Following the introduction of the government’s Kickstart Scheme in August 2020, Livv has recruited 15 young people from the Knowsley borough. Nearly half of the kickstarts have now completed their placement and successfully progressed into full-time roles or apprenticeships.
The UK-wide Kickstart Scheme was launched by the government to help people aged 16-24 get into work. The initiative provided funding for employers to create new six-month job placements for young people who were on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.
As the Kickstart deadline came to a close on 31st March, Livv had registered 15 young people on the scheme – nine of whom were also a customer living at one of its properties.
Seven out of the 15 have now completed their placements and successfully kickstarted their careers:
- Two secured permanent jobs at Livv and one was successful in joining Livv’s apprenticeship scheme
- One secured a permanent position with a Livv contractor
- One secured an external apprenticeship, meanwhile two secured external full-time, permanent roles.
The remaining eight kickstarts are due to finish their placement this summer, where they will then get the opportunity to interview for one of Livv’s apprenticeships should they wish to.
As one of the largest apprenticeship providers in Knowsley, we take great pride in helping young people to develop their skills and confidence to flourish in the future, therefore it was our pleasure to get involved with the Kickstart Scheme.
We recruited across the business in our Maintenance, Assets, Customer Service and Customer Insight teams and the goal was to ensure that each young person got as much from their placement as possible. Each individual received 1-2-1 mentoring throughout their six-months with us and when nearing the end, our Neighbourhood and Community Investment Officer worked with them to provide support including mock interviews, CV workshops, and links to partners and employers within our network.
I am really proud of those who have gone on to secure employment after a successful placement and am looking forward to watching those who are still with us, continue to grow and develop over the next few months.
The Kickstart programme offered funding from the government for up to 25 hours work but Livv funded each placement for up to 30 hours.
These additional paid hours enabled training in English and Maths, which is a basic standard for most employers, helping to set the young people up for success in the future. It also enabled access to Mental Health and Wellbeing support, workshops and training with industry experts as well as job shadowing across the Group.