Private training providers deliver many learnerships, and the quality varies enormously. The difference between a provider whose learners complete and are employed and one that simply collects a grant is knowable before you enrol.
This page covers the entry requirements and how to assess a training provider, which is the decision that determines whether the year is worth anything.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
What a learnership through a private provider generally requires.
- South African citizenship and a valid South African ID
- A National Senior Certificate or the qualification level the programme requires
- The subjects the specific programme requires
- Being within any age range the programme sets
- A provider accredited by the relevant SETA or the QCTO
- A learnership registered with the SETA, with a host employer for the workplace component
- A signed learnership agreement between the learner, the employer and the provider
- A stipend paid to the learner for the duration
- Application by the published closing date
Education and Subject Requirements
Verify the provider’s accreditation with the SETA or the QCTO, not with the provider. Accreditation is granted for specific qualifications, and a provider accredited for one programme is not accredited for all.
Confirm the learnership is registered. A registered learnership is recorded with a SETA and produces a registered qualification. A course that is not a registered learnership does not, whatever it is called.
The workplace component is the question to ask about. A learnership requires a host employer, and a provider that cannot name where learners are placed is offering a classroom course. Ask which employers host their learners and for how long.
Ask what past cohorts achieved — how many completed, how many were absorbed by host employers, how many are working in the field. A provider that cannot answer that is telling you something, and it is the most informative question available.
You should never pay. A registered learnership is funded through the SETA grant system or by the employer, and the learner is paid a stipend. A provider charging a learner for a learnership is not running a learnership.
Age, Fitness, Licence and Background Requirements
Attendance and progress are conditions of the agreement and of the stipend.
Transport is the practical obstacle. Budget it against the stipend before accepting a placement, because a learner who cannot get to the site does not complete.
The qualification must be assessed and certificated. Ask who assesses, who moderates, and how long certification takes after completion. Learners routinely finish and then wait a long time for a certificate from a poor provider — ask about it in advance.
Keep your own records — the agreement, attendance, assessment results and any correspondence. A dispute with a provider is resolved on records.
Where a provider fails to deliver, raise it with the SETA that accredited them. SETAs have oversight of accredited providers and complaints are acted on.
A police clearance and a medical may be required depending on the workplace.
Documents and Evidence Required
What is needed to apply.
- Certified copy of your South African ID or smart ID card
- Certified copy of your National Senior Certificate or final results
- Certified copies of any N-level or further qualifications
- A completed application form in the current official version
- A curriculum vitae
- A police clearance certificate, where required
- Proof of residence
- Banking details in your own name, for stipend payment
- Contact details that reach you throughout selection
Application and Selection Process
Verify five things before enrolling: the provider’s accreditation with the SETA, that the learnership is registered, which employers host learners, what past cohorts achieved, and who certificates the qualification. All five are answerable, and they separate a useful year from a wasted one.
Never pay for a learnership. Registered learnerships pay the learner a stipend under an agreement between the learner, the employer and the training provider. Any request for money — for forms, training, placement or a medical — is fraud. Fake learnership advertisements circulate constantly, using personal numbers, messaging groups and guaranteed placement claims. Verify against the employer’s or provider’s own website and report fraudulent advertisements to the SETA and the police.
Apply through official channels only, and verify any advertisement against the provider’s or employer’s own website.
Apply to several programmes. Learnerships are oversubscribed and applications are free.
Free help is available from labour centres, community youth centres and the Small Enterprise Development Agency with applications and curricula vitae.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check a training provider?
Verify its accreditation with the relevant SETA or the QCTO — not with the provider — and confirm the specific learnership is registered with a SETA.
What is the most informative question to ask?
What past cohorts achieved — how many completed, how many were absorbed by host employers, and how many are working in the field. A provider that cannot answer is telling you something.
Should I ever pay for a learnership?
No. Registered learnerships are funded through the SETA grant system or the employer, and the learner is paid a stipend. A provider charging learners is not running a learnership.
The provider is not delivering. What now?
Raise it with the SETA that accredited them. SETAs have oversight of accredited providers and complaints are acted on. Keep your own records.
Accreditation, learnership registration, stipends and provider oversight are administered by the SETAs and the QCTO and are revised. Verify any provider’s accreditation and the learnership’s registration with the relevant SETA before enrolling.