CII to cooperate with government's Kickstart Scheme

36 insurance and financial advice companies will provide offers in the coming weeks

CII to cooperate with government's Kickstart Scheme

Insurance News

By Gabriel Olano

The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) will work with the government’s Kickstart Scheme, acting as a gateway organisation and allowing broader participation in the programme.

In a statement, the CII said it has received approval from the Department for Work and Pensions to arrange job placements for 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long-term unemployment.

It added that 36 insurance and financial advice companies, including Zurich, Aston Lark, Foresight Financial Planning, Willis Owen, will provide job offers to 58 youngsters in the coming weeks.

After these initial job placements have been filled, CII said it will contact its insurance and personal finance members to see whether they can accommodate additional job placements.

The government’s Kickstart Scheme provides companies with funding to create new job placements, which must be additional roles rather than already existing vacancies. The funding covers the entirety of the National Minimum Wage (or the National Living Wage depending on the age of the participant) for 25 hours per week for a total of six months.

It also includes associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment pension contributions.

Employers can spread the start date of the job placements up until the end of the year.

The minimum application for the Kickstart Scheme is for 30 job placements. The CII working as a gateway organisation for the scheme allows companies that cannot meet the minimum number of 30 placements to participate.

“We want to assist those who may struggle to find work due to COVID-19 access a rewarding career in the insurance and personal finance profession where everyone can help consumers with their money matters,” said Manuel Thompson-Oloko, early careers manager at CII.

“We hope these job placements will result in throwing open the doors to long-term careers for individuals who may not have previously considered the insurance and personal finance profession. This is a profession keen to attract fresh and diverse talent.”

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