Figures released today show that the Government’s Kickstart Scheme has got 140 young people across Worcester into work since its launch in September 2020.
As part of the Plan for Jobs, launched last year to support jobs during the pandemic and help us build back better, the £2 billion Kickstart Scheme pays businesses to create high-quality jobs for 16-24 year olds on Universal Credit. The scheme gives young people the opportunity to find work, develop their skills, and get a crucial first step on the career ladder.
Figures released this morning reveal that the number of people in employment rose by 160,000 in October – well above pre-pandemic levels, showing that our Plan for Jobs is working.
100,000 young people across the country have now started a Kickstart job across all types of employers, ranging from sole traders to some of the biggest companies in the country. Over 215,000 jobs in total have been made available for young people to apply to across a range of sectors, including digital, creative and media, and retail.
Over the last month, on average over 3,400 young people have started a Kickstart job each week, and the scheme was recently expanded and extended until March 2022 so that even more young people can benefit from it.
The Kickstart Scheme is just one part of the Conservative Government’s Plan for Jobs, which also includes the £2.9 billion Restart Scheme, helping over 1 million long-term unemployed people find work; the Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) scheme supporting at those unemployed for over 3 months; and the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, offering 11 million adults a free qualification at any point in their life.
Commenting, Robin said:
“The pandemic has been particularly tough for young people, especially those looking for a job – as the economy recovers, we need to ensure that young people aren’t left behind. There are a number of government schemes getting people into work and I am glad to see this paying off. We must continue our efforts to increase the number of people in work and finding a job for people where they can grow their skillset so training leads to long term prospects for young people.
“The Kickstart Scheme is helping to deliver on the priority of levelling up opportunity across the UK – getting 140 young people into work in Worcester helps those people achieve their potential, as well as boosting employment across the country. This will give more young people a great start in the workplace – helping them get a high wage, high skilled job.”
Commenting, Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:
“Kickstart employers in Worcester and up and down the country are giving young people the chance to get on the jobs ladder.
“Having hit the 100,000 milestone, we are now on the last lap and I encourage employers and young people to take advantage of this opportunity as we head towards the finish line of the great Kickstart scheme”.