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Table of Contents
Getting Started
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What is a learnership?
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Who can apply for a learnership?
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How much will it cost?
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How long will it take?
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Who organises a learnership?
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What does it mean for me if I go on a learnership?
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Will I have a job after completing a learnership?
Questions and Answers:
Getting Started
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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