Essex County Council backed scheme has helped 48 young people secure permanent job opportunities.

IN March last year, Essex County Council (ECC) launched Kickstart Essex, a gateway service for the Kickstart scheme. 

The service provides young people aged 16 -24, who are unemployed and claiming Universal Credit, the chance to apply for Kickstart placements funded by the government. 

As of January 2022, 87% of successful Kickstart finishers have secured work following their placements. 

A total of 48 young people have progressed into permanent employment; 34 of whom were taken on by the businesses that recruited them through Kickstart.   

Whilst the government scheme aims to get young people at risk of long-term unemployment into work experience opportunities for six months, the ECC service offers extra support to businesses and young people, giving them a strong opportunity to secure progression into sustainable employment. 

The benefits of the service provided by ECC are evident and include helping young people with guidance in the workplace and their confidence, as well as appropriate skills training.

Cllr Tony Ball, ECC Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “It’s great to see young people and employers benefiting from the Kickstart scheme. 

“When deciding to become a gateway for the scheme, our goals were to ensure that both employers and young people were supported by us.  This was so that both would have a positive experience and would lead to permanent employment opportunities at the end. 

“I would encourage those that are eligible to contact the team and apply for a Kickstart placement before the scheme closes at the end of March 2022.” 

Melissa is working towards becoming an accountant

Melissa started her Kickstart placement with Accounts Navigator Associates based in Waltham Abbey in May 2021. 

The company has now offered her a full-time role and Melissa has started her Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Level 2, with aspirations to achieve AAT Level 4.  

Her employer Andrea L Richards, 2021 Best Boss Gold Winner of the Best Businesswomen Awards and 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year for The Baton Awards, said: “Melissa is a great asset to our business, and we’re glad she is staying as a permanent feature. She has excelled in all her duties and fits in perfectly with the Accounts Navigator Associates family. My experience with Kickstart Essex has been extremely positive!”

Wayland Games has taken on seven young people from the scheme into permanent positions

Wayland Games, a games manufacturer based in Hockley, has been a popular employer with Kickstart candidates and taken on several young people for placements. 

The company has now offered 7 of those with permanent roles. 

Project Manager Sarah Stacey said: “Overall, the scheme has been a real success, not only because of the candidates’ positive attitudes and behaviours, but they have also made a real impact to the business. So far, we have managed to retain several placements within the business to continue the success. It has also been lovely to watch several candidates grow in confidence and thrive with us!

“Working with Essex County Council as a gateway organisation for the Kickstart Scheme has made the process for us very easy. A BIG thanks to Louise for this as the communication and coordination of filling these roles became very easy and seamless. We also are very pleased that not only this scheme was created, but also that we took part in it because it’s been a huge benefit to the business, especially as many candidates are now on full-time employment and are excelling in their role.”

Three young people are completing their Kickstart placements at Children’s Bookshop, Jaqson Diego Story Emporium 

The independent bookshop in Westcliff-on-Sea has enabled three young people not only to complete their placements but has also provided access to training in courses such as Book Editing and Website Design.

Two of the Kickstarters have been offered permanent positions at Jaqson Diego, in Website Editing and as a Junior Bookseller. One of the young people stated that the scheme has really boosted their confidence and as a result, has now applied to pursue their career in animal care. 

Jacqui Johnson, Managing Director at Jaqson Diego, has had an extremely positive experience and shared her thoughts on the scheme, saying that she and her employees feel they too have gained learning from their new colleagues. 

Thanks to the creativity and knowledge of the Kickstart employees, the bookshop has increased connections and interactions via their social media, creating more interest between customers and authors.

A total of 55 young people have now successfully completed the scheme via the Kickstart Essex initiative.

Kickstart placements prove to be a great way to boost the confidence of people, who may not otherwise explore avenues to learn new skills and pursue career options. 

Through visiting Essex based job centres, the Kickstart Essex team have heard from many young people that a general lack of confidence has affected their job search or move into employment. 

There are still Kickstart vacancies available. For more details contact the Kickstart Essex team at [email protected].

Ends

Notes to Editors:

For enquiries about this press release contact Laura Moore at [email protected].

Find out more about Kickstart Essex at https://www.essex.gov.uk/kickstart-scheme.