The government’s RATED programme spent $3 million helping people back to work last year, according to Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley.
Mr. Wheatley told the House of Assembly last Thursday that 419 applications were received for the scheme in 2025 and 318 people were assisted.
Of those, 297 were placed in temporary employment for roadside cleaning and 21 received training as apprentices.
“These individuals often rely on limited social welfare and support from non-governmental organisations,” the premier said. “As a result, the RATED programme was established to provide temporary employment opportunities along with pathways for training and skill development to enhance participants’ employability.”
RATED — which stands for Registration, Apprenticeship, Training, Employment and Development — is administered by the Ministry of Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation.
“The benefits of the programme have been evident through its achievements, which include numerous participants gaining practical work experience [and] improving their skills, confidence and employability,” Mr. Wheatley said.
He added that the initiative has wider benefits as well, with some participants securing full-time positions within government agencies.
Improvements
However, Mr. Wheatley acknowledged that the scheme can be better.
“While these achievements are commendable, there are areas for improvements, which are being addressed through updating the programme’s mandate; amendments to the policy; instituting accountability, safety and performance evaluation mechanisms; improvement in the financial processes; increased public outreach; closer collaboration with partners/stakeholders, etcetera,” he said.
The premier added that he wants to expand the programme into areas such as agriculture, technology, marine services, hospitality, construction, utilities and landscaping.
“We are also engaging professionals to better assess the capabilities, interests and developmental needs of applicants to offer them more tailored and individualised assistance to fulfilling their career and personal aspirations,” he said.