Transcript Implementing Learnerships

From Apprenticeships to
Learnerships
Challenges, issues and solutions
Author: Christoph Vorwerk
Critical success factors in the implementation of
learnerships and other NQF programmes
•
Clarity of purpose and linkage to business strategies

•
•
Management commitment, champion to drive
SETA support


•
Not just grants, also guidance and resources
Friendly ETQA system
Integration of learnership in overall system


•
•
Why do want to do this?
No just about training
Social learning
Quality and relevance of qualifications and standards
Monitoring and evaluation
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Qualifications and unit standards
Design issues
Rules of the new game
•
A learnership is not a qualification

•
Standards and qualifications are related to
occupations, not to the job



•
A learnership is one route to acquiring a qualification
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Multiple Routes to a Qualifications
National Certificate Metals Processing NQF Level X
RPL
Internship
Experience
Certificate
Course
Learnership
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Skills
Programmes
Courses
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
What is a learnership?
NQF
5
4
Q
3
2
1
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Current perception
Learning programme, over 3 years apprenticeship-based model
The qualification is embedded in
the learning process
NQF
SAQA requires:
1. Exit Level Outcomes at each level
5
Q
4
Q
3
Q
2
1
Learning
process
Assessment
process
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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.
Getting to the trade can then be
done on a flexible basis when
opportunities arise.
NQF
5
•Roughly ~ end of Phase 1 of
apprenticeship
4
3
Q
2
1
Learning
process
Assessment
process
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
•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
NQF
• Roughly ~ end of Phase 2 of
apprenticeship
5
4
Q
3
Q
• 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
2
• Learner can continue working
at this level or engage in
learning for next level
1
• Also RPL for those who have
been doing this level of work for
many years
Learning
process
Assessment
process
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Q
• Technician Diploma/Master
Artisan 3
Q
•Diploma/Master Artisan 2
Q
• Advanced trade
qualification/Master Artisan 1
Q
• Trade-equivalent qualification
6
5
4
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Curriculum & learning programmes
What do we do with the trade theory and the
modules?
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-ofdate and needed revision
• Unit standards consist of a lot of little bits of
information
• Difficult to organise into coherent whole, so..
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Four learning modes
Occupational Competence
Occupational Qualifications
Curriculum
General and
occupationally relevant
knowledge and theory
Specialised and
contextual knowledge &
theory
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Application
(structured learning)
Workplace experience
(practice)
Forthcoming DoL/GTZ Booklet
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Reducing the complexity – organising horizontally
•
•
Use ‘subject’ headings to cluster and organise
Now have grid >>
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
Organisation of learning
Options
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!
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting
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
Author: Christoph Vorwerk, Xasa
Facilitating & Consulting