From Apprenticeships to Learnerships

1. From Apprenticeships to Learnerships Challenges, issues and solutions Author: Christoph Vorwerk

2. Critical success factors in the implementation of learnerships and other NQF programmes • Clarity of purpose and linkage to business strategies • Why do want to do this? • Management commitment, champion to drive • SETA support • Not just grants, also guidance and resources • Friendly ETQA system • Integration of learnership in overall system • No just about training • Social learning • Quality and relevance of qualifications and standards • Monitoring and evaluation

3. Critical factors in the re-design of apprenticeships • Qualifications and unit standards – SAQA • Curriculum or learning programme • Organisation of the learning process • Skills programmes • Learnerships • ETQA issues

4. Qualifications and unit standards Design issues

5. Rules of the new game • A learnership is not a qualification • A learnership is one route to acquiring a qualification • Standards and qualifications are related to occupations, not to the job • One qualification can cover several related occupations • One qualification can have several associated learnerships • Qualifications include fundamentals, life skills, team skills, self-management skills, coaching, etc • But a generic qualification does not mean you can do everything • It still means “ability to apply learning outcomes in a relevant context” • The relevant context is this machine, this material this product

6. RPL Internship Experience CertificateCourse Skills Programmes Courses Learnership Multiple Routes to a Qualifications National Certificate Metals Processing NQF Level X

7. Craft or Trade Qualification • Qualification embedded in the process • ie Sect 13 apprenticeship only route to trade • Sect 28 only a back door • Effluxion of time vs CBMT • Modules • Unwritten and unspecified part of apprentice route to craft was a sense of the business (the trade) • Dealing with customers • Managing workflow • Managing finances (if small business) • Focus on juveniles (school leavers) and is occupational route to a qualification

8. The new context • Qualifications separated from the learning process • Expressed in outcomes that have to be achieved • The end point of the learning is determined – outcomes-based • Outcomes (skills, knowledge and values) assessment criteria and the development of generic abilities • Qualifications consists of individual building blocks • Unit standards • But it requires integration • Also general skills – not just the “job” • Assessment is weighing evidence assembled as part of the learning process • Not just once-off trade test , but • assessment of total learning process (evidence in portfolio) • includes consistency of performance and repeatability • Multiple routes to the qualification

9. What is a learnership? NQF 5 Current perception Learning programme, over 3 years -apprenticeship-based model The qualification is embedded in the learning process 4 Q 3 2 1

10. NQF 5 4 3 Q Q Q 2 1 • SAQA requires: • Exit Level Outcomes at each level The full trade is based on three qualifications roughly equivalent to phases one, two and three of the apprenticeship. Each qualification can be an occupation in its own right, ie enough skills to form the basis of a job in industry. Learningprocess Assess-mentprocess Getting to the trade can then be done on a flexible basis when opportunities arise.

11. NQF 5 4 3 Q 2 1 Assess-mentprocess • Roughly ~ end of Phase 1 of apprenticeship • A qualification which recognises knowledge (eg N1 type knowledge, plus language & communication) and skills to perform certain support tasks for the trade area or for the artisan • Learner can continue working at this level or engage in learning for next level • Also RPL for those who have been doing this level of work for many years Learningprocess

12. NQF 5 4 3 2 1 • Roughly ~ end of Phase 2 of apprenticeship • A qualification which recognises knowledge (eg N2 type knowledge, plus language & communication) and skills to perform selected, routine artisan-type tasks in the trade area • Learner can continue working at this level or engage in learning for next level • Also RPL for those who have been doing this level of work for many years Q Q Learningprocess Assess-mentprocess

13. Diploma/Master Artisan 2 • Technician Diploma/Master Artisan 3 • Advanced trade qualification/Master Artisan 1 Q Q Q Q • Trade-equivalent qualification 6 5 4

14. Current trends • Increasing requirement for all trades to understand • Electrics, electronics and mechatronic systems • PLC and communication devices • Align qualifications with Mechatronic at level 5 • Think about L5 qualifications for maintenance of high speed production processes • Maintenance strategies

15. Design of qualifications • Generic qualifications and standards • Obtain in a specific context • Nat Cert Mechanical Engineering (Chemical fitting) MQF4 • Trades are cross-sectoral • One qualification – many learnerships

16. Curriculum & learning programmes What do we do with the trade theory and the modules?

17. Learning programme development • Disaggregate unit standards • Group and link to TT topics or modules • Identify gaps and source alternate modules, materials, outside providers >> Challenges • Realisation that a lot of the materials were out-of-date and needed revision • Unit standards consist of a lot of little bits of information • Difficult to organise into coherent whole, so..

18. Four learning modes Occupational Competence Occupational Qualifications Curriculum General and occupationally relevant knowledge and theory Application (structured learning) Workplace experience (practice) Specialised and contextual knowledge & theory Forthcoming DoL/GTZ Booklet

19. How we apply the four modes • General and occupationally relevant knowledge & theory • Trade theory but general, engineering science, drawing, maths… • Specialised and contextual knowledge & theory • Job, product or plant specific • Application • Off-line development of basic skills • Hand skills, exercises, practice, training machinery • Work experience • On-the-job, rotation through other departments • Best practice: projects which add value to the line, solve problems, improve systems

20. Reducing the complexity – organising horizontally • Use ‘subject’ headings to cluster and organise • Now have grid >>

21. Why do we do it this way? • There are certain common elements to all engineering trades • Create common core modules and topics for trade theory – used by everybody for a particular level • Current TT topics and modules can be incorporated as ‘general and contextual theory’ and as ‘application’ • Development needs • Knowledge and skills outside traditional trade • Revision of materials to bring up-to-date or to broaden • Assignments and projects for the work experience

22. Benefits • More coherence • Similar approach by all • Easier to manage range of occupations across whole group • Topics and modules can be used by any employees, not only those on learnerships • Easier quality assurance • Simplifies the process • Will be in line with new emerging requirements from Dept of Labour

23. Learnership registration and Memorandum of Understanding • Learnership can be registered against, say MERSETA accredited qualifications • Learning programme makes easier • Registration • QA • assessment • MoU • Reflects the above • With other SETAs • With FET sector

24. Organisation of learning Options

25. Learnerships • One year stipulation • Causes confusion in the workplaces, esp small companies • “After I year, what is he? • But the three stage process has advantages • More flexible for learners and employers • Perhaps influence DoL revision of learnership regulations • Special three-year learnerships for trades • Maybe we can get SAQA to understand too!

26. Also skills progammes • Still have learning contract, but voluntary, • take it slower with greater work experience and ability to earn working wage at that level • Especially appropriate for artisan aids and others to get recognition for skills with ‘theory’ top-up and fundamentals