How employers are benefitting from the Kickstart Scheme
Kickstart offers six-month work placements, in new jobs, for 16 to 24 year olds who are currently out of work claiming Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment.
All of their time is spent in the workplace with in-work training to help develop transferable skills, aimed at increasing their chances of sustained employment.
We’ve compiled several case studies from businesses making the most of the government incentives, including:
South Tyneside Homes
South Tyneside Homes manages estates and council housing stock on behalf of South Tyneside Council and have 632 employees in the North East of England.
As members of the North East Apprentice Ambassadors Network, South Tyneside Homes were made aware of the Kickstart incentive by the network and applied for incentive payment to support the recruitment of 10 Kickstarters. They will also be applying for the incentive payment for hiring 10 apprentices this year.
As a social landlord, South Tyneside Homes want to promote sustainable employment within their borough. Trainees within the business are paid a wage and the incentive payment will help the business to expand their scheme, whilst they work towards its longevity and creating further, future employment opportunities.
The incentive payment for hiring apprentices will be fully utilised and used towards paying for additional personal protective equipment and further training opportunities for their apprentices.
Gary Kirsop, Director of Asset and Property Services, South Tyneside Homes said:
In total we could receive up to £85,000 through government incentives. The Kickstart funding will allow us to expand our trainees into new fields, whilst supporting employment opportunities in South Tyneside; whilst the additional apprenticeship funding will help support our apprenticeship offer.
We have offered work experience in the past and T Levels are something we were discussing with local colleges prior to the pandemic, and this is something we will also look to develop once restrictions in the work place are relaxed.
Tesco
Supermarket employer Tesco has accessed the government Kickstart incentive to support 1,000 young people, giving them access to work experience and life skills, whilst enabling them to continue to forge their future careers.
Aggregate Industries
Construction materials producer and supplier Aggregate Industries is based across 300 UK sites and employs 3,875 staff. They first heard about government incentives for employers in the news, and from attending information sessions run by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and Confederation of British Industry. Aggregate Industries have applied to be a Kickstart employer and saw this opportunity as a way to get young people into their sector, providing them with an opportunity to learn.
Applying for funding for 39 job placements, Aggregate Industries view the Kickstart incentive as an entry route to their apprenticeship and graduate initiatives.
Those recruited through Kickstarts will work with Aggregate Industries full time, for six-months, before committing to an apprenticeship. Aggregate Industries currently has 127 apprentices in the business.
Laura Parker, Head of Learning and Development at Aggregate Industries said:
Kickstart will enable Aggregate Industries to introduce individuals to the sector, who may not naturally have considered this career path, giving individuals opportunity to learn new skills during their placement, whilst being energised about the company and sector.
We are committed to ensuring individuals get real work experience and, after our Kickstarts complete the scheme, we are aiming to offer them apprenticeship and graduate positions. We are also considering recruiting T Level learners in 2021 to offer further opportunities in our sector.
Molinaire
Post-production company Molinare, specialising in TV, film and video games, have committed to giving more than 30 young people the opportunity of 6 month paid Kickstart placement. Utilising government incentives, Molinaire will support Kickstarters to develop the skills needed to get started in their industry.
Severn Trent
Midlands water and waste company Severn Trent employ 6700 individuals and will take on 500 people over the next year, as part of the Kickstart incentive.
The company will take on the 500 new people over the course of the next 12 months, with placements lasting for six months and covering 25 hours a week. Severn Trent will offer a range of roles, including water technicians, engineering assistants, customer liaison, project management and support function roles in Finance, HR and Communications, typical of any large business. Alongside the on the job training, Severn Trent are also offering training in a variety personal and technical skills at their new academy, based in Coventry.
Liv Garfield, Severn Trent Chief Executive, said:
This is a simply brilliant incentive and, after looking at it, we just knew we could support many, many people who might otherwise be at risk of simply not being able to get back into the workforce.
We’re absolutely certain we’ll find a load of really talented people who, at the very least, will leave us with a range of new skills they might be able to put to use with other employers. We’re also pretty certain we’ll end up with a number of new colleagues who’ll have impressed so much during their placement we absolutely had to take them on full-time.
Given everything that’s happening at the moment, this is one of the key ways we, as a responsible company, can help make a real difference to our customers and our communities. It’s a real opportunity for us, let alone for the Kickstarters.
Crowberry Consulting
Award winning apprentice employer Crowberry Consulting Ltd, based in Lancashire, is an SME with three employees, working in the professional services sector as Sustainability Consultants.
Crowberry Consulting has employed apprentices since 2012; and this year have been recognised for their commitment to apprenticeships by winning the National Apprenticeship Service ‘SME Employer of the Year’ award in the North West.
Managing Director Becky Toal, of Crowberry Consulting, with her National Apprenticeships Award
Currently working with North and West Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Crowberry Consulting are looking to recruit two new Kickstart employees, in Digital Marketing and in Community Energy, anticipating these roles will evolve into Level 3 or 4 apprenticeships. They will receive £3,000 in incentives to support the recruitment and training of both Kickstart employees.
Becky Toal, Managing Director, Crowberry Consulting Ltd said:
Crowberry Consulting are a signatory to the Lancashire Skills Pledge and are also apprenticeship champions for both the employer and apprentice; signalling our commitment to skills.
We are delighted to have the opportunity to receive financial incentives to expand our workforce and to support individuals from unemployment to a secure employment opportunity. The successful applicants will work with a local college to receive ongoing mentoring and support, gaining a valuable qualification at the end of their training.
West Berkshire County Council
West Berkshire Council employ over 1550 people in the South East of England. They are accessing government incentives, including Kickstart and are supporting the programme by engaging with local businesses to take on 60 Kickstart placements, including 13 of which will be internal placements.
Accessing the Kickstart incentive, totalling £37,500, will enable West Berkshire Council to support their proposed, long term apprenticeship strategy. The Council hopes to convert successful Kickstart placements into apprenticeships at the end of the placements.
Funds received through incentives will be used for a variety of projects, including supporting more services to take on disadvantaged young people as apprentices and providing funding for job mentors or job coach training for both corporate and schools staff. The funding will also help where barriers exist, with travel costs, PPE, or equipment for work, which may impact on young people accessing the work environment.
The Council are also an apprenticeship employer, with 123 current apprentices in the business, in roles including Business Administration, Social Work, Teaching, Occupational Therapy, Regulatory Compliance, Adult Social Care, Accountancy and Management & Leadership. Fifty apprentices recently completed their programme and in recent months the Council has taken on, or are planning to start, a number of new apprentices. Six new apprentices have started since 1 August, and the incentive payment for hiring a new apprentices will be able accessed for these apprentices.
Abigail Witting, HR Manager, West Berkshire Council said:
Both the Kickstart scheme and the incentives for new apprentices are positive for businesses.
The Kickstart scheme enables businesses to take on an individuals to support with the impact of the COVID crisis, as well as supporting young people who are being disadvantaged by the impact on the economy and jobs with minimal risk/cost to the business. Following a successful placement, businesses may be able to take on a new member of staff that they previously wouldn’t have had opportunity to recruit.
The incentive payments for new apprentices provide businesses with some funding when they are facing difficult times, to help support the inevitable costs of inducting and training a new staff member, and the associated costs including salaries or equipment.