Government reaffirms jobs commitment to social enterprises and charities

Government reaffirms jobs commitment to social enterprises and charities @dwppressoffice

The Government’s commitment to supporting the charity sector through its Plan for Jobs was reaffirmed during a meeting with Ministers and social enterprises and charitable organisations.

Baroness Stedman-Scott from the Department for Work and Pensions and Baroness Barran from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, discussed the Kickstart Scheme with leading charities and social enterprises in a virtual roundtable yesterday afternoon (March 2).

They heard from stakeholders about their experiences of the Kickstart Scheme and how it is helping young people take that first step into work in practice, as well as discussing the best ways to promote it among the sector and encourage more applications from charitable organisations and social enterprises.

DWP Lords Minister Baroness Stedman-Scott said:

“It was fantastic to hear today how our Kickstart Scheme has already helped young jobseekers find work with organisations such as the Scouts, Community Organisers and National Citizen Service.

“A career in the charity sector is one many young people may overlook but through this scheme, employers in this vital sector get the chance to attract fresh talent and help the next generation progress in work as we build back better.”

Baroness Barran, Minister for Civil Society said:

“Our dedicated voluntary sector has played a huge role in the national effort against coronavirus. From supporting the homeless to tackling loneliness and social isolation, they have delivered vital work throughout this pandemic. 

“I would encourage all social enterprises and charities to consider using the Kickstart Scheme, to help create opportunities for our young people to develop their skills, show what they can do, and give back through organisations that can enrich other people’s lives.”

So far, more than 120,000 jobs for 16 to 24 year olds have now been created through the government’s flagship scheme.

Kickstart, which has been underway since September, is helping to put young people who have been some of the hardest hit by the economic impact of the pandemic, on the first rung of the job ladder.

It comes as the government recently made it even simpler for employers of all sizes to take part in the scheme – removing the requirement for them to create a minimum of 30 vacancies to apply directly.

To ensure all job placements are high quality, the government will continue to apply rigorous checks on training support and finances.

Background:

• Since applications opened in September, there are now more than 600 approved gateways covering many sectors and all parts of the country.
• Referrals to the Kickstart Scheme will run until December 2021 and is expected to create hundreds of thousands of new job placements.