Learners - FAQ's

Table of Contents

Getting Started

1. What is a learnership?
2. Who can apply for a learnership?
3. How much will it cost?
4. How long will it take?
5. Who organises a learnership?
6. What does it mean for me if I go on a learnership?
7. Will I have a job after completing a learnership?

Questions and Answers:

---

Getting Started

1. Q: What is a learnership?
   A: A learnership is a new training programme. It is a mixture of on-the-job training and education and training that is provide in a technical college, technikon, university or training centre. A person who completes a learnership successfully will have a qualification that is recognised throughout the country.

   Learnerships are new and different because they are about making sure that people can use the skills that they have learnt. You cannot learn practical workday skills in a classroom. You need practical, hands on experience. It is also important though, to understand why things are done in a certain way. A learnership includes both the workplace and the classroom - how to do things and why they are done in a particular way.

   A learnership is just like learning to drive. There is theory - learning from books and in a classroom. There is practical work with someone showing you what to do. There are tests from time to time - called assessments - to make sure that you can do what you have been trained to do. This test will not be like writing an examination. It will include you doing something practical.

   The end result of a learnership is a qualification. This qualification might be a basic one, or one that is the equivalent of a matriculation certificate, a higher education diploma or even a degree.

   In addition to learning a trade or skill, a learnership may also help to improve basic reading and mathematics. It may help you to get some computer skills and learn about how to deal with practical workplace problems and how to work better in teams.

   [ Back to: Top ]

   ---

2. Q: Who can apply for a learnership?
   A: Anyone can apply for a learnership. This means that learnerships should be available for people already in jobs, for young people leaving schools and colleges and for unemployed people as well. There are no age limits.

   [ Back to: Top ]

   ---

3. Q: How much will it cost?
   A: There is no charge for a person to go on a learnership and employers have to pay you an allowance while you are on the learnership programme. All it will cost you is your commitment and dedication to the process.

   [ Back to: Top ]

   ---

4. Q: How long will it take?
   A: The length of a learnership will depend on the level of training. Some learnerships might last two or three years and others may be much shorter.

   If you have been working for some time, but have no qualification, the skills that you have learnt on the job can be tested and this might make the learnership shorter. This is called recognition of prior learning or experience (Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). It is a way of recognising that someone who has been doing a job does not need the same training as someone who is new to a job.

   [ Back to: Top ]

   ---

5. Q: Who organises a learnership?
   A: Learnerships are provided by employers, because the training has to have workplace experience. The learnership is approved by an organisation called a Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA). They ensure that learnerships are properly organised and in an occupation where there are likely to be jobs. Learnerships will also give people skills to set up their own businesses.

   A learnership includes theory. Some large employers will have their own training centres and can provide the classroom part of the learnership. Others will work with a training provider to do this, perhaps a technical college or technikon.

   [ Back to: Top ]

   ---

6. Q: What does it mean for me if I go on a learnership?
   A: If you are accepted for a learnership you will have to sign a legal agreement with the employer. The person or organisation that provides the theory part of the training also has to sign this agreement. This will spell out what is expected of you and what you will have to do, as well as what you are entitled to expect from your employer and your training provider.

   [ Back to: Top ]

   ---

7. Q: Will I have a job after completing a learnership?
   A: If you are unemployed when the learnership begins, there is no guarantee of a job at the end. The employer who provides you with the training does not have to offer you a job, but with a qualification and work experience, you stand a better chance of becoming employed.

   [ Back to: Top ]