The announcement of several dozen home or hub-based job opportunities for young people has been enthusiastically welcomed by West Cornwall MP Derek Thomas.
The St Agnes company Smart Working Revolution has registered around 40 roles across Cornwall for the Government’s Kickstart scheme for unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds in fields such as Social Media, Marketing, Procurement, Editorial, PR, Economic Development, HR Admin, Video Makers, Data Analysis and content writing.
The Kickstart Scheme, launched last September in response to Covid, provides funding to create new job placements for 16 to 24 -year-olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment and, from the start of last month, the criteria was changed so that employers are able to apply to the Kickstart Scheme without a minimum threshold of 30 jobs.
The funding pays for 100% of the National Minimum Wage (or the National Living Wage depending on the age of the participant) for 25 hours per week for six months as well as NI contributions.
Mr Thomas said the scheme was providing exactly the right sort of support for young people.
“Only a couple of weeks ago, I hosted a meeting to discuss how best to build on the opportunities that Covid has opened up in terms of showing the benefits of remote working or working in one of the many hubs that have sprung up across the county in recent years.
“The challenge we discussed was firstly, how to attract employers to consider the remote or hub working model so that people in more remote locations like Cornwall can enjoy the same opportunities as elsewhere, and secondly how to ensure that these jobs, when available, can be filled by young people who are struggling to access well-paid employment.
“So it’s great that the Kickstart scheme has provided the support which is encouraging a number of companies, including the Bridgetech Group, The Business Brain, Smart Matching, Custerian and Crowdfunder, to look to Cornwall to recruit young people into potentially well-paid and fulfilling careers that won’t require them to commute long distances or move out of the county.”
Ruth Gawthorpe, CEO of Smart Working Revolution which registered the jobs, said: “The young people will receive training to give them all the technical knowledge they will need and they will also be given the smart skills required to build good working relationships and build up two-way trust with both their employer and clients.
“There is no doubt that this opportunity can set you up for a successful career and the common denominator for all these roles is that the successful applicant will be working for thoughtful leaders who understand how the workplace is changing.
“I’d urge anyone interested to get in touch straightaway - some of the roles have a deadline which runs out in just a few days.”
Anyone interested in applying must be claiming Universal Credit and can talk to their job coach about the roles on offer; simply quote the code KS335FCEBF – Kickstart.
