What is Kickstart?

Kickstart is Government initiative which provides funding to organisations to create jobs for young people 16 – 24 years of age, claiming Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.

The aim of the scheme is to provide young people with a meaningful employment experience, helping them to develop key transferable skills which will enable them to gain long term employment after completing a 6-month placement. Recruitment for Kickstart will be managed by the Department of Work and Pensions and all roles will be advertised within Job Centres.

What is BVSC Kickstart?

BVSC Kickstart is a unique offering which will allows businesses who have been informed by the DWP that they are not eligible for Kickstart funding to realise the benefits of being involved in Kickstart. You may be a business or organisation that has:

• not been a registered charity or Limited Liability Company for more than 12 months
• has had previous applications for Kickstart rejected
• has limited capacity to make applications for Kickstart and fits the above criteria

We will work closely with you to manage the creation of role descriptions, completing all DWP paperwork for each placement, managing the relationship with the DWP, assisting with administration of the recruitment process and on boarding of the participant once they have been successful recruited.

Is BVSC a gateway organisation?

BVSC Kickstart is not a gateway organisation. We will apply for Kickstart funding as an employer and will be responsible for the employment of the Kickstart participants who in turn will be placed with you as the Host organisation. A Placement Agreement will formalise the arrangement.

From our previous experience with managing employability programmes, this model works well for organisations within our sector as we can support you with your HR needs.

You will benefit from having a young person join your workforce and the skills that they bring without having recruitment or staffing costs affect your budget.

If you are not a gateway, how will the funding that is granted be used?

Funding from the DWP will cover the following costs:

• Salary, National Insurance and Pension contributions for the participants
• Employability training

We will use the remainder of the funding to administer the scheme. You will receive a personalised service with one point of contact who will be able to guide you through the process and provide you with full HR support during the placement.

What happens after a participant has been recruited?

Once a participant has been recruited, we will establish a contract of employment between BVSC Kickstart and the participant and place them on our payroll. We will then put in place a Placement agreement between BVSC Kickstart and you as the host organisation which will outline the terms and conditions of the placement.

How will BVSC Kickstart help manage the placements?

We will provide you with HR support for the duration of the placement, assisting you in managing the placement by providing you with supervision paperwork, and regular checkpoints with the participant and yourself, the host organisation, to ensure that the placement is progressing as anticipated. We will support you to manage the participant and track their progress and development.

Contact us. For all enquiries about BVSC Kickstart, please email [email protected]. 

Take a look at our Kickstart Leaflet here