What is the new Youth Contract?
The Youth Contract gives you support to create new, sustainable jobs for young people. It enables you to bring fresh talent into your organisation and build your workforce’s skills base. It is a new initiative that offers employers a wage incentive of up to £2,275 for each 18–24 year old from the Work Programme employed for at least 26 weeks.
How the Youth Contract works
- Each young person will still need to be paid the national minimum wage.
- £2,275 is the full time wage subsidy for 30 hours or more per week.
- A part time wage subsidy of £1,137.50 is available for 16-29 hours per week.
- Payments are made at the end of the 26-week period, but if you are a small company of less than 50 employees then an earlier claim can be made after 8 weeks for a payment of £700 (equivalent to an 8 weeks’ wage incentive).
The benefits of employing an 18-24 year old
- With fewer university places and the current economic climate, more and more young people not in employment, education or training are very bright, articulate and highly motivated.
- These young hopefuls bring fresh perspectives, energy and adaptability to growing businesses.
- Having relevant training from Working Links means they are job-ready, and we provide in-work support for up to two years after recruitment.
- You can claim up to £2,275 for each 18-24 year old you employ.
Recruit the right people with the right skills for your business
For employers looking to take advantage of the new Youth Contract, we provide:
- Fee-free recruitment, giving businesses access to a large pool of job-ready candidates who we match to each vacancy.
- Pre-employment training to prepare candidates for the workplace, including specific training for sectors such as hospitality, construction, customer service and retail.
- Pre-screening management, taking the hassle, time and risk out of recruiting.
- In-work ongoing support, training and liaison to ensure both employer and employee are happy.
- A one-stop-shop for understanding and accessing the wide – and sometimes confusing – range of employer support initiatives available.