Seven young people could be on the road to a new career thanks to Chalkwell Coach Hire.

The company, based in Church Road, Sittingbourne, has successfully bid for funding under the Government’s Kickstart scheme.

Managing director Roland Eglinton said: “There are some great young people in the community who have seen their job prospects greatly reduced because of this pandemic and rising unemployment.

"By working with Kickstart we intend to give these people a meaningful experience and the prospect of training and future employment with us. I would encourage other employers to take a look at the scheme and to work with local bodies if they need to.”

Chalkwell will be taking on seven young people for roles including trainee drivers, cleaners, trainee technicians and a marketing graduate.

Mr Eglinton said he was waiting to hear when applications would open but added: "We will place the information on our website when it is ready. These are all positions which can start in the next few weeks."

Kickstart was launched to help 16- to 24-year-olds get into work who would otherwise be unemployed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kickstart pays the wages for each placement at the national minimum wage for 25 hours a week for six months and also covers pension and National Insurance costs.

There is a further £1,500 per person to help with a company's set-up and training costs.

Firms are supposed to offer a minimum of 30 places but Chalkwell, which also covers the Isle of Sheppey, teamed up with the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce which combined offers from smaller companies.

Details of the Kickstart scheme are at www.gov.uk/government/collections/kickstart-scheme.

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