Lincolnshire recruitment firm FC JobSearch is offering businesses across the county the chance to boost their workforce for free and help kickstart a young person’s career.

The online recruitment specialist, which donates 50% of their profits to Lincoln City Football Club, has signed up to serve as a gateway for the UK’s Kickstart Scheme.

Announced by the Chancellor as part of the Plan for Jobs, the scheme will create hundreds of thousands of new job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.

The Government will fully fund each Kickstart placement – paying 100% of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage, National Insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week.

There is also £1500 per job placement available for setup costs, support and training.

CEO and Founder Crispin Vitoria explained: “Initially when the scheme was announced employers had to create a minimum of 30 job placements to be eligible. However, smaller businesses who only want to hire one or two Kickstarters, can now also apply for funding by going through a gateway like FC JobSearch.

“To qualify for the scheme, there are certain obligations employers must fulfil to help the participants develop their skills and experience, such as helping them look for long-term work, prepare for job interviews or supporting them with basic skills, such as attendance, timekeeping and teamwork.

“Our Kickstart Gateway service has been designed to take the burden away from the employer. We’ve set up an online training and support service which employers can use to guarantee they have fulfilled their obligations to the government and employee.

“Our recruitment experts can also filter all of the placement applications and reference check the successful candidates.”

As part of the government’s Plan for Jobs, the £2 billion Kickstart Scheme will give young people – who are more likely to have been furloughed, with many working in sectors disproportionately hit by the pandemic – the opportunity to build their skills in the workplace and to gain experience to improve their chances of finding long-term work.

Once a job placement has been created, it can be taken up by a second person after the first successful applicant has completed their six-month term and there is no limit to the number of applicants per employer.

One of the businesses applying for funding through FC JobSearch is Lincoln-based video production company Wallbreaker.

Video Producer Ash Wilks said: “We have signed up to the Kickstart scheme with FC JobSearch to help us find a new video producer.

“We know that some companies won’t be offering fulltime employment to their Kickstarter at the end of the six months, however, we will. Training a new producer can take up to four months so having their first six months funded through Kickstart means that we aren’t losing money whilst getting them up to speed.”

Crispin added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for small businesses to take advantage of the enormous pool of potential talent out there, while helping young people to get a foot on the career ladder.

“Interest in scheme has been really high so we’d encourage employers to get in touch as soon as possible, before the best talent gets snapped up!”

If you are interested in applying for the scheme through FC JobSearch, register your interest at https://www.fcjobsearch.com/kickstart or email crispin@fcjobsearch.com

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