NEW FIGURES have revealed 140 young people in Worcester are now in employment thanks to the Government’s Kickstart scheme.
As part of the Plan for Jobs launched last September to support jobs during the pandemic, the £2billion Kickstart Scheme pays businesses to create high-quality jobs for 16-24 year olds on Universal Credit.
The scheme gives young people the opportunity to find work, develop their skills, and get a crucial first step on the career ladder.
A total of 100,000 young people across the country have now started a Kickstart job across all types of employers, ranging from sole traders to some of the biggest companies in the country.
More than 215,000 jobs in total have been made available for young people to apply to across a range of sectors, including digital, creative and media and retail.
Over the last month, on average more than 3,400 young people have started a Kickstart job each week, and the scheme was recently expanded and extended until March so more young people can benefit from it.
The figures were welcomed by Worcester’s MP Robin Walker who said: “The pandemic has been particularly tough for young people, especially those looking for a job – as the economy recovers, we need to ensure that young people aren’t left behind.
“There are a number of government schemes getting people into work and I am glad to see this paying off.
“We must continue our efforts to increase the number of people in work and finding a job for people where they can grow their skillset so training leads to long term prospects for young people.
“The Kickstart Scheme is helping to deliver on the priority of levelling up opportunity across the UK – getting 140 young people into work in Worcester helps those people achieve their potential, as well as boosting employment across the country.
“This will give more young people a great start in the workplace – helping them get a high wage, high skilled job,” he added.
