Kickstart for young people facing risk of long-term unemployment
Jobs and careers02 November 2021
Caption. Left to right - Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom, Stuart Perry and Sigourney Moore from the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus, Alison Field from the WNC Job Club, Julia Raven, Senior Economic Growth Officer for WNC and Louis Devayya EYoung people at risk of long-term unemployment in West Northamptonshire are the focus of a partnership between local and central government employment support schemes.
On Friday 15 October, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and Jobcentre Plus Northampton delivered an engagement event for the Kickstart Scheme aimed at helping residents who are aged 16 to 24, on Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment.
The event allowed young people to meet and engage with local employers who are offering roles through the scheme and have interviews.
This scheme provides employers with 100 per cent of the National Minimum Wage (or the National Living Wage depending on the age of the participant), 25 hours per week, for a total of six months.
The Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire launched a Job Club in the south of the county which was taken over by the former district council and found work for hundreds of people over the last 12 years. The Job Club is now in the hands of WNC. After attending the event, Dame Andrea said: “This event is just another example of the fantastic work West Northamptonshire Council is doing to support the community and grow the economy.
“I am passionate about ensuring residents can access local jobs and want every employer within my constituency to benefit from this free support.
“The Kickstart Scheme is an essential initiative to tackle long-term unemployment in young people and provide essential employability skills to those that need them."
Councillor Lizzy Bowen, WNC Cabinet member for economic development, town centre regeneration and growth, said: “We will do all within our power to ensure that West Northamptonshire is a place where everyone can thrive.
“Our Economy Team is available to support every member of the community, and businesses of all sizes, including people looking to start their own business.
“West Northamptonshire is a place with some very talented people and huge potential. We have a population of more than 400,000, so the future workforce is right here."
Further funding is available for training and support so young people on the scheme can get a job in the future.
The Kickstart Scheme ends in March, so the council is keen to make sure that people in West Northants area make best use of it.
The following employers attended the event to showcase their recruitment opportunities and Kickstart vacancies:
- Kartsim Ltd
- Moorgate Finance
- Kazpers/McDonalds
- Silverstone Heritage
The purpose of this service is to ensure residents can secure appropriate, sustainable jobs within the West Northamptonshire area and enable employers to find highly skilled staff to grow their workforce.
For more information visit our Employment Support page.
If you are an employer and would like to find out more about the Kickstart scheme, email - [email protected].