Fasset Learnership Induction Template March 2005

Overview of legislation & learnerships

Skills Development Legislative Environment National Skills Authority NSA Sector Education & Training Authority (SETA) Standards Generating Bodies (SGBs) National Standards Bodies (NSBs) Education & Training Quality Assurer (ETQA) National Skills Fund Quality Assurance Accreditation Providers/Moderators/ Assessors Employers Department of Education Department of Labour National Qualifications Framework (NQF) South African Qualification Authority Act (SAQA) Skills Development Act (SDA)

The NQF The NQF aims to:  Bring together the variety of qualifications already in existence  Provide a structure onto which new qualifications can be added  Ensure that all existing and new national qualifications meet quality requirements  Ensure international education and business networks and opportunities can be developed now and in the future

Levels of the NQF LEVEL General Education and Training Higher Education and Training Further Education and Training BAND Pre - school Foundation Phase Intermediate Phase Senior Phase Doctorates, further research degrees Diplomas, occupational certificates Higher degrees, professional qualifications First degrees, higher diplomas School, college, training certificates, mix of units from all NGOs TYPES OF QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATES ABET Level 1 ABET Level 2 ABET Level 3 ABET Level 4

Standards Learning Assessment On the job experience Coaching / Mentoring e-Learning Self study Distance-education Training courses RPL On-the-job observation Exams Interviews Projects Evidence Qualification Unit Standards

Qualification Fundamental Core Electives Training Programme / Curriculum Unit Standards Outcomes-based modules Learnership Design of Learnerships

What is a learnership? A Learnership is defined as a work-based route for learning and gaining qualifications. It includes both structured work experience (practical) and structured learning (theory).

Lead to a qualification Include practical work experience Consist of a structured learning component Relate to an occupation A Learnership must:

 The learnership agreement

Parties to the Agreement Learnership agreement Learner Training ProviderEmployer NOTE: the employer may be the training provider

Duties of the Learner The Learner must:  work for the employer as part of the learning process  be available for and participate in all learning and work experience required by the learnership  comply with workplace policies and procedures  complete any timesheets or any written assessment tools supplied by the employer to record relevant workplace experience  attend all study periods and theoretical learning sessions with the training provider and undertake all learning conscientiously

Duties of the Employer The Employer must:  Comply with its duties in terms of applicable legislation  Provide the learner with appropriate training in the work environment and with the appropriate facilities to achieve the relevant outcomes  Provide the learner with adequate supervision at work  Release the learner during normal working hours to attend off-the-job education and training  Conduct on-the-job assessment  Keep up to date records of learning and discuss progress with the learner

Period of the Agreement  The learning period is determined  at the time the learnership is established; and  according to the rate at which the unit standards are achieved.  Previous learning achievements may be recognised (RPL) – this may reduce the learning period.  The Agreement will end if required learning outcomes are not achieved within the agreed period, unless otherwise agreed between the parties

 Assessment and moderation

Applied Competence & Assessment  SAQA defines Applied Competence as: “…the union of foundational, practical and reflexive competence”  SAQA defines assessment as: “A structured process for gathering evidence and making a judgement about an individual’s performance in relation to registered national standards”  Assessment in the Learnership context must be:  Structured  Transparent  Negotiated  Objective

Structure of a Unit Standard  Title  Purpose Statement  Learning Assumptions  Specific Outcomes  Assessment Criteria  Range Statements  Critical Cross Field Outcomes  Embedded Knowledge

Unit standards (cont.)  Unit standards are:  Nationally registered standards on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) that represents an end point of learning  The benchmark that the assessor will use to evaluate the learner’s performance i.e. his/her competence against the specific outcomes  The learner must be meet ALL the specific outcomes of the unit standard to be declared competent against the whole unit standard  The learner must be very familiar with the content of the unit standards for the qualification

Assessment of unit standards on the NQF i.e. No “degrees” of competence Competent Not Yet Competent (NYC) or

Who will my Assessors be?  Subject Matter Experts who have:  Completed Workplace Assessment Training  Been declared competent against the relevant Assessor Unit standard/s  Are registered by Fasset as Assessors

The Role of the Assessor  Learning is no longer something that is ‘done to’ the learner, but something that the learner is actively involved in.  As such the role of the assessor has changed: from being a ‘gate keeper’, who uses assessment to prevent learners from developing further, to a supportive guide who has the success of the learner at heart – so that the learner can gain access to further learning. (Criteria and Guidelines for the Registration of Assessors, p7.)

How will I be Assessed?  Assessment Guides developed against the unit standards  Assessment will occur in the workplace  Simulated work or actual work produced during the course of the normal working day (e.g. client proposals, project plans)  Work that can be attributed to the individual learner  Provision for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)  Evaluation of Portfolio of evidence

Methods of Collecting Evidence  Observation  Written tests  Oral tests or questioning  Simulation/role – play/case study  Reports  Portfolio of evidence

6 Phases of Assessment with the Learner 1.Develop the Assessment Plan (Assessor and Learner) 2.Discuss the Assessment Plan (Assessor and Learner) 3.Conduct the Assessment (Assessor and Learner)  Gather Evidence  Evaluate Evidence  Make a judgement on competence 4.Provide feedback (Assessor and Learner) 5.Complete administration requirements - including ETQA Reporting (Assessor) 6.Evaluate the Assessment Process (Assessor and Learner)

Controls in the Assessment Process  The organisation’s Assessment Policy and Procedures document  A Head Assessor (if applicable)  Moderators (who perform a quality control function)  The organisation’s grievance procedure  In addition - FassetQA have an external verification role

 Implementation activities

Role Players  Learners  Learnership sponsor/coordinator (could be the SDF)  Learnership Administrator/s  Mentors/Guides (May be one or a number of people per learner)  Assessors  Moderators

Responsibilities – Learnership sponsor/coordinator  Overall management  Overall monitoring  Overall reporting  Liaison with training providers, SETA’s, ETQA’s, SAQA, DoL and learners  Selection of training providers  Selection and induction of learners

Responsibilities – Learnership Administrator/s  Administering Learnership agreements  Scheduling  Maintaining database  Reporting  General information sharing  Communication

Responsibilities – Mentors/Guides  Supporting learners  Coaching learners  Providing advice to learners  Counselling learners

Responsibilities – Assessors  Planning assessment  Conducting assessment  Reporting on assessment  Supporting learners

Responsibilities – Moderators  Moderating assessment process  ETQA Reporting

Learnership communications Ongoing Monitoring and Reporting FassetQA and learnership project team Learners Learnership Administrator Learnership coordinator Mentors Assessors Fasset

Communication channels  Internal communications channels  Information-sharing sessions  Fasset website (  Learnership information and FAQs  Management consulting learnership project updates  Fasset newsletters  Progress meetings