Approved DWP Kickstart Scheme partner

WorkAdvisor is an approved Kickstart Gateway Organisation and to date have successfully represented over 300 employers in their bids for funding through the Kickstart Scheme, as well as having sorted over 200 placements within the Kickstart scheme.

Why place your bid through WorkAdvisor? Well,  not all Gateways are the same. We take the time to get to know you and your business and provide support through the bidding and recruiting process managing the time consuming and complex procedures involved:

  • We place and track your bid
  • We take care of the financial claims you will need to make and your reimbursements
  • We carry out the required monitoring and reporting to the DWP
  • We provide accredited employability skills training for all kickstart placements, as required by the DWP

In short we take the hassle out of a difficult and time consuming process.

Approved Government Gateway

WorkAdvisor is an approved Kickstart Gateway Organisation and to date have successfully represented over 100 employers in their bids for funding through the Kickstart Scheme.

Employers of all sizes can apply for funding which covers:

  • 100% 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 6 months
  • Associated employer National Insurance contributions
  • Employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions
  • Up to £1,500 per job placement for setup costs, support and training

Employers can spread the start date of the job placements up until the end of December 2021.

DWP Kickstart scheme - Key requirements of employers

Your company must meet DWP eligibility
Any sized organisation from any sector can apply, but you must be a registered limited company or charity with a minimum of 12 months trading history, filed annual accounts and no outstanding HMRC or VAT debts. Your placement bid must be proportional to the number of staff that you currently employ.
The positions must be new and created for the Kickstart scheme
Kickstart roles must be new jobs and a minimum of 25 hours per week over 6 months. They must not replace existing or planned vacancies or cause existing employees or contractors to lose or reduce their employment - apart from that, they can be anything. You can apply for funding for as many roles as you like at a time, as long as it’s under 30.
You must provide on the job training and support plus “Employability Skills” Training
The DWP give a prescribed level of training and coaching that will prepare the placement for looking for long term work. As Gateway it is our responsibility to ensure that this training takes place and we have bespoke distance learning programme which we carry out with your placement.

Why Choose WorkAdvisor as your Kickstart Gateway

We make it easy for employers to apply for and recruit fully funded staff through the DWP Kickstart scheme and we have an excellent track record of success. The process is easy:

Apply to our Secure Gateway

Fill out our quick sign up form. It takes less than two minutes to complete, we just need a few details about your business and the type of roles you’re planning to offer.

Get a decision

The DWP will review the applications to ensure they’re compliant and then we will let you know once funding has been granted. This process usually takes 2-3 weeks, but we will keep you informed of progress.

Selecting your candidate

Applications are made through your local Jobcentre Plus but it is possible for you to refer qualifying candidates. You then recruit as normal, interview and select the candidate best suited to the role.

  • A successful bidding track record with the DWP (please note that not all Gateways are DWP approved).
  • We take the time to get to know the employers we represent and will guide you through the bidding process
  • Full support through the bid process and working with your Job Centre to recruit successfully
  • Low administration and set up fees
  • Employability Skills Training to DWP standard

How can we help you?

Acquire talent, engage with your people, measure satisfaction and improve performance.

The WorkAdvisor proposition is unique, as well as acquiring talent for your business we measure levels of staff satisfaction and talk to you about where the challenges may lie and how to address them.