When the Government announced the Kickstart scheme in Autumn 2020, no one quite expected the huge appetite and demand for placements that support businesses and that help out of work young people to find jobs.
Real Ideas was approved as a Government gateway for the scheme in 2020 and to date has secured 189 placements for more than 55 employers. With a success rate of 92% (percentage of placements confirmed from those requested) we are a high performing gateway organisation with a strong track record of providing the right support and working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
We have secured placements across a wide range of sectors from creative organisations like Stiltskin Theatre to positions with award winning gaming companies such as Triangular Pixels, as well as exciting roles in hospitality with the likes of Rick Stein’s.
These placements will create real opportunities for young people and with some jobs being available to start in the next few months, you can expect to see roles being advertised through job centres shortly.
To be eligible to apply for a Kickstart placement, young people must be aged between 16 and 24, be claiming universal credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. All applications for the placements will be made via the job centre, so eligible young people should contact their work coach to be put forward for the opportunities that they are interested in.
All of the placements that we have secured will be available to view through our Opportunity Bank – all young people need to do is sign up as a free member to see details of all the amazing opportunities they could apply for (all applications still need to be made via job centres, but seeing all of the opportunities we have secured, in one place, is pretty inspiring and we hope will spark lots of interest!)
The Government has recently changed the rules for the Kickstart scheme so that employers of all sizes can apply directly to the DWP if they want to. The great news is that Real Ideas can continue as a gateway, so if you’d like to take advantage of our experience, support and success rate with the scheme so far then you absolutely still can.
As a Gateway organisation we will handle the admin required for your application and will actively advocate with the DWP on your behalf. We also have a range of support packages on offer which are designed to make placements the most successful they can be for both employers and young people.
To find out more and to make an application through us for the next round of Kickstart click here.