Learnerships are based on legally binding agreements between an employer, a learner and training provider. This agreement is intended to spell out the tasks and duties of the employer, the learner and the training provider. It is designed to ensure the quality of the training and to protect the interests of each party. To participate in a learnership an employer must willing to provide the required work experience.

Who can apply for a learnership?
Anyone can apply for a learnership. It is open to both employed and unemployed people and to young people leaving schools and colleges. There are no age restrictions for learnerships.

Applicants who are accepted for a learnership sign a legal agreement with the employer which explains what is expected of applicant. The person or organisation that provides the theory part of the training also signs the agreement.

The length of learnerships vary, but are normally not less than one year. Learners are assessed against occupational standards that have been agreed in advance by industry stakeholders.

At the end of a successfully completed learnership learners receive a nationally recognised qualification. A certificate is awarded to the learner describing the skills they've learnt. Employers providing the opportunity for on-the-job training (experience) as part of the learnership are not required to provide jobs to those learners who successfully complete a learnership.

Who is involved in the learnership and what are their roles?

• The learner: the learner is placed in a learnership, signs a legal agreement with an employer which outlines the rights and responsibilities of the learner and follows the learning programme.
• The employer: The employer provides the work experience part of the learnership and signs the same legal agreement stating the employer's rights and responsibilities, including agreements on the level of the learnership allowance.
• Training providers: Training providers provide training on behalf of the employer and sign the same legal agreement stating the training provider's rights and responsibilities.
• SETA's: A Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) organizes and facilitates the funding of learnerships in a specific area of the economy (for example transport or tourism and hospitality or agriculture), and ensures that the training is up to industry standard (quality assurance).
• Department of Labour: The Department of Labour recruits, selects and refers unemployed people who meet the minimum criteria for a particular learnership to employers looking for learners. The employer makes the final decision.

What are the costs to employers?
Employers can offer learnerships to their own employees or can recruit unemployed people for training. Current employees who are provided with learnerships are referred to as 18(1) learners. Unemployed people who are offered learnerships are known as 18(2) learners.

Various cost to employers are associated with training. These include: fees for 'off-the-job' education and training and the internal costs of providing mentoring and supervision for learners, the assessment of their progress as well as the learner allowance.

There are incentives to employers to assist in funding learnerships. These take two forms:

• Cash grants:Employers who pay the skills levy can claim cash grants when they provide training. These grants can be used to offset learnership costs. Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) may also provide grants for the implementation of learnerships.
• Tax incentives: An employer who has registered a learnership with a SETA is eligible to claim a tax incentive from SARS. There are two tax incentives, one at the beginning of the learnership and one at the successful conclusion of the learnership.

What are the costs to learners?
There are no costs for participating in a learnership. All participants selected to go on leanerships are paid an allowance by the employer.

Learnerships at the Cape Institute for Agriculture Training: Elsenburg
The Cape Institute for Agricultural Training offers a National Certificate in Farming NQF Level 1 and/or NQF Level 4 in the following fields:

• Viticulture
• Vegetables
• Fruit Production

Employers who would like to put some of their workers [18.1], who passed Grade 9 OR Grade 12, through a learnership with Elsenburg are invited to apply.