The Council of Ministers of Cuba approved a training and preparation program for the labor integration of young people aged 18 to 30 who are neither studying nor working, through training courses during which they will receive a monthly income equivalent to the current minimum wage.
The measure was established in the , published this Thursday, October 22, in the .
The program aims to reintegrate these young individuals into the educational, productive, and service systems through training actions that enhance their job skills and increase their chances of accessing employment.
Who will be able to benefit from the program?
Although the program is primarily aimed at young people aged 18 to 30 who are neither studying nor working, the regulations allow for the exceptional inclusion of adolescents aged 15 to 17, following an assessment of their social risk situation, as well as individuals aged 31 to 35 with family caregiving responsibilities.
Among them are residents in areas with high levels of youth disconnection, women with minors in their care, transgender individuals, people living with HIV/AIDS, individuals with disabilities, and those in vulnerable situations.
The selection of beneficiaries will be carried out through the municipal offices of Labor and Social Security.
Courses of up to six months with a monthly income
The training and preparation courses will last between one and six months, with a minimum workload of 20 instructional hours per week.
Training programs will be planned in accordance with the workforce needs of each region, with the aim of facilitating participants' integration into productive and service activities.
During the courses, participants will receive a monthly income equivalent to the current minimum wage in Cuba, currently set at 3,210 Cuban pesos, according to the .
For young people in vulnerable situations, the payment will be financed through conditional benefits from Social Assistance. These beneficiaries must attend at least 85% of the educational activities and pass the evaluations to maintain the income.
The regulations also establish that those who receive this assistance may be required to repay it partially or in full if they unjustifiably drop out of the courses, fail to fulfill their commitment to accept available employment related to their training, or resign from the job without justified cause during the first six months.
In the event that a refund is required, beneficiaries will have up to 180 business days to initiate it, with the possibility of setting up a payment plan of up to 12 months if they can demonstrate financial difficulties.
What agencies will be responsible for implementing the measure?
The implementation of the program will be the responsibility of the municipal directorates of Labor and Social Security, with the participation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Ministry of Education, the Municipal Administration councils, and the entities responsible for providing the courses.
These institutions will participate in organizing the training activities and their connection to the labor demands of the regions.
The measure had been announced in June 2026 as part of a package of labor and salary transformations presented by the Cuban government. It also included recognizing that training period as time served.
Youth disconnection has been a recognized problem for years by Cuban authorities. In February 2023, official data indicated that around 800,000 young people were neither studying nor working. Subsequently, the Government claimed that, by December 2024, it had enrolled 16,327 young people in study programs and 28,011 in jobs through a training and improvement initiative. An independent report from the Observatorio de Derechos Sociales, published in September 2025, estimated that nearly two out of ten young Cubans remained outside of both activities.
Agreement 10463/2026 came into effect on October 22, 2026, the date of its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cuba.
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