Expressions of Interest for Quickstart Bridgend now open

Businesses can now register their interest for Quickstart Bridgend, a new scheme to help promote short term paid work placements.

The scheme will help residents across Bridgend County Borough gain short term, paid work placements with businesses.

The delivery period will be running from May 2024 to January 2025 and interested businesses should register their interest as soon as possible.

Businesses must note the below:

• Placements will be at least 25 hours per week.
• The jobs must not replace existing or planned vacancies; not be seasonal, and/or cause existing employees, apprentices or contractors to lose work or reduce their working hours.
• Placements will need to be in excess of 16 weeks and up to 24 weeks and be concluded by 31st January 2025.
• Applicants for the paid job placement will need to be above 18 years of age but there is no upper limit to age.
• The minimum wage from 1st April 2024 for those aged 21 years and over is £11.44 and for those aged 18 to 20 years is £8.60.
• The wages paid out will be in retrospect via a claim process so those companies involved will need to have the cashflow to pay out before being reimbursed and to pay out the relevant contributions to HMRC before being reimbursed by the Quickstart Bridgend project.

Applications will close on Friday 12 April, but may reopen at a later date depending on demand.

Find out more and apply.