What Should I Know?

What You Need to Know – Duties and Rights

Once enrolled in a learning programme as a leaner, you need to understand your responsibilities and duties. Learner agreements with employers are guided by the Skills Development Act, Basic Conditions of Services Act and Unemployment Insurance Act – these acts prescribe the responsibilities of leaners and employers engaged in a learning programme.
Any person – either employed or unemployed - can participate in a learning programme. If employed, you can register for a learnership through your company or within the sector that your company operates in. If you are unemployed, you may register for placement via the Services SETA learner portal or through Services SETA accredited provider in your area.

The Learner Has the Right to:

• Receive an induction to the workplace based learning programme;
• Be educated and trained under the workplace based learning programme;
• Access to the required resources for all required curriculum components of the work-based learning programme;
• Be assessed internally as specified and have access to the assessment results of the workplace based learning programme;
• Have access to final external summative assessments as specified in the assessment specification;
• If successful, be awarded a certificate of competence, by the relevant body;
• In the case of an unemployed learner, receive the agreed workplace-based learning programme allowance for the duration of the learning programme
• Raise grievances in writing with the SETA concerning any shortcomings in the quality of the education and training under the workplace based learning programme.

The Learner Must:

• Carry out all related work experience activities specified in the workplace-based learning programme;
• Comply with the employer’s workplace policies and procedures;
• Be available for, and participate in, all knowledge, practical skills and work experience activities required by the workplace-based learning programme;
• Complete timesheets and projects, and participate in all internal assessment activities that are required for the final external summative assessment at the end of the workplace-based learning programme;
• Be available for the final external summative assessment of occupational competence on the date and place scheduled.

Learner stipend and attendance

Leaner stipends are monthly payments paid to the learners undergoing certain training programmes for the duration of that training. Please note that stipend is only paid to unemployed learners for specific programmes. Some programmes such as skills programmes do not have stipend attached to it. The stipend is only paid to learners that are registered and contracted to the Services SETA funded programme. Stipend amounts are regulated by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The stipend is intended to help learners cover the cost of getting to training sites and basic food. This is why stipends are only paid on proof of attendance. Please ensure that you sign the attendance register on daily basis or check in through the biometric system. No stipend can be paid without proof of attendance.

Click here to see the payment cycle for stipend payments.

Unemployment Insurance Fund

Learners undergoing a learning programme and receive a stipend, are entitled to unemployment insurance benefits. This means that a total contribution of 2% of the stipend amount will be deducted from the learner stipend (1% will be paid for by the learners, while the other 1% is the employer’s responsibility).