training and ups killing to increase a candidate’s future employability.
The job placements created with the Kickstart Scheme funding must be new jobs. They must not:
- Replace existing or planned vacancies
- Cause existing employees or contractors to lose or reduce their employment
- Replace recent redundancies
Businesses considering taking on a young person through the Kickstart scheme with Stockport College can express their interest online or via email.