Kickstart Scheme
E-Factor Group Ltd are proud to be working with the UK Government as a representative for the £2bn Kickstart Scheme which will create hundreds of thousands of high-quality 6-month work placements for young people in 2021. The scheme will initially prioritise young people aged between 16 and 24 who are ready for an opportunity and will be supported by their Jobcentre Plus work coach to enrol in the scheme.
What is the Kickstart Scheme?
How much funding is available?
- 100% of the National Minimum Wage (or the National Living Wage depending on the age of the participant), National Insurance and pension contributions – for 25 hours a week, for six months.
- An additional £1,500 per job placement for setup costs, support, and training.
The additional £1,500 will be paid within 14 days of the young person starting, and the payroll funding will be paid at the end of each month.
Can I employ them for more than 25 hours per week?
Yes, but this will be at the expense of the business and should be discussed at the interview stage.
What kind of jobs qualify?
Any meaningful job role in your organisation qualifies, however it must be a new job (not replacing someone or filling an existing vacancy) and one that you were not planning or could afford without the Kickstart Scheme support.
Can I choose who I employ?
You can choose any individual from those the Job Centre have prequalified and sent to you for an interview.
Can I apply directly?
Only if you are applying for 30 or more placements as a single company. Otherwise, you need to apply through an official Gateway organisation such as E-Factor, who will collate groups of placements into a collective application.
How do I apply then?
The process is relatively simple and starts with you completing both the documents below and sending through to E-Factor at
info@e-factor.co.uk.
*If you are a Sole Trader or Partnership please contact us before completing the forms.
What happens after I’ve provided this information?
E-Factor will collate your application together with others and submit them in a batch to the Department for Works and Pension for processing. Once received and verified, E-Factor will ask you for a more detailed job description which they will send to Job Centre Plus to start identifying suitable candidates.
Recruitment
Job Centre Plus will help you with this process, matching possible candidates to your job specification for you to consider before interviewing. E-Factor can also help with the creation of your job description.
Payroll
Placements should be treated like any other member of staff and added to your payroll system.
Placement Support
The young person should receive help to develop their skills and experience, with the aim of improving their employability, CV and interview preparation, organisation, teamwork, and communication skills. You may choose to use some of your £1,500 set-up grant to employ an external organisation to help with this and E-Factor are working with several local providers should you require a referral.
Can I keep the person on at the end of the placement?
Absolutely! Although there is no requirement for you to do so, we hope many employees will become permanent members of the team and go on to develop their skills further through enrolment on other initiatives such as the national Apprenticeship scheme.
Watch an overview of the scheme
Download the Employer Guide
