Managed by Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), Learnerships are work-based learning programmes established by the government in order to educate and train employees. 

Learnerships are directly related to particular occupations and roles, and ultimately lead to accredited NQF qualifications. Usually, Learnerships combine theoretical knowledge with practical applications, while teaching learners valuable life skills at the same time. In this way, more people are trained for a specific working environment, and businesses benefit from having a more skilled and experienced workforce.

A contract is drawn up by the employer, the learner and an accredited skills development training provider for the duration of the programme to protect all the parties involved.

Companies that contribute to the country’s Skills Development Fund (SDF) through paying the mandatory skills development levy will find a number of important benefits if they include learnership in their annual Workplace Skills Plan (WSP).

You can implement learnerships and skills development in your workplace whether you want to contribute to your own talent pool or make a positive impact on the education in this country. Learnerships can be entered into with your current employers or with unemployed youth.