The ones left behind by the Government’s Kickstart Scheme
With the recent clarification of the application process and eligibility criteria for the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, we wanted to share with you our thoughts about who we feel has been left behind, and why it’s important that we continue to strive for a better work placement process.
The small businesses
Our fear around the Kickstart scheme is that it will force young people into unfulfilling and short-term jobs within large corporates. The vibrant community of small and micro businesses that we work with have so much to offer to young people, and so much to gain from hiring young talent too, but the inaccessibility of this funding will stifle their ability to create those opportunities.
SMEs currently account for 50% of turnover & 60% of jobs in the UK economy. Their ability to continue their work and grow their teams is fundamental to the economic recovery following COVID-19. To benefit from the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, a business has to offer at least 30 roles, at 25hrs per week. Even though there is the option to apply for the scheme as a collective, for many of the micro-businesses in our community hiring having to hire for very specific roles in a nearly full-time capacity is hard for them to invest time into. Many of the small businesses we work with do so because they have fluctuating, project-based work that they need to flex their capacity for.
Our programme not only helps businesses to access talent on a more flexible basis, but it also allows them to explore (with our support and guidance) how young talent might be able to grow with their business. More often than not businesses use our programme as an opportunity to test-the-water with what type of roles might be worthwhile investing in hiring into more permanently. It’s also really important in tight-knit teams for small businesses to hire people who share their values instead of focussing on a very specific skillset. This makes small businesses a great place for young talent to connect with inspiring mentors and have space to grow and learn, but the government needs to truly invest in giving small businesses access to additional funding to be able to offer their time to mentor and nurture talent.
Three young men and two laughing young women walking side by side (Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash)
The young people not known to the DWP
It’s really important to quickly address the unemployment figures for young people as being out of work and feeling undervalued can have huge knock-on effects for people’s confidence and motivation. However the government has stated that businesses will only be eligible for the scheme if they hire the young people referred directly by them. Throughout working with young people on our programme, we found that while some of the unemployed young people are known to the DWP due to benefits claimed, others have been unable to access the support due to their situation, or have been reluctant to access it due to stigma surrounding benefits. So although they are unemployed and need help with finding paid work, they do not come into contact with the DWP and therefore would not be eligible for the Kickstarter scheme. Additionally, there are millions of talented young people who are underemployed who will also miss out on the opportunities this scheme presents. While they might be technically employed, and thus cannot claim Universal Credit, their their income is often very low and unreliable due to zero-hours or part-time contracts. We work with a handful of people who came to our work placement programme because we offer paid experience that can flex around their other commitments. Many of the young people we work with do shift-work in retail and hospitality and our programme gives them the opportunity to invest in their careers in a way that traditional apprenticeship or internship schemes don’t.
The facilitators and intermediaries
Our work is all about bringing a community of small businesses together to provide flexible and paid work experience for unemployed or underemployed young people so it makes sense for us to apply for the kickstart scheme in partnership with our existing members. The amount of resource we invest into coaching our young people and businesses to build effective relationships is something the government scheme has completely overlooked in their funding. Employers need training and support to know how to nurture and develop talent just as much as young people need support with employability skills.
This kickstart scheme could potentially help us to offer more paid work for young people and support more businesses. However, we are cautious, as even the small grant available for representatives to cover admin costs simply would not suffice for the length of the scheme. A lot of work happens behind the scenes to make our programme an inclusive and fair opportunity that is it. Elements such as recruiting the young people and pairing them with businesses while ensuring that their working relationship will be mutually beneficial takes time and knowledge of how people work together. As for the Government scheme the young people must be hired through the Department of Work and Pensions, we expect that this process may be time consuming and will probably not meet the needs of small businesses or the young person, both in terms of skillsets and interests the young person may possess, but also the quality of work a business may have.
Through our scheme, we are investing time in creating a long lasting, sustainable community which values SMEs and creates opportunities for young people. Be a part of it. Get in touch by email or book a chat.
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