During Treasury Questions on Tuesday 1 February, Gedling’s Conservative Member of Parliament Tom Randall said “I recently visited Severn Trent in Gedling and they told me how impressed they were with the Kickstarters that the company had taken on.”
Tom went on to ask the Chief Secretary to the Treasury “Can my Right Honourable assure me that he is working hard to encourage more companies and organisations to… get even more people back into work?"
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury replied: “I completely agree with what [Tom Randall MP] has said. Kickstart is delivering valuable jobs and work experience to young job seeks at risk of long-term unemployment.
“Although Kickstart closed to new applications on 17 December, we are generally delighted by the response of employers. As I have noted over 122,000 Kickstart jobs have been started so far and we expect more in the period between now and the end of March. Employers should continue to engage with DWP Job Centres and support the new Way to Work campaign – getting more people into work.”
As part of the Plan for Jobs, launched in September 2020 to support jobs during the pandemic and help us build back better, the £2 billion 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.
Speaking after Treasury Questions, Tom said, “The Conservative Government’s Kickstart Scheme is helping to ensure no young job seeker in Gedling is left behind as we recover from the Coronavirus pandemic.
“I am delighted that over 70 young people across Gedling, and more than 122,000 nationwide, have accessed this scheme which is giving them the best possible start in the workplace and helping them into a high wage, high skilled job. Although new applications to this scheme have now closed, I encourage employers across Gedling to engage with Job Centres and support the new Way to Work campaign.”
As we move out of the pandemic, with restrictions lifted and life returning to normal, the ‘Way to Work’ campaign will focus on getting job-ready people off Universal Credit and into work, rapidly filling vacancies which are at a record high.
