Kickstart Scheme

The Kickstart Scheme makes up part of the Government’s ‘Plan for Jobs’ skills and employment programmes, which also include Apprenticeships, T Levels and Traineeships. This programme is designed to help young people become more employable.

The Kickstart Scheme offers six-month jobs for young people aged 16 to 24 years old who are currently claiming Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment. Not only will you have a young person working for you, funded by the Government, you will also be supporting them to develop transferable skills that are aimed at increasing their chances of sustained employment.

www.gov.uk/guidance/kickstart-scheme-for-employers

It is a requirement of the scheme for employers to provide Employability Skills training to their Kickstart placements. Employability skills not only describe a set of expected skills around time management, organisation skills, teamworking skills, etc that nearly all employers are looking for, they also include learnable skills around career readiness that allow people to successfully forge their own career path in the long run.

Buckinghamshire Adult learning can provide the employability skills training for your Kickstart employees, which will complement the support that you are providing in the workplace.

Our training package is fully funded for most, subject to residency and eligibility checks.

Our Employability Skills Training Programme which is delivered for Kickstart placements are part-time, usually only 2-4 hours a week, and help your employees gain new qualifications that will boost their employability and confidence for the future.

Our courses are designed to meet DWP requirements, are fully trackable and auditable for DWP reporting and can be customised to meet employers’ and individuals’ needs:

• Training delivered by our trained tutors
• Training takes place online or where required in our Centres across Buckinghamshire
• An individualised pathway will be identified following initial assessment, this will contain a combination of:
  • Twelve-week distance learning e-portal using a combination of interactive workbooks, tutorials and face to face sessions
  • Courses building on basic skills: English, maths and/or digital skills
  • Sessions on CV health, job searching and interview skills
  • Advice on next steps to provide future support after the programme