Kickstart success, despite national shortfall

More than 80 young people have been helped into employment through our Kickstart scheme in North Lincolnshire, in a bid to boost the economy and strengthen local workforces.

Kickstart is a government initiative providing free funding to create six month placements, paying national minimum wage, for people aged between 16-24 and receiving Universal Credit.

Despite reports of the scheme failing to deliver nationally, to date we has placed a total of 88 people into jobs. Of those, 27 are still completing their placement, 13 have been taken on permanently and 20 have found other employment.

Jo Cooke was employed as a Greenkeeper at Messingham Grange in Scunthorpe through Kickstart, and has since become a permanent member of staff.

When asked about his journey he said: “I loved my placement and am loving my job even more. I always wanted to work outdoors and there’s so much crossover with my degree so I get to pursue my passion too.

“I’ve been given training, but I’ve also developed my confidence and that has been just as important for me.

“I work with a great bunch of people and the support I’ve received from them and Ongo has been great. I’d recommend Kickstart to anyone struggling to find a job, it may lead to a career.”

At the end of each placement, if permanent employment is unavailable, we work with individuals to continue to develop their employability skills and apply for further opportunities.

Maryanne Fitzgerald, Engagement and Enterprise Manager at Ongo said: “We have been blown away with the success of Kickstart since launching. Not just with people looking for work, but from fantastic local organisations wanting to provide opportunities too.

“It’s a truly fantastic and life changing initiative and we can’t shout enough about it, to have helped over 80 people makes us so proud.

“We take all of the hard work out of finding a candidate, making sure they’re the right fit and accessing funding, so if your organisation would like to provide a placement, please get in touch with us.”

Some businesses working with us include The Black Door bar, Tolsa, Corrboard, Hall Farm, Two Sisters Food Group, Oakley Fabrications, QK Honeycomb Products Ltd and IAC Group. With roles available in a range of sectors from care, hospitality, administration, sales, warehouse, food manufacturing, floristry and teaching.

To find out more about the scheme visit www.gov.uk/kickstart.