As the Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out his ‘Plan For Jobs’ in July 2020, he recognised that the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic were hitting young people particularly hard. 

In response, the Government wanted to generate new jobs and opportunities for them, and so the £2 billion ‘Kickstart’ programme was born.  

Through Kickstart, employers were asked to create new jobs for any 16 to 24-year-old who was claiming Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.  

In return, employers would receive a government grant of £6,500 to pay the young person’s wages for six months and cover any overheads. 

Having been operating since September 2020, the Kickstart programme finally comes to an end in March 2022, so now is an important time to ask some important questions.  

Did Kickstart actually kickstart new jobs for 16 to 24-year-olds? Did the programme reach those young people who needed it the most during the pandemic? And did spending £6,500 of government money on every new job represent good value for taxpayers? 

To give us their views on these questions and much more besides, we are joined today by two guests who have followed Kickstart from the beginning. 

Kathleen Henehan is a Senior Research and Policy Analyst at the Resolution Foundation, and Tracy Fishwick OBE is managing director of the Transform Lives Company in Liverpool. 

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