Young people must be given the opportunity to find roles that offer more than a paycheque

#Kickstart has the potential to put young people on a career path that fulfils their purpose, and revives the UK economy 

The impact of the pandemic has not been felt equally across the UK. Some of those most affected have been young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, who we know have been significantly put back in terms of educational outcomes, and are now at greatest risk of unemployment.

Schools, Colleges and Universities are all working hard to close gaps between the most and least advantaged, and now, with government support, Employers are better able to do the same. For the (Kickstart) scheme to be truly successful, it must have long term impact for young people and employers. This will lead to better outcomes for individuals, and also sustained economic recovery in the UK.

Young people need help to understand which roles could support their longer-term ambitions

Young people must be given the opportunity to find roles that offer more than a paycheque. They need help to understand which roles could support their longer-term ambitions and how. Roles need to help them build towards a future that they are motivated by, one that is driven by purpose. Individuals who are motivated by their roles are more likely to stay with an employer, deliver better outcomes, and have a better sense of wellbeing.

Jobs should be embedded with long term training and education opportunities, whether that is on-the-job training, access to apprenticeships or valuable work experience that can be built upon with technical or professional qualifications in the future. Creating a culture of learning has the potential to impact on staff across an organisation, improving performance across the business.

The devil is, of course, in the detail

Targeting the scheme in areas of greatest disadvantage, those areas with highest levels of unemployment, will impact on whole communities as young people make (sometimes the only) contributions to household income and provide role models for their peers.

At its best, Kickstart has the potential to put young people on a career path that fulfils their purpose, and sets in train a revived UK economy built on continuous improvement and starts to turn around our most deprived communities. The devil is, of course, in the detail.

Well thought through implementation, with clear communication will be key to Kickstart’s success.