St Kitts and Nevis government to regularise STEP workers in first quarter of 2022

In the first quarter of 2022, the process of regularising workers on the Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) who work in the public sector is expected to commence.

Timothy Harris, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance made the news on Tuesday's Leadership Matters.

He addressed the issue in response to a question from a viewer/listener of the show who inquired about the timing for the regularisation of the STEP interns. The STEP workers' eligibility for inclusion in the government's health insurance programme was also questioned.

"We plan to implement these early in the first quarter." Dr Harris added.

"The first quarter, to be clear is between January and the end of March, and we are hoping for an earlier date in that regard." "The second concern is health insurance, which will be included in the benefits automatically."

Regularization into the public sector as auxiliary government employees will provide employment security that STEP workers do not now have as interns on job placement programmes.

"You can utilize a [employment] letter in your applications for a United States Visa, and then you can take that letter to a financial institution... and say, 'I'm a permanent employee, this is my compensation,'" added the prime leader.

The regularisation of STEP personnel will take place in stages. The first phase will cost $16.4 million, according to budget estimates.