What is the Kickstart Scheme?

The Kickstart Scheme is a job placement of up to 6 months for young people 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 placement.

How does the Kickstart Scheme work?

Funding will cover 100 percent 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.

Though the scheme itself isn’t an apprenticeship, participants can move onto an apprenticeship on completion of the placement.

Once the placement has been created, it can be taken by someone else once the first applicant has completed their first six-month term.

Is my business eligible?

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

The placements cannot replace existing or planned vacancies, nor can they cause existing employees or contractors to lose 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

Employers can use funds to upskill and equip young people with the skills required to add value in business.

How do I apply for the Kickstart Scheme?

If you are creating fewer than 30 placements, you must partner with an organisation to reach the minimum number.

Mantra Learning has been successful in being chosen as an official gateway organisation to help small businesses to get involved in the scheme. This enables us to complete the application on your behalf, as well as administering payments and providing a full wrap-around training and support programme that will compliment your placement.

How are the training and support delivered?

Each application must outline just how the placement will develop the participant’s skills and experience.

A sum of £1,500 per job is available for set-up costs, support, and training. As part of Mantra Learnings Kick-start Gateway service, we will use this funding to provide each participant with a tailored package that will include training and support both before the commencement of the placement and during. This includes:

• Career advice, support with CV and interview preparations
• Specialised Logistics training including Health and Safety, Warehouse skills, customs and excise admiration, customer service, FLT, LGV, industrial deep clean, and more…
• Basic PPE equipment required for the role.

What does the Mantra training package include?

You can select from 5 different packages that will develop your participant in several key competencies for a variety of Logistics job roles.

• LGV
• Warehouse
• Logistics Administration
• Courier
• Contact Centre