The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has officially approved DiVA Apprenticeships as a Kickstart Gateway Organisation to support employers in the creative industry to offer fully-funded job placements as part of the Government’s Kickstart Scheme.

DiVA has an excellent track record of supporting hundreds of young people into the creative industries in companies such as the BBC, Universal Music, Warner Bros, All3 Media, Sony Music, the Southbank Centre and many more. Through their partnership with the music Record labels association the BPI, they have already secured over 40 music industry Kickstart placements.

DiVA takes the hassle out of the scheme by managing all the scheme administration, grant payment process, and training and support for participants. Where required, they can also manage the recruitment process.

JOIN OUR BRIEFING WEBINAR

DiVA is hosting a Briefing Webinar at 10:30am on Thursday 21st January for employers interested in finding out more.

The webinar will be an opportunity to hear from DiVA about the scheme; the application, recruitment and onboarding process; the training delivered by DiVA; the grant payment process, and more. There will also be time for Q&A.

Register for the Briefing Webinar here.

The Kickstart Scheme allows employers to offer a 6-month placement to an individual and receive funding for 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum auto-enrolment pension contributions. Companies can also access a £1500 grant to cover training, recruitment and set up costs.

A necessary condition of the scheme is that applications must be for a minimum of 30 job placements per company. This requirement presents a significant barrier to SMEs, who may want to participate but cannot offer that many placements alone. However, SME’s can be part of a group of employers brought together by an approved Kickstart Gateway Organisation who will apply on behalf of the employers concerned.

Commenting on the Kickstart Scheme DiVA Founder and Director Arit Eminue said: “As the owner of a small business I know how challenging this time has been for organisations. The Kickstart Scheme will support the recovery of many micro-businesses and SME’s in our sector. Moreover, it will allow the industry to continue its efforts to provide access to the industry for young people from underrepresented groups adversely impacted by the pandemic. We aim to make the process as straightforward as possible, so leaders and managers can focus on their business at hand.”

Chris Tams, Director, Independent Member Services from the BPI added: “Schemes such as Kickstart are brilliant for creating career pathways for young people seeking to develop their skills and break into an industry, and to match them up with SME employers who are looking to take them on and give them that opportunity. I’m delighted that BPI members have successfully applied to take on over 40 new recruits under the scheme, which we hope will lead to significant long-term openings for a new wave of diverse young talent coming into the music business.

“DiVA works with the BPI on its BRITs Apprentice Scheme, placing apprentices with our label members, overseeing their training and managing the whole programme for us, resulting in full-time roles being offered in many cases.”

The Kickstart Scheme is open to companies across England, Scotland and Wales who can offer a placement or placements which meet the criteria. The scheme is not currently available in Northern Ireland.

ENDS –

Enquiries
Nina Fosu nina@divaapprenticeships.com 0203 189 1784
Gennaro Castaldo gennaro.castaldo@bpi.co.uk 020 7803 1326

About DiVA – www.divaapprenticeships.com

DiVA is a recruitment and training organisation specialising in the entertainment industries. They have supported hundreds of individuals into work in some of the UK’s leading brands and SMEs including Universal Music Group, BBC Worldwide, Warner Music, All3 Media, Endemol Shine, Hat Trick Productions, Energy Live News, PPL, PRS, UK Music, the Southbank Centre and more. As a black-owned and managed business with two in three employees from the Black, Asian Minority Ethnic community, diversity is at the company’s heart. DiVA is fully committed to supporting its clients to improve their workforce representation.

About the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) – www.bpi.co.uk

The BPI champions the UK’s recorded music industry, safeguarding the rights of its members and of the artists, performers and label members of collecting body PPL. The BPI’s membership consists of well over 400 independent labels and the UK’s three ‘majors’, which together account for 85 per cent of legitimate domestic music consumption and 1 in 8 albums sold around the world. The BPI promotes British music overseas through its trade missions and the Music Exports Growth Scheme. It provides insights, training and networking with its free masterclasses, Innovation Hub, Insight Sessions, WidsomWednesdays events, and reports. The BPI administers The BRIT Certified Awards, co-owns The Official Charts, organises The BRIT Awards and BRITs Week, and is also home to The Mercury Prize.