Clarion Housing Group leads consortium that will create more than 800 new 'kickstart' jobs for young people

Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest provider of affordable housing, has secured approximately £6m in funding from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to create more than 800 new job placements for unemployed 16-24 year olds across England and Wales.

Clarion is leading the Kickstart Housing Partnership: a consortium of 59 organisations, including 44 in the housing sector, that will create new Kickstart roles under which the government pays 100% of the national minimum wage for the six month work placement.

Clarion Housing Group will be directly employing 301 young people. The roles and opportunities will be varied and Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group, will provide in-work support and training throughout the process. Every young person will be assigned a mentor, who will help them to develop basic work skills and access additional opportunities.

The wider consortium will provide more than 500 additional placements. Following the success of this initial bid, Clarion will be making further applications for funding to support additional job placements on behalf of consortium members. By the end of the programme the aim is to have delivered more than 1,000 placements, making a real difference to young people nationwide.

To apply for a Kickstart role, you need to be aged 16-24, living in England or Wales and on Universal Credit.

Supporting people into work

Clare Miller, chief executive of Clarion Housing Group, said:

“Clarion has a proud record of supporting people into work and I am delighted we will be giving opportunities to hundreds of young people to start their careers in housing."

“The Kickstart Scheme is a very welcome initiative, helping young people to access opportunities and fulfil their potential. It is a great example of government and the housing sector working together to meet the challenges we all face as we recover from the pandemic.”