Livv Housing Group has demonstrated its continued commitment to creating flourishing communities by taking part in the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, which aims to help young people into work.
The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new job placements for 16-to-24-year-olds who are claiming Universal Credit and at risk of being stuck in long-term unemployment. This issue has become all the more crucial because of the impact of COVID-19 on the jobs market, which has hit young people hardest.
Livv has committed to recruiting 30 people between the ages of 18 and 24 in 2021. The Kickstart programme offers funding for up to 25 hours work but Livv will be funding each placement up to 30 hours.
These additional paid hours will enable training in English and Maths, which is a basic standard for most employers and will set young people up for success into the future. It will also enable us to provide access to Mental Health and Wellbeing support, workshops and training with industry experts as well as job shadowing across the Group.
Knowsley Community College is involved with the programme and will be offering applicants a two-week educational programme to prepare them for their interviews, assisting in the recruitment process and providing some of the training throughout the programme.
Livv is proud of the support it provides for young people to reach their full potential. Livv is one of the largest apprenticeship providers in Knowsley, having created another 18 positions in its workforce for young people in December 2020. It has already helped around 150 young people secure roles over the past eight years. In addition, Livv offers pre-apprenticeships, work experience, mental health support and mentoring for young people with The Girls’ Network.
Léann Hearne, Chief Executive Officer at Livv Housing Group, said: “Helping young people in Knowsley to see beyond some of the barriers to employment, access opportunities and build on their talents and capabilities is a key aim of our Community Investment Strategy. The work that we do is life changing for the young people who join us and in many cases is ground-breaking. Building aspiration in our young people is needed now more than ever because of the negative effects of the pandemic on the jobs market. For that reason, I’m delighted that we are involved with the Kickstart Scheme and look forward to seeing some wonderful achievements from the new cohort of apprentices. There is a wide array of opportunities with roles available in our Maintenance, Risk & Assurance, Asset Management, Customer Service and our Social Impact teams.”
“We are proud of the package of support we have put in place for each young person who joins us. We will work with each of them to ensure they take as much from the placement as possible, whilst giving them the confidence and skills to go on and secure permanent employment afterwards, either with ourselves or with another employer.”