Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria are used to assess the (a) appropriateness and (b) quality of jobs aimed at young people as part of the Kickstarter scheme.

To be viewed as both appropriate and of the required quality, a Kickstart job placement must be a new role and develop the young person’s employability. For the job placements created with Kickstart Scheme funding to be new jobs, they must not replace existing jobs, or cause existing employees, apprentices or contractors to lose work or reduce their working hours. The job placements must also be a minimum of 25 hours per week, last for 6 months and pay the relevant national minimum wage for the age of the participant.

As well providing important work experience to the participant, each job placement will also provide employability support for the young person. As well as on-the-job skills development, this support could include help with looking for long-term work, including career advice and setting goals or support with curriculum vitae (CV) and interview preparations.