Kickstart Scheme at Shropshire Council
For other vacancies with Shropshire Council please see our job vacancy pages, and learn more about what other opportunities we have in the drop-down sections below.
The Kickstart Scheme was a government-led, £2 billion-funded scheme which ran from September 2020 till 31 March 2022 which sought to create hundreds of thousands of high-quality, six-month job placements for young people aged 16-24 who claimed universal credit and were at risk of long-term unemployment. The scheme was implemented in response to the disadvantages that Covid-19 presented to young people in terms of the opportunity to find suitable paid employment.
Placements were fully subsidised by the government, and there was extra funding to support young people to build their experience and help them move into sustained employment after they'd completed their Kickstart-funded job. Specifically, employers received funding for 100% of the relevant national minimum wage for 25 hours a week, plus associated employer national insurance contributions and employer minimum auto-enrolment pension contributions.
The benefits for the Kickstarters were access to support in looking for long-term work, support with CV and interview preparation, and training to develop their skills.
Those interested in the Kickstart Scheme discussed it with their work coach and then expressed their interest in a role or roles. Once their work coach sent referrals to the employer, the young person was enabled to send an application form. After this, they would wait to hear back about an interview. If the interview was successful, steps were taken to get the new Kickstarter into their role.
Learn more about how we supported the scheme and Kickstarters in the sections below.
Kickstart Scheme at Shropshire Council
We've created 60 placements for eligible young people over the past 12 months (since February 2021) as part of the government’s nationwide Kickstart Scheme.
From the 60 placements created, we've supported 35 young people into placements within the council, offering a variety of roles including digital skills trainers, administrative officers, handyperson assistants and data assistants.
The placements have enabled young people to gain new skills, build confidence and flourish in the workplace. A total of nine Kickstarters have managed to gain further employment with the council, with five moving into apprenticeship roles.
Read our Kickstarter stories to see how Kickstart has really impacted their opportunities and opened new doors to further development:
- Alexander Hilbert took up a Kickstart scheme placement as a digital skills trainer
- Ben Clayton worked with the supported employment team Enable as a Kickstart business development officer
- Chloe Milward was our first Kickstart placement
- Hugo Laing was a Kickstart asset management assistant. Read how he has made an impact with our Property & Development team
- Matthew Weaver found a new passion through his Kickstart placement as a Kickstart triage administration officer
- Kai King was an education management support assistant
- Felicity Cook was a Kickstart libraries volunteer coordinator
Read more about the Kickstart Scheme with us below, and how these participants have since been accepted into apprenticeships with Shropshire Councils area:
- Charlie Vaughan was a Kickstart SEN administrative assistant, and is now in a business administrator level 3 apprenticeship
- Chloe Milward gives us an update in 2022. Read how she was a Kickstart family information services administration assistant, and is now in a Children, Young People and Families practitioner level 3 apprenticeship
- Oliver Bowen was a Kickstart project support officer, and will be starting a data analyst level 4 apprenticeship
- Ryan Jones was a Kickstart HR/OD administration assistant, and will be starting a payroll administrator level 3 apprenticeship
- Zoe Lewis was a Kickstart Schools Library Assistant, and is now in a Library Information and Archive Services Assistant apprenticeship.
Read on to see how these participants have since been employed by Shropshire Council.
- Alexander Hilbert gives us an update in 2022. Read how he was a Kickstart Digital Skills Trainer, and is now working as an ICT Service Desk Analyst.
- Matthew Weaver gives us an update in 2022. Read how he was a Kickstart Housing Options Administration Assistant, and is now working as a Triage Support Officer.
- Paris Bates was a Kickstart Client Property Administration Officer, and is now working as a Client Property Administration Assistant.
Keep checking back for more case studies. Last updated 6 April 2022.
Support and other opportunities
Apprenticeships are offered at Shropshire Council. Visit our careers pages to search for current opportunities, and our 'Apply for apprenticeships' page for guidance and tips for applying, and tips for interviews. Learn more about apprenticeships and apprentices' experiences at Shropshire Council by visiting our 'Apprenticeships at Shropshire Council' page, where you'll find case studies, our ‘Apprentice snapshots’ for a brief insight, and recommended websites.
The Step Up programme from the Enable team offers young people aged 15-24 across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin access to one-to-one support with a designated key worker. Those participating in the programme will benefit from training, education or employment opportunities in their local area. A variety of communication methods will be used to deliver training, including face-to face and Teams meetings, emails and phone calls.
Find out more by visiting the Enable website, phone 01743 276900 or contact the team on email on step-up@shropshire.gov.uk