Practical workplace component of learnership programmes

One of the major stumbling blocks in learnership programmes has been the lack of coordination, planning and commitment on the part of employers to implement learnerships at the workplaces (Singh, 2002:2; Jacklin, 2003:49).

Singh (2002:2) found a linear relationship between an organisation‟s level of awareness and perceptions of organisations in term of propensity to implements learnership programmes. Organisations with high awareness of learnership programmes as a method of skills development would obviously be more prone to positive perceptions of benefits of implementing learnerships as a developmental tool for employees, and be aware of concomitant benefits for the organisation. Despite incentives that are offered to organisations for implementing learnerships, there still seems to be a lack of commitment from most organisations (Jacklin, 2003:49). Singh (2002:2) maintains that the Departments of Education and Labour should take responsibility to ensure that organisations understand the importance, as well as the benefits for business and individuals that participate in such skills development at the workplace.

Billett (2001:1) regards workplace learning as a responsibility of both the learner and the organisation, but places ownership with the organisation to offer the necessary support and guidance in the workplace. Workplaces, he maintains, should afford opportunities to learners to participate in work activities and should offer support to learners. Only then, according to Billett (2001:1), can quality of learning take place.

According to Hattingh (2004:16), the uniqueness of learnerships, as opposed to other forms of learning, can be described as being “structured [programme] in that they contain a specific range of learning in the workplace and with a training provider”. Hattingh (2004:9) emphasizes the importance of structuring learnerships and states that workplace learning should not be limited to a narrow range of general tasks such as filing or other unpleasant tasks.

Learnerships should be collaborative in its planning between the training provider and the workplace provider. These parties should jointly decide on the

most appropriate method to achieve desired outcomes, as well as the structuring of workplace experience according to specific unit standards, outcomes and, ultimately, the learnership programme in its entirety.

There should be planned and managed integration between learning and application to ensure a direct correlation between what is learnt and what is practiced. Decisions concerning what learners will learn from a training provider, as well as in the workplace, should be clearly stipulated and relevant to the workplace, the learner‟s qualification and the world of work, in general.

Part of the workplace experience should include appropriate assessment of learners to evaluate and ensure that learners are competent and are able to perform the specific tasks and skills that are acquired. Whereas the training provider would assess the theoretical aspects of the learnership programme, the employer is responsible for assessing practical aspects of the learning programme. Coetzee (2002:136) explains that assessment will only improve learning when it provides a multidimensional picture of what learners know and can do. Therefore, this implies that assessment of learners on a learnership programme will include being assessed at both the workplace by an employer and in the classroom by a training provider.

Billet (2001:209) maintains that workplace learning can only be effective where support, guidance, opportunities and access to resources are part of a coordinated plan which is specifically designed for learners. Research conducted by Billett identified and confirmed that the readiness of the enterprise to accommodate learners in the form of appropriate activities and guidance, is a crucial indicator of learner development. He (Billet, 2001:209) moreover maintains that opportunities for participation in the workplace further entrenched the quality of learning and development for individual learners.

Hattingh (2004:9) stresses that the role of the learner should be clearly understood as that of a learner and not an employee who is studying for a course, while continuing to work in a regular job. The learner should, therefore, be afforded an opportunity to “focus their attention and energy on learning,

without being distracted by urgent office tasks that force most full-time employed learners to do the best they can with study assignments, given everyday work pressures”.

The integration of application of learning in the workplace should be continuous and not at the end of a period of, for example, six months as this could give rise to unlearning owing to time delays between theory and application (Hattingh, 2004:9). However, despite explicit guidelines concerning the duration and location of various learning components, Lundall (2003:6) cites major problems amongst employers as he believes that employers are not willing to enter into agreements with educational or governmental organisations to coordinate learning and workplace experience for learners.

Billett (2001:209) argues that workplaces that have planned strategies for their workplace learning programmes will typically afford learners opportunities for learning. Organisations that offer learning opportunities should ensure offered guidance and support as the workplace should form the core learning environment in any vocational training programme. Billett iterates the importance of the workplace in guided learning, citing various workplaces ((Billett, 1998; Billett, 2000) in Billet, 2001:209) where strategies such as modelling, coaching and opportunities to question, identified these factors as key features for quality learning and development of learners.

He further states that “readiness is more than preparedness for guided learning to proceed. It also includes norms and work practices that constitute invitational qualities for individuals to participate in and learn through work. The degree by which workplaces provide rich learning outcomes through daily activities and intentional interventions will be determined, at least in part, by its readiness to afford opportunities and support for learning” (Billett, 2001:210).

In several instances, employers were not aware of requirements for successful implementation (Du Toit et al., 2005:13). Learners‟ perceptions, however, were positive in terms of appropriateness of the workplace venue and to the theoretical classroom content (Du Toit et al., 2005:24).