Implementing learnerships : learner recruitment and selection - lessons learnt from the KwaZulu-Natal pilot projects : the practice of higher education

Since the Skills Development Act of 1998, the `learnership' model of workplace training has been promoted in South Africa as a creative vehicle for addressing high unemployment rates and a scarce skills shortage. However, because learnerships are a recent innovation, the body of applied knowledge is small. This article aims to contribute to what is known through examining a series of pilot projects, implemented between 1997 and 2001 in KwaZulu-Natal, with specific reference to the recruitment and selection of learners. This process is a critical `input' into the establishment of any Learnership and should be carefully designed and planned if it is to be effective. Therefore we need to examine the process, identify lessons learnt and highlight emerging best practices for the future.