Business Advice and Support

Kickstart scheme

The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24 year olds. To support businesses and organisations in Pembrokeshire to access the Kickstart scheme, Pembrokeshire County Council will become a representative for the scheme. As a representative we will partner with you to create the minimum requirement of 30 job opportunities for each application to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Pembrokeshire County Council, as a representative for the Kickstart scheme, will:

• support you to create job opportunities for young people that meet the Kickstart scheme requirements
• check your job opportunity is eligible for the scheme and submit an application to DWP
• work with you to help you provide the information required by DWP to successfully claim payments from the scheme
• claim the scheme funding from DWP and pass it on to you as the employer for the Kickstart job opportunity.

Additionally, Pembrokeshire County Council can offer services to help you to meet the jobsearch and training support requirements of the scheme.

If you are creating opportunities for a young person with a disability or health condition we can signpost you to advice on how the Access to Work scheme can support you as well.

What is the Kickstart scheme?

With the Kickstart scheme, you can create six-month job placements for young people aged 16-24 years who are on Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment.

The job placements you create should encourage workers to develop skills and experience that will be useful to them in the jobs they undertake after the job placement.

How does the Kickstart scheme work?

Funding will cover 100 per cent of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week along with associated National Insurance contributions and the employer’s minimum automatic enrolment contributions. You will need to provide evidence of this expenditure to reclaim from the scheme.

A sum of £1,500 per job is also available for set-up costs, support and training (there will be 7 staged payments, £1500 upon confirmation of start of the job, reimbursement of salary/associated costs monthly in arrears.

You’ll get the funding if your application is successful

Though the scheme itself isn’t an apprenticeship, young people can move onto an apprenticeship (opens in a new tab) at any time during or after their placement.

Am I eligible?

Any business or organisation can apply for the funding, no matter the size, as long as the jobs that are being created are new.

They can’t replace existing or planned vacancies, nor can they cause existing employees or contractors to lose or reduce their employment.

The roles that you create must be:

• a minimum of 25 hours per week, for six months
• paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age group, since 1 April 2020 the rate is:
• 21 - 24 year old rate: £8.20
• 18 - 20 year old rate: £6.45
• 16 - 17 year old rate: £4.55

National Minimum Wage 2020 (opens in a new tab) 

• should not require people to undertake extensive training before they begin the job placement
• what’s more, each application should outline just how the placement will develop the young person’s skills and experience, including:
• support to look for long-term work, including career advice and setting goals
• support with CV and interview preparations
• support for the young person with basic skills, such as attendance, timekeeping and teamwork
• once the placement has been created, it can be taken by someone else once the first applicant has completed their first six-month term.

How to apply

If you want to provide an opportunity through the Pembrokeshire County Council Kickstart representative scheme, you can register your interest online: PCC Kickstart (opens in a new tab) 

If you need help with the process please let us know by contacting us through employability@pembrokeshire.gov.uk and one of our Business Liaison Officers will be in touch to provide support.

When you have submitted your interest for the scheme we will contact you to confirm the next steps.

What you need to provide for the expression of interest

You will need:

• Companies House reference number or Charity Commission number (if applicable)
• your organisation address and contact details
• details of the job placements and their location
• supporting information to show that the job placements are new jobs and meet the Kickstart Scheme criteria (opens in a new tab) 
• information about the support the organisation can give to develop employability skills of young people

If you need support to understand or meet the requirements of the scheme please contact our Business Liaison Officers by emailing employability@pembrokeshire.gov.uk