About Learnerships
Learnerships are an alternative form of training
that place the emphasis on practical experience.
A contract is signed between three parties: the training provider (college), learner, workplace (company). Each learner enters into a temporary employment contract with the workplace.
Learners attend theory classes either one day per week or one week per month. The work that is taught in class (theory) is then practised in the workplace. There is therefore close cooperation between workplace and College.
Learner spends most of his/her time in workplace. Main benefit therefore: practical hands on training in a work environment. A learnership consists of a structured learning component and practical work experience of a specific nature and duration and culminates in a full qualification registered with SAQA.
A learnership is set up as follows:
- Training at a college (± 30%)
- Practical experience in the workplace (± 70%)
- Both learnerships and skills programmes are meant for people who are already employed as well as people who want to enter the workplace.
- Learnerships are composed of SAQA unit standards, which have a total number of credits depending on the qualification level reflected on the NQF. Unit standards are components or building blocks of NQF qualifications. Each unit standard is formulated in such a way that it can also be used as a skills programme