Kickstarted into employment

There are approximately 39,000 people in Haringey in receipt of Universal Credit.

Of these, government statistics reveal that there were 16,900 Universal Credit claimants across the borough actively seeking a job, as of August 2021.

There are employment gaps for disabled people and Black and minority ethnic communities in Haringey. Even before Covid-19, the local economy contained structural labour market challenges.

In September 2020 the government launched its £2billion Kickstart scheme to help jobseekers on Universal Credit aged 16–24-years-old gain skills, and find lasting work in a job market disrupted by Covid-19.

A joint investigation published last year by the Evening Standard and The Independent revealed that 21% of youths in London are without a job.

According to the investigation, youth unemployment in the capital rose by 55% to 105,000 since the start of the pandemic. This figure is five times the national job rate of 4.3% for all ages.

As of November 2021, there were just 96,700 young people on the Kickstart scheme in the targeted 250,000 roles, which were meant to be totally filled by December 2021.

These statistics suggest that the Kickstart scheme has failed in its attempt to curb the spike in youth unemployment. Tottenham MP David Lammy said: “The repercussions for a society of sustained unemployment among young people is horrific — they lack a stake in society and in their communities.

“We can’t have another generation that is routinely unemployed for longer than a year. We have to guarantee these young people work, otherwise we will all pay the price dearly.”

Elizabeth Lahav and Olivia Wakeford, co-managers of Tottenham-based dance company Streetz Ahead, have seen the benefits of the Kickstart scheme. So too, have the four young people they’ve been able to employ as a dance assistant, videographer, mentor, and an arts administrator.

Elizabeth said: “[The young recruits] have made a difference in so many ways. “We were adamant from the start that the Kickstarters we took on would have the potential to join our company at the end, so we have worked hard to ensure that they had training programmes set up, with constant support and guidance.”

The trainees have been offered training courses specialising in mental health, first aid, and safeguarding.

Alex Rose, 23, has been providing mentoring sessions to the children at Streetz Ahead, as well as covering dance classes whenever needed.

He said: “I felt welcomed from the start.

“A lot of support was given; I’d never be left alone to do something I didn’t understand yet.”

Jayda Calloo, 18, another young person on the scheme, who is working as a videographer, reported stark differences before and after Kickstart.

She said: “It’s given me something to do every day so that my life never gets boring or repetitive, especially because I’m doing work that I actually enjoy.”

The Department for Work and Pensions has said it “acted quickly and decisively to support young people impacted by the pandemic”, and that it is “supporting more than 21,000 young people into Kickstart jobs in the capital.”

It added: “We’re committed to helping young people get their foot on the ladder.”