Kickstart Scheme FAQ’s

Following the latest Scottish Golf Zoom Panel Call, which took place in partnership with The Wise Group, we are pleased to provide all affiliated clubs with additional information about the Government’s new Kickstart Scheme.

We have developed the below set of FAQ’s to support clubs who might be interested in expressing their interest in the scheme.

If you would like to express your club’s interest in the scheme, please click here.

Kickstart Scheme FAQ's

What is the Kickstart Scheme?

Kickstart is a new government employment scheme where businesses can receive funding for 6-months employment of an under-25 year-old who is currently on Universal Credit.

Do you need to offer a minimum of 30 roles to be eligible?

No. Scottish Golf recognises that a single employer might not be able to meet the requirement of 30 job placements. Therefore, we are now looking to gauge interest from clubs across Scotland to understand whether this is a project we can work on collectively to reach this number.

To express your interest, simply fill out the form here.

What are the benefits to my business?

You will get a new junior member of staff, fully funded, for six months to help support your business, and you give someone their first step into working in our industry.

Can we choose who our company employs?

Employers will be able to choose how they advertise the post, i.e CV and Cover Letter or 1-1 interview. Employers will also write their own job descriptions, interview and choose the employees; however, the candidates will come via the Universal Credit Portal.

What funding do we get as an employer?

The placements will be funded for 25 hours a week at national minimum wage, and also covers national insurance and pension contributions. In addition to this, the employer gets £1,500 per placement to cover the costs of equipment, training and other associated new-starter costs.

Can we increase the hours offered?

You can increase the hours offered to full-time but the cost of this would need to be covered by the employer.

Can we increase the pay offered?

If you wish to pay above the National Minimum Wage, you are able to. Again, this would be at the employer’s discretion and would not be covered by the scheme.

What are our obligations as an employer?

You must help the participants to develop their skills and experience. This would include support to look for long-term work, help with CV and interview preparation, and training to develop their skills. You can provide this support in-house or through external organisations like The Wise Group.

What type of roles does the Kickstart Scheme cover?

The job placements created with Kickstart Scheme funding must be new jobs. They must not:

replace existing or planned vacancies
cause existing employees, apprentices or contractors to lose work or reduce their working hours

The job placements must:

be a minimum of 25 hours per week, for 6 months
pay at least the National Minimum Wage or the National Living Wage for the employee’s age group
only require basic training