Impact assessment of learnerships and apprenticeships

Abstract

This study was commissioned by the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services SETA (MERSETA) with the aim of ascertaining the efficiency and effectiveness of the learnership and apprenticeship systems and to assess their impact on the demand for and supply of skills for the industry. The aims of this research were influenced by the fact that an understanding of the potential impact of learnerships and apprenticeships on the labour market outcomes of beneficiaries within MERSETA is limited. There is a critical lack of data on the scale, number and career progression of qualified apprentices and learners as well as the employability of newly qualified learners exiting at different NQF levels. The status of many participants, or their motives for studying and moving within the system, or the different possible pathways open to them or that they traverse is not known. Such information which must be as reliable and accurate as possible is needed in order to enhance MERSETA's ability to strategically intervene in training initiatives geared towards addressing the supply of and demand for skilled labour within the sector.