The number of positions available as part of the scheme has increased for the first time since 2017 when just 250 places were offered, children’s minister Vicky Ford announced.
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Topic hub: Leaving Care
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Blog: Youth minister - Young people have a key role to play in our nation's recovery
Positions range from an administrative officer with a typical annual salary of £17,400, the Department for Education said, to an executive officer role with a typical salary of £20,000 per annum.
Internships are offered for 12-months across Whitehall and are based around the UK.
The scheme is aimed at “helping care leavers to develop skills and competences that support them into long-term jobs”, DfE added.
An increase in the number of places comes as latest government figures show that care leavers are more than three times more likely than their peers not to be in education, employment or training (NEET).
Launching an inquiry into the economic impact of Covid-19 on the young people, the all-party parliamentary group on youth affairs has warned of a “devastating effect” on job prospects for school-leavers in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Ford said: “At this time of global pandemic we must all intensify our efforts to support the vulnerable, and young people leaving care are among the most vulnerable in our society. Too often they do not have the same opportunities or connections with potential employers as those with stable families, they risk becoming unemployed and left behind. We cannot let this happen so as well as increasing support for care leavers as they become adults, government departments have worked to create real and practical opportunities to give care leavers a head start with a first job.”
Care leavers can apply for the scheme here.
Applications close on 5 October.
