FAQs

Q. What is a Learnership?

A. A Learnership is a work-based route for learning and gaining a qualification within the National Qualifications Framework from level one to eight.
Learnerships include both structured work experience (i.e. a practical component) and instructional learning (i.e. theory learning component). Learnerships relate to an occupation.

A. The Department of Labour is the only body that can register learnerships in South Africa. All learnerships must be registered with the Department of Labour. Only SETAs can register learnerships with the Department of Labour, and so if any company or provider wishes to get a learnership registered, they need to approach the relevant SETA. The CHIETA applies to the Department of Labour for the registration of learnerships in the chemical industries sector.

A. According to the Skills Development Act (No. 97 of 1998) a learnership consists of “a structured learning component” and “includes practical work experience of a specified nature and duration”. A learnership must culminate in a qualification. Because of this, learnerships usually include fundamental (i.e. learning that lays the basis for further learning, such as communications, mathematics and numeric skills), core (i.e. the major purpose of the qualification) and elective (i.e. learning for areas of specialisation in a specific skills area for multi-skilling or personal interest) components.

Learnerships are typically run for the duration of one year although the learnership could be for longer.  Learnerships require a learnership agreement between the lead employer, the lead provider and the learner. Further, in cases where the learner is previously unemployed, the employer and the learner must have an employment contract in place for the duration of the learnership. Where the learner is already employed, their existing contract of employment will be binding.

Apprenticeships, on the other hand, are an agreement between an apprentice and an employer for a set period of time (usually three years) during which the apprentice works and receives training. An apprentice is usually guaranteed at least two trimesters of technical college training. These take place against the previous trade qualifications and are only available in the trades.