If you are looking for complete information on learnerships, you have reached the right place. In order to provide a better understanding, learnerships are defined as properly structured programs which are aimed at the learner and enable him to gain first-hand knowledge by spending some time in both theory and practice. The skills acquired in these programs are then incorporated and implemented at the workplace. Learnerships are important, mainly because they lead to a registered qualification by the National Qualifications Framework. The certification does not only cover the technical areas but also accounts for other life skills such as teamwork and communication.
It is also important to know that before the learnership program begins, a contract is signed between the employer, the learning provider and the learner himself. The purpose of the contract is to set the terms and conditions which later protect the parties involved during the course of the learnership program. Once you know that the program leads to a qualification, it is common to wonder the benefits associated it will bring to you. The advantages of learnership opportunities are discussed in the lines that follow:
A prominent part of the learnership program comprises of on-job-training which means an employee’s overall productivity is affected.
Secondly, learnership programs are usually linked to incentives and grants which make the program more attractive. SETAS, for instance, extends cash grants to learnership programs and the government in return provides tax incentives to companies who make efforts for such programs.
Thirdly, the biggest bonus a learnership brings is the qualification. This means that access to further learning is also provided along with prior learning which is already recognized worldwide.
Employees who have undergone learnership opportunities work differently. Precisely, they do not need as much supervision, they are independent and their problem solving capabilities are certainly better than those employees who have not acquired learnership jobs.
Furthermore, learnership qualified employees have a better sense of commitment and are more focused on adding value to the business. In other words, they remain motivated which is why their performance is maximized too.
In today’s world, organization fears the loss of a competent employee. The best way to keep employees from leaving the company is learnership. Employees who have experienced learnership are less likely to leave the organization and are more inclined to work towards their professional and personal development.
Learnerships in South Africa are very common. They believe that greater the number of skills acquired the higher will be the productivity hence the competitiveness of entire South Africa will be improved which turns the whole environment into an investment conducive one.
In order to reap these benefits from learnership jobs, it is crucial for these programs to be adequately designed. Furthermore, they must involve coaches and trainers which are credible and can provide the learning experience with examples from both the practical and theoretical world. Often, when employees cannot afford to lose their incomes in full time study programs, they opt for learnerships which enable them to qualify for further learning opportunities later in life.