The Youth Group & The Kickstart Scheme

Why @JacksonRParsons and @TheYouthGroupHQ became involved in the Kickstart scheme

In September 2020 the Government announced the launch of the Kickstart scheme, a £2 billion employment programme intended to create thousands of new jobs for young people. The scheme is funded by the government, allowing businesses across the country to provide employment opportunities to young people. The scheme offers six month work placements sponsored by the government, but the goal of the scheme is not just to support jobs for six months, but to create sustainable jobs that will remain viable after the period of government funding ends.

The Youth Group’s mission is to improve the odds for young people to help more youth make it. We knock down doors for young people to walk through, unlocking further opportunities. The Kickstart scheme is a landmark opportunity for businesses to hire and develop young people, and by going through The Youth Group, we aim for every young person who applies will get a 1 to 1 session with an expert mentor to talk about their career aspirations whether they’re accepted onto the programme or not.

The Youth Group has been an active participant in the Kickstart scheme, working with numerous businesses including Capita to create hundreds of jobs for young people. With Capita, we’ve created over seven hundred jobs and provided mentors for over a thousand young people looking for work through the scheme. The Youth Group has also hired several young people directly through the scheme.

Speaking recently on a panel about the Kickstart scheme with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, Jack spoke about why The Youth Group became involved in the Kickstart scheme.

Jack Parsons, Founder of the Youth Group said: 

“Young people all across the country need three things: hope skills, and opportunity. The Kickstarter has really helped provide that. Every kickstarter that joins has passion, and energy and hope, and they really want to get onto the ladder and make something of themselves.”

When asked what he looks for in a Kickstart candidate, Jack remarked:

“I call it the duvet flip – what gets you out of bed in the morning, to flip that duvet and be passionate about something?” The Chancellor responded: “We definitely need to get ‘duvet flip’ trending!”