Bedfordshire Chamber , in collaboration with Hertfordshire Chamber and Wenta, will break down barriers for small businesses to access the Kickstart scheme.
Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, Wenta and Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce are working in partnership in order to become an 'intermediary' for small businesses in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and North London to access the Government Kickstart Scheme.
The scheme is the latest business support initiative announced which will provide funding to employers in order to create new job placements for 16 to 24 year olds.
The scheme has received recent scrutiny from small businesses across England due to the strict eligibility criteria set of having to have a large minimum number of jobs available in order to be able to qualify. Through this partnership, Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and Wenta, will break down this barrier for small businesses and enable all SMEs across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and North London to be able to access the scheme, regardless of how many placements they will be able to provide.
Want to register your interest for the scheme?
If you're a Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire or North London business, you can now register your interest for this scheme at https://www.chamber-business.com/kickstart and we will be in touch with instructions for the next stage once further details have been announced from DWP.
Before applying, please read the below eligibility requirements.
The Kickstart Scheme job placements must:
• Be for a period of 6 months
• Be for at least 25 hours per week (employers can pay for more hours)
• Be paying at least the National Minimum Wage through PAYE (employers can pay more if they wish to do so)
• Be paying the statutory employer duties for the health, safety and welfare for young people, National Insurance and pension contributions
• Include support for young people to help them get work after they finish their Kickstart Scheme job
• Not replace any existing or planned jobs
• Not cause existing employees or contractors to lose or reduce their employment
