In response to the skill shortage in South Africa, learnerships were established to allow people to gain valuable skills that could ensure their success in the workplace of their choice.
When you sign up for a learnership, you will enter an agreement with a training provider and an employer. Training providers can include private training providers, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges or universities.
You will then complete a mix of formal learning and workplace learning and experience. The great thing about learnerships is that you get paid a stipend for the work you do. This may even lead to you landing a job at the workplace your leadership was based at.
The Learnership programme was developed in South Africa as a modern way to advance apprenticeships to meet the modern demands of the workplace. Learnerships also manage to formalise the learning and workplace experience - which is usually sadly lacking in internships offered by companies.
Another significant benefit of Learnerships over internships is that Learnerships come with a formal pay structure where learners will be paid a monthly stipend, or payment, for the time they are on the Learnership. Also, internships do not have a learning component, while Learnerships are all linked directly to a formal qualification.
