FASSET Learnerships Questions and Answers

Are the salaries of Learners included in the Skills Development Levy calculation?
The salaries of registered learners are excluded from the SDL calculation. You need the official confirmation letter as proof for SARS.
Do employers have to pay UIF contributions for learners?

With effect from 1 May 2004 only employees in terms of a learnership contract contemplated in section 18(2) of the Skills Development Levies Act, 1998, and their employers are not liable for payment of UIF contributions. Section 18(2) refers to employees that had not been in the employ of the employer at the time of the signing of a learnership agreement and a contract of service was still to be concluded by the learner and employer (i.e. previously unemployed learners).
Therefore, in the event of an employer concluding a learnership agreement with an existing employee and of the service agreement not falling within the provisions of section 18(2) of the Skills Levies Act, 1998, such employee and employer shall be liable for payment of UIF contributions.
Please advise what the definition ito the skills development levy act is of a “previously unemployed” learner.
“Previously unemployed’ is defined as, ‘an employee who has not previously signed an employment contract with the employer’. For the purposes of learnerships, a fixed term contract is accepted as a binding contract between the learner and the employer. If the learner has first been on probation, then the learner should be regarded aspreviously employed.

How do I get a company to offer me training?

Companies recruit learners by advertising in publications. Alternatively, learners can contact professional bodies directly for information regarding the companies registered with them.
Does a learner receive any remuneration while on a learnership?
Yes. Unemployed learners receive a monthly allowance as stipulated in the Basic Conditions of Service of the Department of Labour. Employed learners are remunerated based on the terms and conditions of their employment contract.

Should all trainers be accredited i.e. including in-house trainers?
Any provider/employer who provides training towards registered NQF qualifications or standards should be accredited by the relevant Quality Assuring Body (QAB). This only includes in-house providers if they have aligned their training programmes with registered qualifications or unit standards.

What is the Role of the Professional Bodies?
Fasset’s sector is characterised by a number of professional bodies. Some of these professional bodies quality assure their own qualifications and accredited as Quality Assurance Partners (QAP’s) for their qualifications. Fasset monitors the QAP’s annually.

What is the pre-determined or minimum time period for a Learnership?
A learnership has a minimum of 120 credits, which effectively translates to a minimum time period of one year. However this is dependent on the actual qualification and its credit value. For example, the National Certificate in Business Administration, NQF Levels 3 and 4, are one year each; whereas the Post-graduate Diploma: Professional Accountant in Practice qualification is three years.

Does a Learnership always need a ‘provider’ to sign the agreement, especially if Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) has been awarded?
Yes, it does. In some instances, the training provider and the employer are the same party. That is, the employer acts as a training provider for the practical requirements of the qualification.
Are there a minimum number of learners who may enter into a Learnership agreement in one company?

No, there is not. However, employers need to be aware of the necessary infrastructure that needs to be in place to support learners on Learnerships, e.g. scope of work exposure.
Are there any minimum entry requirements for a Learnership?
Yes. Learners must be at or above the minimum age as spelt out in the Basic Conditions of Employment. Should the learner be under the age of 21, a guardian or parent will need to sign the Learnership Agreement. The learner will need to meet the entry requirements of the qualification, and of the job.

Can distance education be used?
Yes it can, provided that the quality assurance requirements are met.

Can Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) be applied to a Learnership?
Yes. Where professional bodies are involved, their rules around RPL apply. In many cases, the learner must provide the necessary evidence that education and experience, similar to that required by the learnership has been attained.

What are Fasset’s requirements for registering Learnerships?
These can be found on the Fasset website when you Click here

Can a Fasset employer register employees as learners on other Setas’ learnerships? How does this work?
Yes. Please contact the QAL Department to indicate the learnership in which you are interested.
Fasset interacts with other Setas in terms of memoranda of understanding to determine the additional/expected processes in this regard.
The employer completes the Fasset Learnership agreement and submits this to Fasset. Click here for the learnership agreement.