Why the Kickstart scheme to cut youth unemployment could end up as a government own goal

The £2bn scheme, which offers fully funded work placements for unemployed young people, requires smaller employers to find an intermediary to apply for them if they want to take part. It has been criticised by business groups as a result, writes James Moore

The scheme is aimed at tackling youth unemployment (PA)

The government kicked the young people behind its social media outpourings into high gear for the launch of its Kickstart scheme. It opened for business with a veritable Twitter blitz. Multiple ministers, departmental websites, MPs were all enlisted to trumpet the policy. It was followed up by the inevitable round of broadcast interviews.

A lot of political capital was expended, and understandably so. Covid-19 disproportionately hurts the old. The economic impact of the pandemic is falling most heavily on the shoulders of young people whose employment prospects are at their dimmest in decades. Apprenticeships and entry level posts have all but dried up.

Enter Kickstart. “This isn’t just about kickstarting our country’s economy – it is an opportunity to kickstart the careers of thousands of young people,” declared chancellor Rishi Sunak.