Sussex Chamber comments on the changes to the government Kickstart scheme.
Responding to changes to the government’s Kickstart scheme, including the removal of the minimum placement criteria of 30 job placements for small businesses, Ana Christie, CEO, Sussex Chamber said:
“Since this scheme was announced, we have experienced numerous challenges and delays on the government side. I am pleased to say though, applications are now being processed however we continue to experience delays and need the backlogs cleared by government. Furthermore, a speedier process is needed to upload job vacancies onto the job centre portal, so businesses can start to interview and recruit young people.
As a Gateway organisation and as approvals are being received, we ensure businesses are aware of the training provision available in the area. The whole £1,500 is passed onto businesses, to help them train and develop young people’s skills. We will continue to work with businesses and FE Colleges to offer a great value for money service and ensure we play our part in supporting the Sussex economy.
Chambers of Commerce have always played a leading role in developing local skills plans that reflect the needs of employers in their areas, working closely with colleges, councils and other partners. Supporting young people and economic growth in the area has always been at the heart of us being a Gateway organisation. We firmly believe that businesses are best served by working with a Kickstart Gateway who can take on much of the administrative burden for them.”
(Ana Christie, CEO, Sussex Chamber of Commerce)
Dan Shelley, Executive Director at East Sussex College Group added: “We have been working closely with Sussex Chamber to provide pre-placement training support as part of our £1m pledge to support young people and adults upskill during the pandemic.
By aligning our skills budgets to the support Kickstart provides employers, we have really started to link up programmes locally and would welcome the opportunity to continue this partnership and offer employers and young people as joined up an approach as possible.”
Sussex Chamber has already secured over 250 placements from 130 employers, with a further 160 placements from 60 companies currently awaiting approval from government. The Chamber will continue to act as a Gateway organisation and is open to all businesses in the region. The Chamber has always accepted that this scheme is designed to tackle what will be a growing issue of youth unemployment over the next few years as we recover from the economic crisis and it is paramount that the needs of the Employer and the Young Person are at the heart of any Gateway offer.