Surrey Chamber of Commerce helps 420 young people get off Universal Credit and into work
"It has been a joy to watch and we hope it will help avoid a mass unemployment situation amongst the young people of Surrey..."
Surrey Chamber of Commerce has helped 420 young people get into work via the Kick Start scheme since it was announced in last June.
The placements for 16-24 year olds are with 120 businesses across the county.
The government's £2 billion scheme was designed to help individuals on Universal Credit back to work, through paying employers to take on young staff on six month placements.
They fund all of the national minimum wage for 25 hours a week.
Firms can also apply for £1,500 per job placement for setup costs and training.
Surrey Chambers of Commerce has helped smaller companies only wanting one or two new joiners.
A chamber spokesman said: "Seeing these matches made helps both businesses and young people.
"It has been a joy to watch and we hope it will help avoid a mass unemployment situation amongst the young people of Surrey."
Roni was a beauty therapist before previously, but has retrained and now works for Team Medic, a company providing medical cover to sport and other private events.
She explained: "Shortly after the pandemic hit I was made redundant. A friend introduced me to the Kickstart Scheme so I decided to apply.
"I knew that I wanted to be in a more formal business environment that would challenge me and develop skills that I could use in the future.
"The application was quite simple and after a successful interview, I started in the new position of Business Administrator at Team Medic.
"The skills I am developing now are those that I can carry forward into another job opportunity, although I’m hoping to keep working at Team Medic for quite a while longer.”
Meghan could not find a job after completing her university degree, but was taken on by A4C accounting firm.
She noted: “The scheme came at the right time for me. I was applying for endless jobs within my related field and was starting to get disheartened with the lack of replies.
"It has opened my eyes up to new careers that I would not have considered before."
