Barnsley College team up to Kickstart work placements for young people

We want to ensure young people who may have left College last year can access placements to boost their employment prospects.

The six month placements are open to those aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit and at risk of long term unemployment.

Through Kickstart, the Government will fund 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. In addition, businesses taking on a Kickstart candidate can apply for £1,500 per job placement available for setup costs, support and training.

There will also be extra funding to support young people to build their experience and help them move into sustained employment after they have completed their Kickstart funded job.

As part of Love Our Colleges Week Barnsley College want the Government to invest in young people and skills so that no-one is left behind. The College believes that an investment in support of higher educational attainment is an investment in the workforce of the future.

Yiannis Koursis, Principal and CEO of Barnsley College, said:

“Young people have been adversely effected by the Coronavirus pandemic and we must ensure that locally we work together to support them. At the same time, there is a skills shortage across the region, and our young people are ideally placed to help plug the gaps, boost businesses, and help our regionally economy recover.

“We have many talented students who completed their education with us last summer who are now looking for employment. If you think you could offer a young person a placement please get in touch to discuss how we can help provide the employability support they need to progress.”