There are thousands of people in South Africa who want and need to learn new skills. Some are learners who are still at school or in college. Others are already employed but need to improve the skills that they have and also learn new ones in order to achieve their career objectives.

Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) in South Africa encourage skills development in specific economic sectors like agriculture, banking and finance, arts and culture, construction, the chemical industry, education and training, energy and water, the food and beverage industry, health and welfare, local government, manufacturing and engineering, media and advertising, mining, safety and
security, wholesale and retail, public services, and others.  Currently, there are 21 SETAs that focus on promoting skills development in their sectors.

The SETAs cover both the public and private sectors. The SETAs provide information on quality education and training offered by employers within their sectors. They can help you to find funding options and avenues to gain new skills while you are working.

SETAs assist in providing funding for learning programmes including learnerships, apprenticeships, skills programmes and provide funding for bursaries.

Learnerships

A learnership is a structured learning programme that combines theoretical training and on-the-job learning in an integrated programme.

It is a great opportunity to learn a trade while working towards a nationally recognised qualification, which is structured on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). You will earn an allowance whilst receiving
both theoretical and practical training for the duration of the learnership contract, in accordance with the Department of Labour regulations. You will get valuable work experience, which will enable you to enter
the labour market and become employable.

SETAs do not provide learnerships directly to the public. They facilitate the creation of learnerships with
employers. You can contact the SETAs directly to find out which employers offer learnerships.Companies also form a learnership agreement with a training provider, for example a TVET College.

Employee Tax Incentives

Employers can benefit from financial incentives (Section 12H (a) a SARS incentive) and participants may access funding from respective SETAs. Organisations will also optimise their B-BBEE compliance by aligning training objectives and will address skills shortages through participation.

Section12H provides additional deductions to employers for qualifying learnership agreements. These
additional deductions are intended as an incentive for employers to train employees in a regulated environment in order to encourage skills development and job creation.  Training contracts that qualify
for these deductions are learnership agreements and apprenticeships registered with a SETA.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are a combination of on-the job training and related classroom instruction, in which
apprentices learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a designated trade

Internships

An internship is a form of graduate training where individuals with qualifications required by a certain company are trained and given practical working experience for a certain period of time after completing
their studies.

Skills Programmes

Critical skills refers to skills and abilities within occupations such as general management, communication and customer handling, teamwork, or communication technology. Key or generic skills include cognitive skills (problem solving, learning to learn), language and literacy skills,
mathematical skills, ICT skills and working in teams. Many companies find it difficult to recruit people who have these skills. No matter what your occupation, these skills may be key to your future employment
as well as contribute to success in whatever endeavour you choose to follow. There are many opportunities to upskill yourself by registering for short courses or unit standards which lead to a full qualification. However, make certain that that any training providers you register with are accredited with the appropriate SETA and that the course that is offered is also accredited as part of the qualification you are interested in completing. The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) requires that all qualifications and accredited training providers be accredited by the relevant SETA’S Education and Training Quality Authorities (ETQA).

Useful websites

• http://mobi.careerhelp.org.za/
• http://www.indeed.co.za/Learnership-jobs
• http://latestlearnerships.com/
• http://www.careersportal.co.za/
• http://availablelearnerships.com/

http://www.youthvillage.co.za/