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Shona Robison urges young people to get help covering the costs of starting a new job

Mystialeigh Smith, who recently used the job start payment, with Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison is urging young people starting out in a new job to apply for help to tide them over until they get their first wage.

Ms Robison was in Dundee to visit employment support service Remploy, and to officially launch a social media campaign to encourage people to apply for a job start payment.

The job start payment is open to young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who have been on certain benefits for six months or more, and has just started a new job.

Those who apply will receive a one-off payment of £252.50, or £404 if they have children, to cover the costs of starting a new job, such as travel, new clothes or childcare.

‘Getting money to those who need it is our priority’, says social justice secretary

Ms Robison said: “We want to give our young people all the support they need when they start work including making sure the costs associated with taking up a job don’t get in the way.

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison with Amanda Edwards from Remploy Dundee

“We know lockdown has impacted job opportunities for many young people and getting money to those who need it is our priority.

“Access to this support is a right, and we are ensuring people receive all the financial support that they are entitled to.

“It is great to see organisations across the private and public sector highlighting the availability of job start payments to their new employees.

“I strongly encourage all eligible young people who have recently started a new job or are about to start a new job to apply.”

Payments could help with buying new work clothes and travel expenses

During her visit to Dundee, Ms Robison met with Mystialeigh Smith, 17, who recently applied for this payment after becoming an apprentice hairdresser at Macintyres Hairdressers.

She said she used the payment to buy new work clothes and to cover her travel expenses.

Mystialeigh Smith

Ms Smith added: “Upon gaining employment my key worker advised to apply for the job start payment on the social security website.

“It took roughly two weeks to go into my bank and it helped me buy work clothes and travel until I received my first pay.”

This comes after Emma Roddick, SNP MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said she would need to go into her overdraft after being elected to the Scottish Parliament on May 6.

She said this was because she would need to spend money for a whole month before being paid for the first time, and added this could mean fewer working-class people enter parliament.

Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson also said she had the same issue when she first started as an MSP.

Young people are able to apply for the job start payments up to three months after they start at a new job via mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222.