Guidance

Apply for a Kickstart Scheme grant through a Kickstart gateway

If you're an employer looking to create jobs for young people, a Kickstart gateway can apply for funding on your behalf until midday on 17 December 2021.

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published
13 September 2021
Last updated
19 November 2021 — See all updates

This guidance was withdrawn on

Applications for the Kickstart Scheme closed at midday on 17 December 2021.

Check the deadlines for completing other Kickstart Scheme tasks.

Find out about other employment schemes you may be eligible for.

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Employer guidance

Kickstart Scheme applications close at midday on 17 December 2021.

Check the other deadlines for completing Kickstart Scheme tasks.

  1. Find out how the Kickstart Scheme works and check if your organisation is eligible to apply

  2. Apply online for a Kickstart Scheme grant or apply through a Kickstart gateway

  3. Your Kickstart gateway will then submit your vacancies.

  4. Get the young people into the jobs

  5. Manage your funding through your gateway

If you’re a Kickstart gateway, check the guidance for gateways.

Before you apply

Find out how the Kickstart Scheme works.

You also need to check if your organisation is eligible to apply.

What you need to give your Kickstart gateway

You will need to give them:

  • your Companies House reference number, Charity Commission number or Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator number, if you have one
  • your organisation address and contact details
  • details of the jobs and their location

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) performs due diligence checks on all employers using the Cabinet Office Spotlight tool.

Tell your Kickstart gateway your jobs are new and created just for the scheme

The jobs must not:

  • replace existing or planned vacancies
  • cause existing employees, apprentices or contractors to lose work or reduce their working hours

Tell your Kickstart gateway:

  • how many employees you have
  • about changes to your workforce in the last 6 months and why (for example redundancies and changes to hours worked by existing staff)
  • the number of people affected by changes to your workforce in the last 6 months
  • about the kinds of roles, functions and average salary of those who were made redundant or who had their hours reduced in the last 6 months
  • if you would be able to create these jobs without Kickstart Scheme funding and what funding source you would use
  • what recruitment you have completed, started or paused in the last 6 months, including how similar these vacancies are or were to the roles you are creating for the Kickstart Scheme
  • if the jobs will be similar to existing or planned roles or the roles previously done by those made redundant or with fewer working hours, why you are using Kickstart Scheme funding to create similar roles
  • if you’ve engaged with any relevant trade unions and any advice the unions have given

How you will support young people to become more employable

Some Kickstart gateways may offer to do all or some of this for you. You can discuss your needs with several Kickstart gateways before choosing one.

For the application, your Kickstart gateway will need to tell DWP:

  • what support will be offered (for example helping them with writing their CV and preparing for an interview)
  • when you will provide this support (for example halfway through their job or towards the end)
  • how many hours it will take to provide the support
  • who will provide the support (for example you may already have a pre-existing relationship with training providers)
  • how you will monitor this support
  • how the young person can provide feedback during their job and afterwards, and how this will be acted on

You get £1,500 funding per job for setup costs and support. If someone else helps you do some of this, you’ll have to agree how you will share this money.

Apply through a Kickstart gateway

A Kickstart gateway can be any type of organisation, such as a local authority, charity or trade body. They will act as an intermediary and apply for funding on your behalf.

They may also provide employability support to the young people in the job on your behalf.

Kickstart gateways will:

  • gather information about the jobs you’d like to offer
  • share this information with DWP on your behalf
  • pay the funding to you (for example the young person’s salary)

Applications to the Kickstart Scheme are closing soon.

After midday on 17 December 2021 your Kickstart gateway will not be able to:

  • apply for a new Kickstart Scheme grant
  • add more jobs to an existing grant agreement

We will process applications submitted before this time or that are already in progress.

Learn more about the Kickstart Scheme closure.

You can apply online as an employer until midday on 17 December 2021 if you’d prefer to manage these tasks on your own.

After you have applied

We’ll aim to email your Kickstart gateway with a decision on the application within 2 weeks.

  1. Your Kickstart gateway may ask you to sign a grant agreement that will exist between you and them.

  2. They will have to submit vacancy details on your behalf before 11:59pm on 31 January 2022.

  3. Your vacancies will go live once we’ve approved them.

  4. Work coaches at Jobcentre Plus will refer young people to your vacancies (‘referrals’) until 1 March 2022. A referral is made when we recommend your vacancy to a candidate. This does not guarantee the candidate will put in an application.

  5. You or your Kickstart gateway (depending on your agreement with them) interview suitable candidates who have applied.

  6. The young person must start the job on or before 31 March 2022.

  7. Your Kickstart gateway should tell us by 11:59pm on 30 April 2022 that the young person has started so we can process the funding.

  8. Your Kickstart gateway can add more jobs to your existing grant agreement until midday on 17 December 2021 if they meet the criteria.

You can advertise vacancies yourself, but all jobs must receive an introduction through a DWP work coach to receive full funding.

Get help with the application process

Contact your local or national Kickstart Scheme contact if you need help with the application process.

Updates to this page

Published 13 September 2021
Last updated 19 November 2021 + show all updates

  1. Added deadlines for completing Kickstart Scheme tasks.

  2. Added information about Kickstart Scheme applications closing on 17 December 2021..

  3. First published.

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