Historic England’s Gateway application has been successful with its first 100 placements to be recruited over the next 11 months. Placements go live from April.

Kickstart Scheme Background

In the middle part of 2020, the government launched its new Kickstart scheme, aimed at providing six month paid work placements specifically for 16-24-year-olds who are claiming Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.

The Grant Recipient will use the Grant funding to develop work skills and finding future employment. An opportunity has been created for individual organisations to join a Gateway to aid in the employment of young people for this scheme.

  • The jobs will have the same expectation on the employee to improve and develop.
  • The jobs will enable the employee to build up skills that will lead to sustainable employment.

Employer Requirements

To qualify to take part in this scheme your organisation must be one or both of the following:

  • A registered organisation with Companies House.
  • A charity with a PAYE system registered on the Charity Commission Website
  • Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator number
  • Councils and other Arm’s Length Body organisations can also apply under this scheme and will be required to provide the relevant business details for your organisation.

Sole Traders, Partnerships and friends’ groups are not eligible to apply for this scheme.

  • Employers can stagger the start date of the job placements up until the end of December 2021.
  • Kickstarters who are recruited in December 2021 can remain in post for the full 6-month term with employers retaining grant funding.
  • Placements must be a minimum of 25 hours per week, for 6 months.
  • They should be paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age group.
  • They should not require people to undertake extensive training before they begin the job placement.
  • All funded placements will receive employability support known as Wrap Around Training by an organisation procured specifically for this scheme by Historic England. The remainder of is bursary will be at the employer’s disposal to enhance their employee’s personal development.
  • Employers will need to provide IT access to the Kickstart employees to enable them to complete the Wrap Around Training programme

Bursaries

The DWP will reimburse employers (through the Gateway) costs associated to:

  • 100% of the National Minimum Wage for 25 hours per week for a total of 6 months
  • Associated employer National Insurance contributions
  • Employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions

Kickstart Scheme wages and bursary costs will be paid directly to Historic England for every Kickstart employee. These funds will be transferred to the employer to reimburse their Kickstart employee costs once the DWP has confirmed that your employee is enrolled and set up on your PAYE system.

Any top up in wages, hours or pensions will be at the employer’s own costs.

The DWP will also provide a £1,500 bursary for each employee recruited under this scheme to support the mandatory skills and development programme (Wrap Around Training), set up cost and additional essential skills training associated with the employee’s role.
a proportion of this bursary will be help by Historic England to pay for the Wrap Around Training for your employee, leaving the remainder at the employers disposal.

Kickstart Scheme wages and bursary will be paid directly to Historic England per Gateway employee. These funds will be transferred to the employer to reimburse their Kickstart employee costs.

Applications

For external employers who wish to join Historic England’s Gateway.

  • Processing time for applications through the DWP are averagely 3 weeks.
  • Job descriptions collation and submission to the Jobcentre 3-4 weeks.
  • Processing time for Job Centre Plus to source, recruit and recommend applicants to Historic England 2 weeks.
  • Average recruitment timescale for recruitment process between HE and partner organisations 1-3 weeks.

This provides Historic England an average two half to three-month window from the processing of the DWP applications to the employment of Kickstarters for internal and external placements. April applications will see employees in post by May 2021.

If your organisation would like to join our Gateway consortium and be represented by Historic England please contact Daniel Cook, Kickstart Placement Advisor for further information. Daniel.Cook@HistoricEngland.org.uk