Today I hired an employee – well I run a business so that’s normal, why the post? Because this is a special employee! She is somebody that I have hired through the Government’s Kickstarter Scheme.
What is it?
It is an employment support scheme to encourage businesses to take on new employees in the 16-24 year old age range.
What are the eligibility critieria?
It must be a new person to your business
It must not replace existing or planned vacancies
It must not cause existing employees, apprentices or contractors to lose work or reduce their working hours
It must be for a minimum of 25 hours per week
Pay a minimum of the National Minimum Wage for their age
They must be between 16-24 year old at the point they start work
They must currently be in receipt of Universal Credit
The start date of the job must be in 2021
The young person must get additional training to make them more employable
What is this training?
For each job placement you must help the young person become more employable. This could include:
- looking for long-term work, including career advice and setting goals
- support with curriculum vitae (CV) and interview preparations
- developing their skills in the workplace
What is the Government Support?
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
You’ll also get £1,500 funding per job placement. This should be spent on setup costs and supporting the young person to develop their employability skills.
How do you apply?
You can apply yourself – here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-kickstart-scheme-grant
But actually it is often easier to apply through a Kickstarter Gateway organisation (I applied through my local Chamber of Commerce) as they will do most of the admin and will probably offer some formal training to make sure you fulfil the necessary criteria!
So what are you waiting for? Use the Government support to help your business!
