…Learnerships not used as cheap labour
Learners on learnerships are contracted to an employer as part of the learning process. The term of agreement is stipulated in the learnership agreement between the learner, the employer and the provider.
There is no way a learner on a learnership can replace a permanent worker as the comrades also acknowledge that the learner “will have to leave when the learnership agreement expires.†How do we then say employers would use these learners to reduce labour cost?
The unemployed learners on learnerships are paid a minimum allowance as opposed to a salary to assist them with transport and food whilst on the learnership programme.
The allowance is a minimum, which means that should a sector agree on different formulae for compensating the unemployed, they are at liberty to do so.
The minimum allowance was introduced by the Commission on Basic Condition of Employment which is a statutory and stakeholder body that advises the Ministry of Labour. It is common sense that unemployed are being taught whilst in they are in the workplace.
They are not working. They are acquiring skills and workplace experience whilst in the workplace. Therefore it would be inconceivable to refer to them as cheap labour at this stage.
The skills development strategy seeks to create a pool of competent and experienced trades people so that when there are projects that have a potential to absorb a reasonable number of unemployed, we don't then have to cross the border in search of those skills.
An example in this regard is the building and the construction of a gas pipe from Maputo to Sasol wherein 90 percent of those welders working on these projects come from overseas.
The unemployed have been used in the past as cheap labour. Their experience they have acquired over time has not been recognised nor have they been paid for that experience.
The learnership processes will assist these unemployed and employed. They will assess their prior knowledge and recognise that knowledge. The learnerships will also formalise their competencies/skills so that they have reliable proof for future employment. Learners will use these confirmations of competencies to bench mark themselves in terms of pay to avoid the cheap labour scenario.
…Learnerships do not displace current employees
The introduction of learnerships will not put current employees and their job security at risk. Workers with their trade unions and the employer decide on the number of employees that need to be put on the learnerships.
Employees will be placed into the learning programme to respond to the changing way of work, technological advancement and future projections amongst others. These learners cannot pose a threat to permanent workers if trade unions agree that “learnerships are vacancy driven†– not that I support this position.
This means that these learners can ONLY be appointed on a permanent basis if a vacancy exists and their applications are successful. However this is a challenge to us as a union.
We need to engage employers in ensuring that unemployed learners ARE placed after completion of a learnership. Moreover, we need to remember that the bulk of these individuals are operators with at least std 7 qualifications.
The learnership programme will help them formalise their knowledge and prior experience through recognition of prior learning. However, at the moment, the relationship of NQF levels to pay is not complete. The Bargaining Councils must take responsibility for this.
In the meantime, no worker should be dropped from the grades that they are in because of the learnerships. No worker should be displaced as a result of the intake of unemployed learners into the workplace. This is because putting unemployed workers into learnerships is not an employment contract.
It is a learning contract that poses no threat to permanent employees. Equally the introduction of the learnerships cannot be seen as a threat to the deskilling of the artisan. It is a tool to strengthen artisan training and competencies.
The introduction of the fundamental component ??? around what and management skills into all learnerships qualifications is in response to the changing needs of the workplace.
More and more, artisans are required to manage people, manage finances and plan production. The learnerships are an appropriate tool which will re-enforce artisan skills and improve on them as opposed to deskilling them.
…Learnership learning hours could be shorter
Learnerships are a multiple entry and exit point. Because learnerships reco
Grants and claims
Companies receive grants on the basis of the mandatory and discretionary grants system as contained in the Skills Development Levy Act. For example for the April 2003 to March 2004, companies falling under the Merseta can claim the following grants:
for submitting their Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) – 15% of their levy for submitting their Annual Training Report (ATR) – 40% of their levy for running courses as specified in the Seta's Discretionary Grant system – 15% of their levy.
For a company to claim the discretionary grant, it is not necessary for them to submit a WSP. They will only paid upon receipt of proof of actual training concluded.
Over and above these claims, companies are eligible for tax concessions of R25 000 upon enrollment of learners into learnerships and R25000 upon completion of the training. I believe that incentives are given to employers in the form of grants as a way of ensuring that training does take place.
Employers are not just given grants. They first have to pay their levies to claim these grants. A challenge is on us as a union to ensure that this does happen.
gnise prior learning, learners enter a specific level according to their prior experience and knowledge. Depending on the speed of a learner, it might take between three to twelve months to complete each level.
This is against the three years of continuous training in the artisan route. Learnerships cannot be compared with Atrami. Atrami was/is sectoral specific. It is recognised in the metal industry and was agreed upon by the Bargaining Council.
The Atrami certificate was not recognised elsewhere. We find many artisans who qualified through Atrami then requesting to write a section 28 to receive a nationally recognised certificate. Atrami then cannot be regarded as better than a normal apprentice route, let alone a learnership.
…Learnerships and career pathing
Learnerships encourage career paths because they fall within a qualification that has been designed for 8 levels of the NQF. This means that from the entry, a learner will clearly know were to go and how to get to the level above.
The learning is also portable across other sectors. A learner will see other related careers that may be followed even the ones that relate to different sectors. Learnerships as a route to a qualification cannot deny access to anyone.
Instead they allow and facilitate access through ABET NQF level 1 generic qualifications. These have been developed and registered with the Department of Labour.
Learners will be taught generic basic manufacturing skills that will facilitate access into any stream of learning in manufacturing.
Discuss in your workplace
Do you have learnerships in your workplace? What are the benefits of learnerships? What are the problems with learnerships?
Source
Numsa News