Writer: Andrew Knott
Editor: Ellice Evans
- Benefits of the Kickstart Scheme for Young People
Story credits to Andrew Knott
Andrew is our Kickstart Administrator. Today he will be telling us about the Kickstart Scheme and the benefits it has on young people.
Introduction
Hello! I am the Kickstart Scheme Administrator for Bache Samuels. Today I will be talking about the benefits of the Kickstart Scheme for young people, who may be hesitant in applying or wanting to know more about why it’s worth it.
The Kickstart Scheme is a government-funded scheme set up to help young people aged 16–24, get into employment. A Kickstart placement is 6 months long. During this time, the Kickstart employee wages will be paid in full by the Department of Wages and Pensions (DWP). That’s 25 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage covered. By the end, Kickstart employees will have gained experience as well as new skills to further themselves into future employment.
Benefits for Young People:
- Experience. A Kickstart position lasts for 6 months. That’s enough time to learn how to do a job competently and get experience within the department you’re working for. Even if you’re not planning on staying with the company full-time at the end, you will have learned a lot during your time there. Aside from joining a new company and learning new skills, you will be able to get a taste of the working world that is waiting for you.
A lot of recruiters will look at the experience you have listed on your CV. Participating in the Kickstart Scheme definitely gives an adequate advantage at this age.
- Skills. Taking part in the Kickstart Scheme means learning new things and gaining new skills. Companies recruiting Kickstart employees will often intend to train the new employees from the beginning. They often expect you to have no experience or skills that will prove useful for the position. For young people, the opportunity to develop new skills that will prove essential to the future is an invaluable experience, which is what this placement enables you to do. The skills you learn at your Kickstart placement may be what propels you to a job you are truly interested in.
- Wages. For young people, being able to get a Kickstart position is a great way of getting a bit more money. Although most Kickstart positions are minimum wage and 25 hours a week, it is still a lot more money than you would be making from being signed up to Universal Credit or receiving no income whatsoever. This works especially well for those who have recently finished studying, or lost their jobs due to the Pandemic.
- Training. A lot of training is provided during a Kickstart placement. Employability training for example, is offered to all Kickstart employees and is a necessity of the scheme, as stated by the government. Depending on what sector your placement is within, there will likely be other training such as GDPR or software training, which are also great elements to build up your professional profile.
To conclude...
There are many benefits for young people who decide to take part in the Kickstart Scheme, which I hope I have outlined well enough. Using Bache Samuels as an example, we aim to get Kickstarter’s signed up for the employability training after just the first 6 weeks of their placement to ensure they’ve got the tools to maximise their placement experience and improve employability.
Hopefully reading this has opened you up to the wide range of benefits provided to young people who may be interested in taking part in the Kickstart Scheme, and I urge you to contact us at Bache Samuels if you would like to know more. We are an approved Kickstart Gateway so not only can we answer enquiries regarding the scheme, we are here to help get the roles approved and filled!