The points-based system supports a wider package of interventions that make up our long-term approach to the labour market and our strategy to rebuild our economy, supporting the growth of your business and helping people get back to work. The points-based system provides you with the ability to access people and talent from around the world. We encourage employers to first consider domestic recruitment options within the UK. Our Plan for Jobs encompasses a range of programmes, some of which offer financial incentives, available to employers who considering hiring employees, offering work experience or upskilling their existing staff. Examples include:
Apprenticeships: combining practical on-the-job skills training with sustained off-the-job learning, available from entry level to master’s degree-equivalent.
T Levels: new 2-year qualifications for 16 to 19 year olds. At the heart of each course is a 45-day industry placement, giving you early access to the brightest talent entering your market.
Kickstart Scheme: offering six-month work placements in new jobs created using grant funding from the scheme, for 16 to 24 year olds at risk of long-term unemployment. 100% of their time is spent in the workplace with in-work training to help develop transferable skills aimed at increasing their chances of sustained employment.
National Careers Service: exploring work and skills opportunities for your workforce including those offered as part of the skills recovery package and helping to find skilled people to fill current vacancies in your organisation
Sector-based work academy programme (SWAP): recruit staff with the right training and skills from the outset, developed through fully-funded pre-employment training and providing an easy way to see job candidates in action.
Traineeships: skills development programmes that include a work placement. The full programme can last from 6 weeks up to 1 year, though most traineeships last for less than 6 months.
Free qualifications for adults: As part of the Plan for Jobs, any adult aged 19 and over, who does not have a level 3 qualification (equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or A levels) or higher, now has the opportunity to access a fully funded course.
Skills Bootcamps: putting employers at the heart of the further education system, Skills Bootcamps will support your immediate labour market needs by helping you to fill much-needed vacancies. These are available across regions of the country and include a range of digital courses, technical training in skills like construction or engineering, and green skills like electrical vehicle maintenance.
You need to have a sponsor licence to hire most workers from outside the UK. This does not apply when hiring Irish citizens or EU citizens with status under the EU Settlement Scheme.