Benefits of Learnership programme, requirements, eligibility, and application details
Ready to apply for Learnership Programme? Here on Southafricaportal.com, you get all information regarding the benefits of learnership application form, how to apply online, the requirements, and the application closing date.
What Are The Benefits Of Learnerships
Learnerships are a great opportunity if you want to learn skills and develop a career. Learnerships for 2022 are opening now and we always have details on the latest available Learnerships for you.
When you register for a Learnership Programme you will receive training towards a full qualification but you don’t have to pay study fees. In fact, when you register for a Learnership you will be paid in the form of a stipend. This means you will be paid monthly while you are on the leadership – the amount you will be paid depends on the academic level of the Learnership.
Learnerships are developed by the industry for the industry, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, so the learning programme and qualification of the Learners are relevant to the specific occupation.
The outcomes of the learning programme meet the standards for the industry.
When partaking in these Learnerships, there is a greater credibility of qualifications, as employers have the assurance that the learners can demonstrate the competence reflected in their qualifications.
Learnerships create an opportunity for companies to collaborate with training providers to customise learning programmes to meet specific workplace needs
Learnerships improved skills and work performance because it is a tool for multi-skilling, as it develops the competence of employees in every component of the work processes of an occupation.
The learning route of a Learnership is more effective in promoting the practical application of learning in the workplace than most other routes.
Because employees will be acquiring new knowledge and skills and applying these in the workplace, companies will be raising the skills levels of employees while improving work performance.
As training programmes that combine theory and relevant practical elements, Learnerships create skilled people who:
1. tend to work more independently, need less supervision and possess enhanced problem solving capabilities;
2. are motivated and strive to add value to the business;
3. are less likely to leave a company that takes an interest and invests in their personal and professional development.
4. entering into learning contracts with unemployed people, contributes to building up the skills pool, from which employers may recruit relevant skills as needed.
5. the more skills gained, the greater the productivity and the more meaningful the individual’s contribution to South Africa’s global competitiveness and to creating an environment conducive to investment.
Achievement of Employment Equity Objectives
Progress in meeting Employment Equity targets, since previously disadvantaged employees have opportunities to improve their work-related competence and obtain qualifications
Your business can improve its competitiveness by earning additional points on the BEE scorecard that are reserved for Learnership training.
Appropriately Trained Recruitment Pool of Potential Employees
Employers will be able to select employees from a wider pool of appropriately qualified workers who have developed skills that are relevant to the companys specific work context.
Increased Return on Investment in Training
Higher returns from the Skills Levy and investment in training, due to transfer of learning to the job
Increased grant disbursements from Skills Levy contributions. Many SETAs offer Learnership grants ranging from R 4 000 R 40 000 per learner. However the grants are subject to availability and are offered on a first come, first serve basis on the condition that the Learnership address a scarce skills in the sector, so you will need to plan ahead and get your grant application in to the SETA as early as possible to stand a chance of getting the additional help.
Tax Incentives: SARS offers companies attractive tax incentives for participating in Learnerships. In addition to claiming Learnership Discretionary grants from a SETA, an employer can also claim a tax incentive when an employer registers a Learnership agreement with a SETA.
Tax Incentives are deductions on your taxable income that you can claim for each Learnership candidate that you have in your employment, once at the start of the Learnership, and once again at its completion.
The details of the tax incentive are contained in Government gazette No. 23 709 which was published on 5 August 2002. The entitlement derives from the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, No 30 of 2002. You can find a copy on the SARS website:
www.sars.gov.za
(First select Legislation, then Acts, then Act No 30 of 2002) or on website
www.inseta.org.za
(First select Learnerships, then Legislation Relative to Learnerships, then Amendment to the income Tax Act).
There are 2 levels:
1. R 30 000 commencement and completion allowances for Learnerships and apprenticeships
2. R 50 000 commencement and completion allowances for learners with disabilities
The principle is straightforward.
1. For each year that a learner is registered for a Learnership linked to the employers trade, the employer claims an allowance of R 30 000 for that Learnership. This allowance is based on a 12 months periods, and full periods of a month, so if a Learnership starts half way through the employers year of assessment, half of the allowance is claimed by the employer in the first year and half in the second.
2. If the learner leaves during the year, there is no recoupment. The R 30 000 is merely apportioned for the part of the year, so that if the learner leaves after 4 months, the employer only claims 4/12 of the allowance, i.e. R 10 000. These must be full months, so if the learner leaves after 3 and a half months, the allowance must be claimed for 3 months, i.e. 3/12 X R 30 000 = R 7 500.
3. Similarly, if a Learnership spans 3 and half months in the first year of assessment and 8 and a half months in the second year of assessment of a single employer, the employer claims commencement allowance of R 7500 in the first year and R 20 000 in the second year.
4. When a Learnership is successfully completed, the employer claims an allowance of R 30 000 for each completed 12 months of the Learnership. So if it was a 2-year Learnership, the employer claims an allowance of R 60 000. If the Learnership was for 30 months, the employers allowance in the year of completion is also R 60 000, because two full periods of 12 months has been completed. No completion allowance is claimable until the Learnership is successfully completed.
5. If the learner goes to another employer while he is still doing his Learnership and the Learnership is carried on, linked to that employers trade, the new employer claims the Learnership for the rest of the year, i.e. 8/12 X R 30 000 = R 20 000. The new employer will also claim the full completion allowance, even if the learner was not employed by that employer in the earlier years or months of the Learnership.
6. If a learner fails his or her Learnership and registers for a new Learnership, section 12H will not apply to the new Learnership if it contains the same education and training component of the Learnership that the person failed.
7. These in addition to Learnership discretionary grants, is a substantial amount that is made available to subsidise the training of a learner on a Learnership.
Both parties, the learner and employer, benefit from these programmes and are well organised and beneficial to all involved.
Hopefully this article answered all your questions.
It is a positive programme that enhances the education and potential of our youth entering the workforce.
Overview of Learnership Programmes in South Africa
What is a Learnership
A Learnership is a work-based learning programme. This means that classroom studies at a college or training center are combined with practical on-the-job experience. We learn much better when we can practice what we have been taught in the classroom in a workplace environment.
By physically performing tasks that are learned in the classroom at the workplace, we can see what we have learned and what we did not understand. This allows us to ask the trainer to explain that part of the lesson again until we fully understand it.
Learnerships form part of a nationally recognized qualification that is directly linked to an occupation. This means that what you learn on leadership is not just for the particular job that you can get once you have finished the leadership; it also forms part of a higher qualification that you can study further through other Learnership or short courses.
Each leadership has a specific level of qualification. An artisan like a bricklayer or a beautician, for instance, is a Level 4 Qualification. This means that if you want to become an artisan you will have to complete 4 four separate leadership (levels 1, 2, 3 & 4). There is no set time-frame in which you have to do these, as each level qualification remains in the system and will count towards the full qualification.
Who Benefits From Learnerships
In short, everybody!
The Learner:
- You get access to free learning and better job opportunities
- Can earn while you learn
- Learnerships can help you to get into the workplace and/or get a formal qualification
The Employer:
- Gets skilled, experienced workers who will need less supervision
- Gets improved productivity
- Can identify and solve gaps in skills and training
- Educates and empowers employees, creating a happy workforce
The Industry:
- Gets access to far more skilled and professional workers
- Can develop employees to world-class standards
- Becomes more competitive in the international market
How Do Learnerships Work
In the past, the education given in schools and other education facilities did not really have much in common with the working world. This meant that people entered the workplace with all of the knowledge but none of the practical experience on how to do the job.
Learnerships teach both the why and how to by creating a contract between the learner, the learning provider, and the organization or business. All learnership contracts must be registered with the Sector Education Training Authority (SETA) for that specific industry, which guarantees that the learnership programme is of a high standard.
If accepted into a learnership you will have to sign two legal contracts; a Learnership Agreement and an Employment Contract. The Learnership Agreement tells you exactly what responsibilities you, the training provider and the employer have. The Employment Contract is only for the period of the learnership. Learnerships last between 12 -24 months.
If you are unemployed, you will receive an allowance while you are on a learnership which is meant to cover costs like travel and food. If you are already employed you will only receive your normal salary.
During the learnership you will spend a certain period of time in a classroom, either at the company or organization or at other premises, and the rest of the time actually working and learning on the job at the company. It is important that you take advantage of the opportunity offered to you to develop your skills, gain experience and grow your potential. form southafricaportal.com, A learnership is the perfect way to show the trainers and the organization what you know, as it could lead to a permanent job with that company or organization, so take your learnership seriously.
You will be expected to do certain written and practical tasks while on the learnership as part of your studies. Learnerships are outcomes-based, which means that you will be assessed (tested) on what you have learned through the various stages of the learnership, not only at the end of it.
You will get an official certificate that will state the qualification, and indicate the area in which you have developed skills during the learnership if you are considered to be competent at the end of it. This qualification is nationally recognized.
Completing a learnership is not a guarantee of employment, but many learners do get employed by companies or organizations where they did their learnerships. Even if that company does not employ you, you stand a much better chance of getting employed with a learnership qualification than without one.
Who Qualifies for a Learnership
Learnerships are designed for all levels and as such is open to anyone between the ages of 16 and 60. This includes the unemployed and the employed, the able-bodied and the disabled.
How Do I Get Access to a Learnership?
Decide in which line you want to study and either speak to your employer or contact your nearest Labour Centre or Provincial Office of the Department of Labour to find out whether there are any learnerships that you can apply for.
Some learnerships have certain conditions, such as only accepting learners who have a Grade 12, speak more than 1 language, or have computer skills, for instance. Other learnerships do not have any requirements.
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