Issue - meetings

Kickstart Work Experience Programme

Meeting: 09/12/2020 - Cabinet (Resources) Panel (Item 6)

6 Kickstart Work Experience Programme pdf icon PDF 196 KB

[To seek approval to proceed with the Kickstart Work Experience Programme within the Council]

 

Decision:

1.      That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Economy, in consultation with Director of Regeneration to:

 

a.      Approve the Council entering into the required grant agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the Council to employ young people aged 16-24 years old at risk of long term unemployment on the Kickstart scheme.

 

b.      Approve the Council entering into required grant agreements with DWP for the Council to act as a Gateway for businesses in the city to deliver Kickstart work experience placements to young people aged 16-24 years old.

 

c.      Approve payments of grants to employers who are approved as Kickstart work experience providers by DWP, funded from DWP grant.

 

d.      Approve reimbursement of Kickstart salaries to employers who participate in the scheme through a claims process agreed with DWP, funded from DWP grant.

 

e.      Approve the Council entering into back to back grant funding agreements with employers participating in the scheme.

 

f.        Approve the creation of the necessary supplementary budgets to deliver the scheme.

 

2.   That it be noted that the delivery of support to employers and Kickstart participants would be provided through the Council’s Enterprise and Skills teams, through Wolves at Work and Education Business Partnership as part of a traded service to employers.

 

3.   That it be noted that the Council would be responsible for putting in place the appropriate financial management processes to reimburse Kickstart salaries for participants employed by employers approved for the Council Gateway.

 

4.   That it be noted that the Council would be responsible for managing finance, audit and compliance requirements of the scheme in its role as a Gateway.

 

5.      That it be noted that approval would be sought in the Revenue Budget Monitoring 2020-2021 Report presented to Cabinet (Resources) Panel also at this meeting for the use of £98,000 over an 18 month period from the Recovery Reserve to fund a project team for the Kickstart Work Experience Programme.

Minutes:

The intention to make a key decision on the report ‘Kickstart Work Experience Programme’ at the meeting was not publicised in advance as required by the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.  The decision was urgent and could not be reasonably delayed for the following reasons:

 

·        Wolverhampton currently has the third highest percentage of youth unemployment in England at 15.9% with a total of 3380 young people claiming benefits (NOMIS September 2020).  This has more than doubled since January 2020. This scheme would assist in responding to the urgent issue of youth unemployment in our city by placing young people in paid work who are claiming Universal Credit in Wolverhampton.

 

·        There are currently 122 work experience placements ready to be submitted to DWP for approval before they can be offered to young people in our city.  The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) approval process takes up to 30 days and therefore a further 28 days would mean that decisions to offer placements in Wolverhampton could then not realistically start take place until at least February 2020.

 

·        The Kickstart work experience scheme is time limited and all placements need to be submitted and approved by DWP before December 2021.

 

In light of the above, consent had been obtained for the key decision to be made at the meeting under the General Exception provisions.

 

Councillor Stephen Simkins presented the report on a proposal to enter into a grant agreement with the DWP to deliver the Kickstart Work Experience programme. The programme was part of a package of measures announced by Government to provide enhanced support to young people and employers as a result of the pandemic. The programme provided funding to employers to create new six-month work placements for 16-24 year olds on Universal Credit, who are at risk of long term unemployment. It was proposed that the Council support the programme by offering an initial cohort of 30 work placements within the Council up until December 2021; providing a co-ordinated Gateway offer to employers through the Council’s Enterprise and Skills teams ensuring that employers and young people are supported.  The Gateway would initially support up to 150 work placements; and to offer funded support packages for young people who are taking part in the programme. The proposal would support the Council's commitment to create more jobs and opportunities for young people across the city.

 

The Chair added that the proposal was part of a major push to get many of the city’s young people back into employment.  He hoped that as many businesses in the city take up the opportunity to participate in the programme.

 

Resolved:

1.      That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Economy, in consultation with Director of Regeneration to:

 

a.      Approve the Council entering into the required grant agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the Council to employ young people aged 16-24 years old at risk of long term unemployment on the Kickstart scheme.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6