News: Rotherham businesses urged to make the most of new £3,000 youth jobs grant
Businesses are being encouraged to take advantage of a new government-backed Youth Jobs Grant, offering employers £3,000 for every eligible young person they recruit.
The Youth Jobs Grant was launched following a Downing Street roundtable that brought together government ministers and leading hospitality businesses to support the rollout of the scheme. The funding aims to help up to 60,000 young people aged 18 to 24 take their first steps into work over the next three years while giving employers practical financial support to recruit new talent.
Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the initiative, recognising the opportunity it presents for businesses to invest in young people while helping to tackle ongoing recruitment challenges.
The Chamber also believes the grant comes at an important time. Recent findings from the South Yorkshire Quarterly Economic Survey show many businesses continue to face rising employment costs, increased taxation and weakening business confidence, making recruitment decisions more challenging despite a strong appetite to grow and create jobs.
Eligible employers can receive £3,000 for every qualifying young person they recruit. It is aimed at young people aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for six months or more. Roles must be at least 25 hours per week and expected to last a minimum of four months.
The grant complements a wider package of employer support, including apprenticeship funding, employer incentives, wage subsidies and skills programmes designed to help businesses recruit, develop and retain talented people.
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Allen Simpson, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: "Hospitality is a sector that offers opportunities for anyone, particularly when it comes to helping people back into work.
"The Youth Jobs Grant is a positive initiative to reduce the cost of employment, create more opportunities and support hospitality businesses.
"I’ve been pleased to work with the Government on this and bring together businesses today to discuss how the sector can engage with the Youth Guarantee. The Youth Jobs Grant and the Jobs Guarantee are the key measures in the Government’s £2.5 billion drive to back young people into jobs, skills and opportunity. The Jobs Guarantee, which provides fully subsidised jobs for six months, with the government covering 100% of employment costs, to eligible young people will support more than 1,000 young people across six areas as part of a pilot."
The Jobs Guarantee was set for a national rollout across Great Britain. In six pilot areas it provided fully funded six-month paid work for young people aged 18 to 24.
Shane Young, Operations Director at Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, said: “South Yorkshire businesses want to recruit, invest and create opportunities for local people, but many continue to face significant financial pressures. The Youth Jobs Grant is a positive step that reduces some of the cost of taking on new talent and could give many SMEs the confidence to create roles that might otherwise have been delayed.
“Supporting young people into work is not only the right thing to do, it is an investment in the future workforce our businesses need. However, financial incentives work best when they are part of a wider, long-term approach to developing skills and supporting employers.
“Through the next phase of the South Yorkshire Local Skills Improvement Plan, we are continuing to work with businesses, education providers and partners to ensure local training reflects employer needs. By combining initiatives like the Youth Jobs Grant with apprenticeships and local employment programmes, we can help businesses grow while creating more opportunities for young people across our region.”
As the designated Employer Representative Body for the South Yorkshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber continues to work with employers, education providers and partners across South Yorkshire to ensure local skills provision reflects the needs of business. The next phase of the LSIP will build on this work by strengthening employer engagement, improving pathways into employment and helping address the skills shortages affecting key sectors across the region.
Alongside the Youth Jobs Grant, employers are also encouraged to explore local initiatives such as Pathways to Work Rotherham, which provides wage subsidy support to eligible employers while helping local people gain the skills, confidence and experience needed to move into sustainable employment.
Through the Employment Solutions team in Rotherham, the Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to recruit young people with a paid job role for up to three months that is intended to lead to sustainable employment.
Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber website
Employment Solutions website
Images: Pexels / Cemrecan Yurtman
The Youth Jobs Grant was launched following a Downing Street roundtable that brought together government ministers and leading hospitality businesses to support the rollout of the scheme. The funding aims to help up to 60,000 young people aged 18 to 24 take their first steps into work over the next three years while giving employers practical financial support to recruit new talent.
Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the initiative, recognising the opportunity it presents for businesses to invest in young people while helping to tackle ongoing recruitment challenges.
The Chamber also believes the grant comes at an important time. Recent findings from the South Yorkshire Quarterly Economic Survey show many businesses continue to face rising employment costs, increased taxation and weakening business confidence, making recruitment decisions more challenging despite a strong appetite to grow and create jobs.
Eligible employers can receive £3,000 for every qualifying young person they recruit. It is aimed at young people aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for six months or more. Roles must be at least 25 hours per week and expected to last a minimum of four months.
The grant complements a wider package of employer support, including apprenticeship funding, employer incentives, wage subsidies and skills programmes designed to help businesses recruit, develop and retain talented people.
Advertisement
Allen Simpson, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: "Hospitality is a sector that offers opportunities for anyone, particularly when it comes to helping people back into work.
"The Youth Jobs Grant is a positive initiative to reduce the cost of employment, create more opportunities and support hospitality businesses.
"I’ve been pleased to work with the Government on this and bring together businesses today to discuss how the sector can engage with the Youth Guarantee. The Youth Jobs Grant and the Jobs Guarantee are the key measures in the Government’s £2.5 billion drive to back young people into jobs, skills and opportunity. The Jobs Guarantee, which provides fully subsidised jobs for six months, with the government covering 100% of employment costs, to eligible young people will support more than 1,000 young people across six areas as part of a pilot."
The Jobs Guarantee was set for a national rollout across Great Britain. In six pilot areas it provided fully funded six-month paid work for young people aged 18 to 24.
Shane Young, Operations Director at Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, said: “South Yorkshire businesses want to recruit, invest and create opportunities for local people, but many continue to face significant financial pressures. The Youth Jobs Grant is a positive step that reduces some of the cost of taking on new talent and could give many SMEs the confidence to create roles that might otherwise have been delayed.
“Supporting young people into work is not only the right thing to do, it is an investment in the future workforce our businesses need. However, financial incentives work best when they are part of a wider, long-term approach to developing skills and supporting employers.
“Through the next phase of the South Yorkshire Local Skills Improvement Plan, we are continuing to work with businesses, education providers and partners to ensure local training reflects employer needs. By combining initiatives like the Youth Jobs Grant with apprenticeships and local employment programmes, we can help businesses grow while creating more opportunities for young people across our region.”
As the designated Employer Representative Body for the South Yorkshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber continues to work with employers, education providers and partners across South Yorkshire to ensure local skills provision reflects the needs of business. The next phase of the LSIP will build on this work by strengthening employer engagement, improving pathways into employment and helping address the skills shortages affecting key sectors across the region.
Alongside the Youth Jobs Grant, employers are also encouraged to explore local initiatives such as Pathways to Work Rotherham, which provides wage subsidy support to eligible employers while helping local people gain the skills, confidence and experience needed to move into sustainable employment.
Through the Employment Solutions team in Rotherham, the Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to recruit young people with a paid job role for up to three months that is intended to lead to sustainable employment.
Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber website
Employment Solutions website
Images: Pexels / Cemrecan Yurtman
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