All the guidance for the Kickstart Scheme has been updated to confirm that the scheme will close for applications on 17 December 2021. After this date businesses will not be able to:

• apply for a new Kickstart Scheme grant
• add more jobs to an existing grant agreement

However, they will process applications submitted before this time or any that are already in progress, so it is important that businesses get applications in before the deadline. The scheme itself will continue running until March 2022.

There have also been further updates to the guidance for businesses with apprentices which now also:

• remove the apprentices on furlough section, now that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has ended
• reflect Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education extending end-point assessment discretions and flexibilities
• remove the following temporary flexibilities:

1. permitting email confirmation as evidence of achievement of qualifications where awarding organisations were unable to issue certificates
2. enabling apprentices to spend more than 50% of their working hours outside England where they were unable to return to England to work
3. permitting end-point assessment prior to FSQ achievement

Access the Apprenticeship guidance here.