Recent Learnerships In South Africa
A learnership is a learning program based on the work leading to a recognized qualification at national level. It relates directly to an occupation, for example, construction worker, accountant, computer technician, mechanical engine or health care worker. Learnerships combine a component of learning structured with practical work experience that is taught to be used in a small business, company or government department. Learners attend classes at a university or training center to complete the learning in the classroom, and that they also have to complete the training in the workplace. This means that the unemployed can only participate in recent learnerships if there is an employer who is able to make available the required work experience.
Recent learnerships are available for young people who are just graduate from other training institutions, high school, university or after completing some kind of formal education and people who have been unemployed for some time. The applicants must be at least 16 years old and under 35 years old. The Department of Labor has set the following objectives for students entering learning systems: 85% should be Black, 54% should be women and 4% should be people with disabilities.
There is some recent learnerships that do not need applicants to meet entry requirements, on the other hand some require applicants to have a grade 12 certificate. Some learnerships have prerequisite that are directly related to the field of study. In instance, you will not allow to enter a learnership in the field of financial management if not completed basic training in finance.
People who join in recent learnerships do not have to pay anything for the program. All unemployed selected for a program of learnership will be get student compensation from the employer. The compensation is not a salary, but is intended to cover the cost of expenses such as travel and meals you will have to pay for during your learnership.
The exact amount of compensation per pupil depends on the type of recent learnerships and the level of the qualification. The Minister of Labour has specified the minimum amount employers must pay compensation to the unemployed students in learnerships. Benefits and conditions to be agreed with each student before the start of learnership. Learner allowances established by the Ministry according to level of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) that the successful students will receive at the end of the learning about. For example, a grade 12 certificate is the NQF level4 and a degree, such as a Bachelor’s degree at a University, is in the level 6. The number of credits that gives an indication of the duration of the program. The majority of learning systems are around 120 credits, and if completed successfully one learnership, 120 credits on NQF will be awarded.
Learnerships are registered with the Department of Labour. Please contact your work center nearby or from the provincial office of the Department of Labour to find out more about what learnerships are available.