Learnerships
1. Are the salaries of Learners included in the Skills Development Levy calculation?
The salaries of registered learners are excluded from the
SDL calculation. You need the official confirmation letter as
proof for SARS.
2. Do employers have to pay UIF contributions for learners?
With effect from 1 May 2004 only employees in
terms of a learnership contract contemplated in section 18(2) of
the Skills Development Levies Act, 1998, and their employers
are not liable for payment of UIF contributions. Section 18(2)
refers to employees that had not been in the employ of the employer at the time of the signing of a learnership agreement
and a contract of service was still to be concluded by the
learner and employer (i.e. previously unemployed learners).
Therefore, in the event of an employer concluding a learnership
agreement with an existing employee and of the service
agreement not falling within the provisions of section 18(2)
of the Skills Levies Act, 1998, such employee and employer
shall be liable for payment of UIF contributions.
3. Please advise what the definition ito the skills development levy act is of a "previously
unemployed" learner.
"Previously unemployed' is defined as, 'an employee who has
not previously signed an employment contract with the employer'. For the
purposes of learnerships, a fixed term contract is accepted as a
binding contract between the learner and the employer. If the learner
has first been on probation, then the learner should be regarded
aspreviously employed.
4. How do I get a company to offer me training?
Companies recruit learners by advertising
in publications. Alternatively, learners can contact professional
bodies directly for information regarding the companies registered
with them.
5. Does a learner receive any remuneration while on a learnership?
Yes. Unemployed learners receive a monthly allowance as
stipulated in the Basic Conditions of Service of the
Department of Labour. Employed learners are remunerated based
on the terms and conditions of their employment contract.
6. Should all trainers be accredited i.e. including in-house trainers?
Any provider/employer who provides training towards
registered NQF qualifications or standards should be
accredited by the relevant
Quality Assuring Body (QAB). This only includes
in-house providers if they have aligned their training
programmes with registered qualifications or unit standards.
7. What is the Role of the Professional Bodies?
Fasset’s sector is characterised by a number of professional
bodies. Some of these professional bodies quality assure
their own qualifications
and accredited as Quality Assurance Partners (QAP's) for their
qualifications. Fasset monitors the
QAP's annually.
8. What is the pre-determined or minimum time period for a Learnership?
learnership has a minimum of 120 credits, which
effectively translates to
a minimum time period of one year. However this is
dependent on the actual qualification and its credit value. For
example,
the National Certificate in Business Administration, NQF Levels
3 and 4, are one year each; whereas the
Post-graduate Diploma: Professional Accountant in Practice
qualification is three years.
9. Does a Learnership always need a 'provider' to
sign the agreement, especially if Recognition of Prior
Learning (RPL) has been awarded?
Yes, it does. In some instances, the training provider and the
employer are the same party. That is, the employer acts as a
training provider for the practical requirements of the
qualification.
10. Are there a minimum number of learners who may
enter into a Learnership agreement in one company?
No, there is not. However, employers need to be
aware of the necessary infrastructure that needs to be in
place to support learners on Learnerships, e.g. scope of work
exposure.
11. Are there any minimum entry requirements for a Learnership?
Yes. Learners must be at or above the minimum age
as spelt out in the Basic Conditions of Employment. Should
the learner be under the age of 21, a guardian or parent will
need to sign the Learnership Agreement. The learner will need
to meet the entry requirements of the qualification, and of the job.
12. Can distance education be used?
Yes it can, provided that the quality assurance requirements are met.
13. Can Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) be applied to a Learnership?
Yes. Where professional bodies are involved,
their rules around RPL apply. In many cases, the learner must
provide the necessary evidence that education and experience, similar
to that required by the learnership has been attained.
14. What are Fasset's requirements for registering Learnerships?
These can be found on the Fasset website when you Click here
15. Can a Fasset employer register employees as learners on other Setas' learnerships? How does this work?
Yes. Please contact the QAL Department to indicate the learnership in which
you are interested.
Fasset interacts with other Setas in terms of memoranda of
understanding to determine the additional/expected processes in
this regard.
The employer completes the Fasset Learnership agreement and submits this to Fasset. Click here for the learnership agreement.