The government has expanded its Kickstart work placement scheme for 16 to 24 year olds, to include employers with 30 or fewer vacancies.
The scheme, which has been underway since September, is aimed at getting young people on the first rung of their career ladder. The scheme provides partial funding for high quality six-month work placements.
They will be aimed specifically at people aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit and are deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment, and has been used by poultry businesses including 2 Sisters Food Group.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Thérèse Coffey said: “Kickstart has moved up a gear and I encourage employers to join us and invest in the next generation of talent by joining our Kickstart scheme.
“By removing the threshold of a minimum 30 jobs for direct applications, we are making it even simpler to get involved.
“Now is the time to prepare for post-lockdown placements and employers will now have a choice to apply direct or through one of our 600 fantastic Kickstart gateways who may be locally connected or sector-specific providing that tailored support.”