Learnerships: A review of the past three years

In looking at the success of learnerships over the past year, some things are glaringly evident - this brilliant concept of developing individuals funded by the SETAs is being abused and seen, by some companies, as a moneymaking opportunity.

The stated purpose of a learnership is to formally further the education, knowledge and ability of previously disadvantaged individuals (PDI) and encourage and offer these individuals an opportunity to gain access into the business world.

Learnerships exist because skills gaps have been identified in certain areas with the goal to develop PDIs in these specified skills to make them employable. However, companies are viewing learnerships in the wrong light and utilising the monies received for other things.

Jenny Senneck, GM: People Development at The People Business, believes that every cent received from a SETA should be pumped into the learnership in support of a high value, well-organised process which offers the learner the opportunity to gain the maximum benefit intended on the programme.

At a recent breakfast on learnerships hosted by The People Business, the guest speakers raised these issues and a general consensus among them was apparent. Ursula Conrad, Director at Thlakano Consulting, noted that all the members within an organisation need to get more involved in the learnership process and not view it as a way to make some money. She went on to comment that the learning element in learnerships needs to focus on the level of current skills of the relevant learners versus required skills, ie there needs to be adequate assessments of a learner`s level and capabilities prior to a learner being accepted on a particular learnership.

These sentiments were echoed by Susheila Moodley, Director of Outlearning (Pty) Ltd. She observed that companies often want to fast-track their learners and expect them to walk before they can crawl.

"Companies need to realise that most learners need some serious assistance and guidance in their learning stages and throughout the process and one should not expect them to be self-sufficient and independent from the beginning."

Moodley went on to elaborate on the assessment process, which in her opinion, appears to be an area that is lacking in sufficient control.

"In our experience, the SETAs need to focus more on pre-assessments and matching industry demand for skills to the available skills levels of learners. Companies should demand pre-assessments of learners before embarking on any programme to ensure there is a right fit and expectations are managed."

However, it is not only the lack of a pre-assessment process that causes concern, she went on to explain. Both Conrad and Moodley concurred here - the assessment and recruitment processes post the learnership need to be drastically tightened and improved as the numbers of learners entering a learnership and the numbers then officially completing the relevant intervention are hugely different. In some cases the percentage is as low as 5%!

Would a suggestion be for the SETAs to be more vigilant with audits, ensuring that companies meet specific requirements, before being offered a grant? Possibly, this would assist in forcing companies to seriously consider embarking on a project of this kind. Further, focusing more on communication and life skills training and development within the learnership is essential.

An additional area to focus on is the concept of workplace learning. "Very few, if any, companies create structured learning moments within the work environment resulting in the failure of transfer of skills from a formal learning environment into the workplace. Learners don`t `see` their skills being used in the workplace and lose interest in the programme. This contributes significantly to the number of resignations in a learnership," believes Moodley.

In turn, the SETAs are under huge pressure, as they need to meet a certain quota of learnerships, and are forced to push companies into learnerships through offering grants to achieve their targets.

Senneck says: "Adding life skills training to the overall learnership is essential. It offers the learners an ability to see business through the eyes of experienced business coaches and facilitators, and offers them the opportunity of expressing their fears and concerns about the business world as they see it through inexperienced eyes. It gives them tools and techniques of being able to be more effective and professional within the working environment without making silly mistakes and letting themselves down.

"The learners we have worked with in the past have gained so much from programmes that have been planned and managed well. Some of these programmes were not even SETA-registered learnerships, they were merely programmes or academies offered by companies in response to their commitment to social upliftment and PDI education and learning. These learners gain invaluable working and life skills experience and training and walk away from the programmes more mature with a fair opportunity of gaining employment in their field of expertise - this is what it should be all about!

"It is important that companies do not lose sight of the true goal of the learnership framework and view the process as a genuine investment in the previously disadvantaged and unemployed members of our society," Senneck concludes.