Learnership Guide for Employers

If you are new to the world of learnerships, you will most likely have a number of questions about what a learnership programme is, how it works, and what the benefits of implementing a learnership are.

First and foremost, the million-dollar question. What is a learnership?

A learnership is a mix of on-the-job training and study. Learnerships allow participants to gain employment whilst also achieving a recognised qualification in their chosen sector of work.
Learnerships are available in the majority of working industries and can be completed at all levels from NQF Level 1 to NQF Level 7; creating a route for progression into almost any career choice.

With learnerships becoming more accessible than ever before, businesses of all sizes and sectors are being encouraged to offer learnership opportunities.

As an employer, investing in a learnership is a great opportunity to introduce new talent or up-skill current staff. Learnerships allow you to train new or current members of staff to the specific role required, helping them to develop new skills and confidence in your workplace. A learnership can also offer a secure route for progression, enabling employees to climb the ladder of success in your business.

So, how do learnerships work?

A learnership participant will be required to complete on-the-job and off-the-job training to ensure they’re competent to industry standard.

Whilst the learnership participant will continue working with you as their employer, they will also be required to attend either on-site or off-site training sessions which are deemed as ‘off-the-job’. The learner will also be supported by dedicated facilitators, or assessors throughout their learnership journey to ensure they’re on track to achieve competency.

Workplace Practicals

A learnership requires time, effort and dedication from both an employer and the learner. Employing a learnership participant also brings responsibility. Firstly, the employer must provide the learner with at least 70% of the learnership for workplace practicals. This is needed to ensure that the learner can learn the role over the timeframe of their qualification without being unemployed. The contract of employment contains a learnership agreement and a letter of employment. The agreement ensures that both parties agree on the duration of employment, the training that will be provided, their working conditions and the qualification they are working towards. This contract of employment will also ensure that the learner has equal rights amongst other employees; including redundancy, holiday pay and sick pay.

Unlike the traditional way of employing a new recruit, a learnership participant requires a lot of training and support to be successful. Having a training provider by your side to recruit the right talent, deliver the training and support your new talent throughout the process is an essential component of how learnerships work.

As an employer you will also be responsible for paying the learner stipends. This means you will need to meet the national minimum stipend for learnerships. Employers must be able to set aside time to teach the learner about their role, their duties and their responsibilities whilst also being dedicated to helping the progression and development of the learner, ensuring they can complete their role with confidence.

Who are learnerships for?

A learnership is a fantastic opportunity for individuals who may be looking to enter the world of work, seeking a challenge in a new role, or current employees who are looking to upskill and climb the career ladder. Learnerships are available for young people older than 16 and younger than 35. Learnerships are available to young people aged 16 to 35. Learnerships are open to employees, unemployed youth, and people with disabilities.

If you have any questions regarding our learnership programmes, Please get in touch with us

Quick Fact!

Skills Junction is a QCTO and SETA accredited skills development training provider and a Level 1 EME with 100% B-BBEE compliance and 135% procurement recognition.

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