A HOUSING association based in Basingstoke is offering opportunities to 40 young people in a unique extension to the government’s Kickstart scheme.

Sovereign Housing Association, which took on 49 young people on the Kickstart scheme in 2021, is now extending the contract or awarding permanent roles to those completing the scheme.

The move is part of an innovative suggestions from the organisation’s Employment & Training team.

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Eight young people, including 24-year-old Emily Feltwell from Basingstoke, have already been reassured of their positions at the organisation.

Emily was one of the first Kickstarters to join a Sovereign team, back in August 2021, when she took on the role of communities communication assistant. Emily is staying on beyond her Kickstart placement, which she says helped her get on track after a difficult start in life.

She said: “My dad died when I was 10, which had a big impact on our family. I rebelled at school, leaving quite early on, although I did take some exams later, getting my English and Maths qualifications. I was on Universal Credit after being made redundant when the roles at Sovereign came up. I was really keen to start, as I enjoy interacting with people and since I’ve started work everyone has been lovely, helping me get to grips with my first office role online.”

Jasmine Duddy, a 24-year-old mother of two from Newbury, has also been reassured of her position at the organisation.

Midway through her placement, Jasmine spotted the opportunity to go for a full-time job as a housing administrator, which she says has had a life-changing impact:

“Honestly, if I hadn’t done Kickstart I never would have got this role,” Jasmine said.

“I didn’t have experience, but I was really keen to change my life. Having experienced homelessness myself, I’ve always wanted to work in housing to offer support to others going through what I did.

“But finding the right job after having time out having children was tough. I knew what I wanted – which was to get into a housing job – but getting a foot in the door was difficult, particularly when my previous experience was in retail.

“I’m really keen to progress within Sovereign now I have a permanent job, as I want to go into a more customer-facing role to try and support people even further. I think my own experiences give me empathy and insight. My advice for anyone out there considering Kickstart would be - do it now!”

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The Kickstart scheme, which launched in September 2020, is designed to support 18-to-24-year-olds on Universal Credit into the world of work, often starting out in jobs they might not have considered before and preventing them from becoming long-term unemployed.

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