PMA Kickstart Scheme

space

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to benefit from the Chancellor’s £2bn investment.

The PMA has been appointed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) as a Gateway provider for this UK-wide initiative (excluding Northern Ireland). We are now accepting applications from employers for one or more placements for Kickstart.

The scheme provides a much needed, valuable and talent-rich resource to GP Practices, Dental Practices and Care Homes throughout the UK. This is especially relevant with the immediate increase in workload due to the delivery of the national COVID-19 vaccination timetable.

DWP is delighted to be working with the PMA across the UK and is providing full support to help us deliver a high-quality programme to young people most in need. This will help ease the increased workload being placed on GP Practices, Dental Practices and Care Homes during these challenging times.

Currently, there are around some 900,000 young people eligible for Kickstart, an increase of over 50% since 2019 and the Chancellor has pledged £2bn of support to help counter this situation.

The Govt new Kickstart Scheme is a £2 billion fund to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6-month work placements aimed at those aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit and are deemed to be at risk of long term unemployment.

Kickstart Scheme funding for each placement will cover:

100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage (or the National Living Wage depending on the age of the participant) for 25 hours per week for a total of 6 months
Associated employer National Insurance contributions
Employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions
Employers can pay a higher wage and for more hours but the funding will not cover this.

Kickstart Employee (placement)

The 6-month placement will support the participant develop the skills and experience they need to find work after completing the scheme.

The scheme will help the young person become more employable. This could include:

Looking for long term work, including career advice and setting goals
Support with Curriculum vitae (CV) and interview preparations
Developing their skills in the workplace

End of placement choices

Employ the participant
Turn the participant into an apprenticeship
Release participant with excellent work and employability skills
Employ another participant

See our FAQ section further down the page.

space

Imagine how exciting it will be for a young person to be part of this!

Listen below to Stacey Chapman (PMA)
and Russell Arroyo (DWP) discuss KICKSTART

The next PMA Kickstart webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, 21st April 2021 from 12 noon until 12.45 pm. Use the button below to register.

KICKSTART WEBINAR

If you can’t make it, the original webinar aimed at helping you understand what the PMA KICKSTART Scheme is about is available here.

KICKSTART WEBINAR RECORDING

What are the benefits to the employer?

No costs incurred by the GP practice, Dental practice or Care Home
Fully government funded 6-month work placement
PMA provides full vetting and recruitment of suitable applicants free of charge
Kickstart employee working 25 hours per week, fully funded including NI and pension contributions
GP practices, Dental practices and Care Homes receive an additional £300 grant to cover PPE, uniform and other associated costs
Full Primary Care and Social Care aligned training programme provided by PMA tutors & coaches
PMA weekly monitoring with employee and employer to ensure the placement is a success
On completion, the Kickstarter can progress as an apprentice employee fully supported by PMA
GP practices and Care Homes can then benefit from even more government funding, up to £3000 per apprentice.

Our goal is to maximise the opportunity of 6-months employment by ensuring both parties are completely satisfied with the placement. We will focus on the person, work relationships and gaining of skills, rather than just the employability sessions, as mandated by DWP.

Join the GP Practices, Dental Practices and Care Homes who are getting so much more out of the PMA KICKSTART Scheme.

The PMA KICKSTART Scheme naturally leads to greater opportunities for employment in the future and smooth transitioning onto apprenticeship programmes, where feasible. We believe it is better to enhance experiences that will go on a CV rather than simply spend time learning how to write one.

space

FAQs

What type of job roles can a Kickstart employee do?

A Kickstart employee can undertake any legitimate job role within the health and social care environment, subject to the appropriate levels of training and supervision. The Kickstart Scheme is designed to enable young people to have real-life work experience and as such, there is no prescriptive list of job roles.

Can Kickstart employees work across a PCN?

Yes, for sure. We are seeing a great number of PCN’s using one or more Kickstarters to support their workload. The Kickstarter will need to be employed by either one of the practices or, for example, a federation.

Does it matter how large the practice is? Could a small practice have more than one Kickstarter?

Yes, depending on how many employees you have. The Kickstart Scheme works on a 1:3 ratio.

How will you advertise for our potential Kickstarter employees?

We work with DWP and the Job Coaches based at the Job Centres and they will put candidates forward to the PMA to be interviewed for the vacancies before we provide a short-list of suitable candidates to you.

Do you have a bank of young adults who are keen to become Kickstart employees?

The Jobcentre Plus has a bank of young people who are now eager to gain employment skills and PMA will draw on these.

Are we involved in the agreement of the placement rather than just being sent one?

Yes, the PMA will prepare a short-list of candidates appropriate for you to interview. The final decision on which candidate(s) to employ, is yours.

Are there any rules regarding the times the Kickstart employee would work?

No, they are required to work 25 hours and the hours and times would be agreed with you as the employer. The working time rules are in line with government regulations for a person’s age.

Is the £300 grant per placement or per application?

It is per placement so you will get £300 per Kickstart employee.

When is the grant paid?

After the Kickstart employee has started their placement.

Are the 25 hours set days/hours?

This is decided by you as the employer. The 25 hours can be spread over the working week and it’s your choice.

What is the age range for Kickstart?

The current age range for Kickstart is from 16 to 24 years.

Do we employ them and claim the money back or are they paid externally?

They are employed by you and you will be fully reimbursed by the PMA each month as the Gateway Provider.

Is it a set hourly rate?

The hourly rate is the relevant National Minimum Wage (or the National Living Wage depending on the age of the participant) for 25 hours per week for a total of 6 months.

What are the current National Minimum Wage Rates?

National Minimum Wage Rates

	23 and over	21 to 22	18 to 20	Under 18
April 2021	£8.91	£8.36	£6.56	£4.62

https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage

What about sickness?

As per your standard employment contract, you will pay sick leave as you would normally for an employee. This will be reimbursed too.

What about holidays?

As per your standard employment contract, you will pay holiday entitlement as you would normally for an employee. This will be reimbursed too.

What happens if the Kickstart employee does not work out?

We can address this with you and if we are jointly unable to resolve any issues we would look to replace the Kickstart employee.

After the 6 month period is the practice obliged to keep the Kickstart employee?

There is no obligation for you to keep the person when they complete their 6 months Kickstart, however, we have a number of options and will work with you to determine the most appropriate course of action.

Can we take them on after 6 months but not under an apprenticeship?

Yes, if you decide to offer them a permanent position this does not have to be via an apprenticeship.

What are the financial implications should a placement leave before the end of the 26 weeks?

There are no financial implications for you, should the Kickstarter leave before the end of the placement. You’ll be reimbursed for their last monthly salary as usual. And the £300 Grant you received at the start of the placement, is yours to keep.

Are the Kickstart employees restricted to 25 hours or can they work overtime if required?

The government will reimburse you for the 25 hours per week and yes, you can offer the Kickstarter more hours, but this will be paid by you and not by the government.

Will the PMA carryout DBS checks or would we need to do them?

The organisation would be required to complete the DBS.

As the DBS has a cost for each employee, would the employer be required to fund this as they may only be with us for 6 months?

As the employer, you will carry out the DBS process and any costs will be drawn by you from the £300 grant you receive at the start of the placement.

What training will they receive?

The PMA will agree a training plan that will support each individual with mandatory employability skills, along with additional training to include our e-learning programme, Excellence in Supporting Healthcare.

How will the young person be supported?

The young person will have a named workplace mentor. In addition, they will receive pastoral support from a member of the PMA team, along with learning support from a qualified PMA tutor.

What happens after the 6 months if you cannot offer a position?

If, after the 6-month placement, there are no employment opportunities, then the Kickstarter simply leaves your employment. At this stage, we’ll work with the Kickstarter and Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches to help find suitable employment or other opportunities.