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Saint Kitts and Nevis

Strategies for youth employment

Strategies for youth employment
Yes

Youth employment strategy planned in the next 2 years

Discussions within the government
Yes
Consultations with national-level stakeholders (e.g. employers’ and workers’ associations, youth councils, etc.)
No
A draft strategy already exists
No
Other (please specify)
Yes

Countries with national action plans for youth employment

Monitoring framework (timeline and activity/outcome indicators, e.g. youth labour market indicators)
No
Funding (indicative budget to implement the plan)
Yes
Institutional responsibilities (e.g. ministries/agencies in charge of specific planned activities )
No
Other, specify
Yes

Public funding for the national youth employment strategy

Public funding for the national youth employment strategy
Yes

Additional information:
Youth and youth employment is spread across several ministries. Each ministry has a budget for implementation for programmes and activities.

Youth in the national development / employment strategy

Youth in the national development / employment strategy
Yes

Additional information:
While there is currently no formal written Employment Policy in place, the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis is actively engaged in the drafting and consultative process to develop one. Youth employment remains a national priority, and in the interim, the government is implementing key programmes -such as the Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) and ELEVATE - which include components focused on youth internships and workforce readiness, particularly targeting at-risk youth.

Countries with national goals for youth employment

Countries with national goals for youth employment
Yes

Additional information:
National goals and objectives to promote youth employment are outlined in the National Development Planning Framework (2023–2037). The framework specifically identifies strategies and actions aimed at expanding employment opportunities for young people, enhancing skills development, and supporting youth integration into the labour market: • Adopting a national employment strategy that addresses the issue of youth unemployment and the phenomenon of working poor. • Linking youth/community volunteer service programming to an accredited quality of world of work preparation and certification system • Ensure youth people financial inclusion and equitable access to financial services requires to secure micro and small enterprises, investments, land and home acquisition. • Educate and sensitize youth about their rights and create avenues for them to be active agents of rights-based employment consistent with ILO standards and local applicable laws and policies. • Ensure youth leadership and other training includes capacity building about labour rights and social protection issues. • Promote partnerships between trade unions and youth networks. • Protect the rights of youth on remand and ensure that they have access to education and other psychosocial therapies, and they can gain experience with paid/legal employment. • Create special tax and other concessions for youth-lead entrepreneurs Dedicated facility to ensure comprehensive support to youth led businesses. • Support youth business ventures, youth led social enterprises in tourism.

Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment

Countries with quantitative targets for youth employment
No

Policy areas in national youth employment strategies

Macroeconomic and Sectoral policies
Yes
Enterprise Development
Yes
Education, Training and skills development
No
Labour Demand
No
Labour Law and Legislation
No
Labour Market Policies
No
Other (please specify)
No

Social partners' inclusion in the youth employment strategy

Workers
Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
No
Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
No
Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
No
Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
Consulted
Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
Informed
Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
Consulted
Employers
Implementation of youth employment strategies/programmes (e.g. social partners as official implementers of the strategy or programme)
No
Assessment of youth employability (alignment of youth qualifications and skills to labour market needs)
No
Monitoring and evaluation of youth employment interventions (e.g. active labour market programmes)
No
Awareness raising, marketing and promotion of youth employment (e.g. campaign to promote youth employment)
Consulted
Formulation of youth employment strategies (e.g. national action plan for youth)
Informed
Development of youth employment programmes (e.g. sectoral programme with a clear target to employ X number of youth)
Consulted

Youth-led organizatios' inclusion in the national strategy

Fully involved
No
Partially involved (only for some elements of the strategy)
No
Consulted
Yes
Informed
No
Not involved
No

Countries with national partnerships for youth employment

Countries with national partnerships for youth employment
No

Inclusiveness of vulnerable groups in national strategies

Women
No
Migrant Workers
No
NEETs
No
People with disabilities
No
Low skilled workers
No
Rural workers
No
Other (please specify)
No

Youth employment strategies and international cooperation

Youth employment strategies and international cooperation
Yes

Additional information:
The ILO has assisted in the development of Youth Employment Strategy. This is still ongoing. • OAS/RIAL through a bilateral corporation has assisted the Ministry of Employment and Labour in developing programmes for assisting in youth employment. Still in the planning stage and has not been fully consulted on at a multipartite level.