Orientation Guide for 18 - W&RSETA · Web viewAssessment must be conducted in line with the principles of Assessment. These are contained in the Unit Standard ASSMT 01 and are as

Learnership Orientation and Induction Guide for Pre and Unemployed Learners

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1. Introduction

The key to the successful implementation of Learnerships lies in careful planning and capacity building from within the organisation.

The new learner may be a person who will be in the organisation for only a year. On the other hand he or she may be at the beginning of a long and successful career path in the organisation.

Whatever the case may be, it is essential to create a pleasant experience and a positive perception from the very beginning. This document is a guide for organisations to orientate learners onto the Learnership and induct them into their organisation.

Obviously all organisations have their own requirements and regulations. However, what is not company-specific is the need for ongoing quality assurance. For this reason it is essential that systems be in place for record keeping, policy, procedures, assessments and reporting.

This guide is not intended to be prescriptive or to contradict existing company policies or procedures. Please feel free to adapt and/or reject any guidelines that do not meet the needs of your organisation.

NOTE: In order to eliminate confusion, this Guide distinguishes between orientation and induction as follows:

I Orientation refers to Orientation onto the LearnershipII Induction refers to Induction into the Company

Appendix I contains a list of definitions of terms related to Learnerships.


2. Existing Employees

Delivery of the Learnership is divided into structured theoretical training and structured workplace experience (30%-70% split).

Because at least 30%, and at most 70%, of the Learnership occurs on the shop floor, learners will be working very closely with existing employees. The relationship between 18.2 (pre- and unemployed) learners and existing employees is a crucial one. It is essential, therefore, that all employees be briefed before commencement of the Learnerships.

The need for buy-in cannot be overstated. The more committed and enthusiastic the organisation appears, the more welcome will the learners feel.

Depending on the hierarchy of your organisation, the following stakeholders and role players should be briefed and involved:

Board Members MD, Senior Management Line Managers Supervisors Shop Stewards Employees

Delivery

The orientation is delivered by the person/group responsible for the training.


TIP: Structure a sensitization workshop targeted at all employees to ensure that the organisation is prepared for Learnerships.

Suggested Contents of Workshop

What is a Learnership and what is its purpose? Why is the company embarking on Learnerships? (Vision,

Purpose, Rationale) How will the Learnerships work? (Programme, Staff

involvement)

TIP: Let employees express their reservations and let them come up with solutions to the reservations.

Appendix II is a list of the advantages of Learnerships for the employer, company and industry.


3. Learnership Orientation

Contents of Orientation

o The Learnership Agreement

The Learnership is governed by the Learnership Agreement. We suggest therefore that you use the orientation to go through the Learnership Agreement. This will ensure that all parties to the agreement, as well as the people who will be involved in the Learnership rollout, understand exactly the rights and responsibilities of the role players and what is expected of them.

o Overview of the NQF

o Overview of the Learning Programme

- Programme Name and Description- Purpose of Programme- Unit Standards to be covered- Learning Outcomes- Requirements of the Qualification including Assessment

and Evidence Requirements

o Learners need to be provided with:

- Comprehensive Learning Guides- The Learnership rollout plan- All other media, equipment and aids that may be required

TIP: Ensure that all learners are aware of what is expected of them regarding both the theoretical and structured workplace experience components of the Learnership. This is clearly outlined in the W&RSETA Learnership Guide


4. Induction into the Company

Employment Contract and Induction Checklist

Inasmuch as the Learnership is governed by the Learnership Agreement, it is also governed by the Employment Contract. Consequently, it may be a good idea to begin the induction by ensuring that all learners understand the terms of the contract.Ensure that all contracts are signed and that the SETA has a copy of each contract.

Most companies have an established induction programme for employees. The same programme can obviously be used, or adapted, for learners.

TIP: Create an induction Checklist

Example of an Induction Checklist

Employee Name ________________Branch ________________________Learnership Level _______________Learnership Supervisor/Mentor _________________

Has the learner been given the following items (where relevant to your company)?

Personnel fileEmployee Handbook/Induction FileName TagUniformAccess Control CardStationery etc.


Contents of the Induction File

o Structure of the Organisationo Structure of the Branch or Office where learner will be working

o Mission and Vision of the organisationo Explanation on the workings of the business

o Company expectations of employees (and learners)

o Employee Benefits

- Leave benefits- Salary benefits- Bonuses- Overtime- Bursary Schemes- Loans- Staff Purchases- Training Policy- Transfer Policy

o Conditions of Employment

- Working hours- Public Holidays- Dress Code- Security- Termination of Service- Telephone policy- Gifts- Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures- Confidentiality Policy

o Policies regarding customer care and service

Learnership Site Induction


Ensure that each learner is given a copy of, or made aware of all Learnership site (branch) rules and regulations

Learners should be taken on a tour of the site and introduced formally to other people.

Point out important office areas: customer entrance, staff entrance, manager’s office, cash office, till points, receiving area, end control, reception and switchboard, buying office, toilets, staff room, lockers, canteen, fire extinguishers, emergency exits, notice boards etc.

Ensure that all learners understand all health and safety policies and procedures.

Ensure that the learner has completed all forms that existing employees are required to complete e.g. bank account details for payment etc.


5. Learner Support Systems

Introduction

Learnerships are different from the course-based approach of the past. The focus now is not on what you present to people, but on the processes by which they learn to become competent.

A key aspect to support this shift and, therefore, of implementing Learnerships in the workplace is to support learners with assessors, coaches and mentors. People performing these roles will play a key part in the success of Learnerships.

Learning processes that will be required for the successful completion of Learnerships in the workplace consist mainly of the following:

- Practice

- Development and honing of skills

- Development of critical outcomes

Companies need to focus on supporting such activities. Many training practices and development processes focus on the classroom aspect of learning. Very little emphasis is placed on the transfer of classroom learning to the point of application; nor does much of the classroom-learning take into account conditions and difficulties faced in the workplace.

It is critical, therefore, that companies develop learner support systems, which will include developing current staff to take on additional responsibilities.


Role Players

Some organisations have established a Learnership Implementation Committee. This may be an existing training committee or an equity committee. Larger organisations may establish a new committee; smaller organisations may have one person fulfilling the various functions (Learnership Project Leader).

It is important also that each workplace site (i.e. at store level) has a person who takes responsibility for the learners at that site. This person may function as a mentor. However, the term ‘mentor’ has many connotations. Smaller stores may have one mentor working across many sites. For this reason we suggest a Learnership Supervisor who will be the learner’s ‘address’ while at work.

The Committee (or Project Leader) will need to appoint the assessors, mentors and coaches.

Coaches, Mentors and Assessors

Coaching and mentoring are activities which occur every day within organisations.

Learnerships allow companies to formalise, recognise and acknowledge these roles.

It is essential that companies also provide support for these roles in order to improve coaching, mentoring and assessment techniques. To encourage people to participate, companies may also consider registering staff on their own learning programmes to achieve their own credits and qualifications for the additional skills.

Many of the higher-level qualifications are including such skills as part of those qualifications. Other method of supporting the coaching and mentoring roles is in providing materials, resources and assistance.


The function and purpose of the mentor and coach

Primarily mentors and coaches initiate the learner into the community of expert practice. Coaching focuses on the development of techniques, specific skills, reading the environment and solving problems. Ideally, coaching involves technical expertise. Mentoring has a broader purpose and focus on approaches, strategies and issues.

Coaching MentoringImplementing a learning system Physically standing alongside the learner and guiding him/her through the first phases of an activity, answering questions and dealing with uncertainties. The second aspect would be responding to a learner’s questions on an ad hoc basis (Should I do it like this?).

This would be more in the nature of guiding, counselling and advising in terms of broader issues such as setting learning objectives, deciding what is the most appropriate way to go, (on-the-job training, course), making decisions which will affect the direction of the person’s career. Mentoring requires a more reflective approach, considers the person more than the job.

The function and purpose of the assessor

The role of assessors in the workplace is absolutely critical to the success of Learnerships. It is for this reason that assessors have to have to undergo formal training. Assessing maintains the standards and focuses on the learning outcomes, and the requirements of the skills standard, and provides feedback to the learner.

Assessment happens in several contexts.

o Formative assessment:

- Mediates the unit standard or qualification

- Compares learning to the required standard


- Identifies problem areas

- Provides feedback

- Prepares the learner for the summative assessment

o Summative assessment:

- Verifies the learning process

- Maintains the standard of performance

Assessment must be conducted in line with the principles of Assessment. These are contained in the Unit Standard ASSMT 01 and are as follows:

Appropriateness Fairness

Manageability

Integration into work or learning

Validity

Direct

Authenticity

Sufficient

Systematic

Open

Consistent

The benefits of having coaches, mentors, and assessors

Promoting mentoring, coaching and assessing creates better work relations overall. It fosters team spirit and gives people additional recognition. It transfers more that just knowledge, but attitudes and values too. It also helps to integrate the learner into the community and can engender much pride.


Implementing this part of the learner support system may require some thought, preparation, and perseverance, and most important of all A CORE SET OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES that specify the roles, responsibilities, rewards, and sanctions for support/not supporting company policy for reclaiming levies and grants.

The role of coaches, mentors and assessors in Learnerships

A broad description of how the coach, mentor and assessor roles relate to specific aspects of Learnerships is described here.

Activity Coach Mentor Assessor Committee Facilitator

Recruitment and Selection of learners x

Assess for prior learning (RPL) / Pre- Assessment x

Develop and sign learning contract x

Induction and/or orientation x x

Workplace observation x

Formal course providers x

Relating theory/course work to the work context x

Formative assessment x


Problem solving (learning, interpersonal relations and discipline)

x

Summative assessment x

Moderation

Internal/External

Moderator

(Adapted from Vorwerk)

From this it becomes clear that the Skills Development Legislation, and the NQF change the entire focus of the learning process. Previously, the curriculum, the syllabus, the course, the manual, the teacher and the instructor embodied standards.

Now, the standard is external, and the learning outcomes and the assessment criteria are found in the unit standard or qualification.

It becomes a team effort by coach, mentor and assessor to get the learner to succeed. Assessment covers not only the technical aspects of the work (the ‘job’ or the specific outcomes), but also the broader personal skills – the critical outcomes, such as problem solving, team work, communication and working with information. In addition, coaches will have to help link the theory to the application and deepen the understanding of theory through application.


Appendices

Appendix I - Definition of terms Learnership: a structured work-based learning programme

which combines theory and structured workplace experience, leading to a national qualification

Learnership agreement: the contract between learner, provider and employer

Learner allowance: the amount paid to a person in a Learnership who does not have a formal job

Learning programme: the contents of the qualification Assessment: evaluating a learner against a standard Portfolio: evidence collected for the purposes of assessment Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL); a part of the

assessment process which looks beyond what has been learned in the period immediately prior to assessment

Accreditation: recognition accorded to a provider Education and training provider: a workplace, training

company or formal institution Coach: helps learner develop skills Mentor: helps learner with general advice and guidance Assessor: qualified person who conducts assessment

Appendix II - Why Learnerships?


For the employer

Lack of experienced workers, upliftment of skills, to develop competent staff, empowered, requiring less supervision, improving productivity & quality, benchmarking against international standards, vehicle to address employment equity targets

Through pre-assessment process identify skills gaps, target particular training gaps, including RPL

Once first team of learners complete, can now coach and assist others

For the learner

provides easy access to learning, more training available earn while you learn, self-development opportunities increased, career pathing, more marketable receives a formal qualification

For the industry

become competitive in global market, contribute to growth of industry

help create a pool of skilled people, more professional standards and qualifications give industry direction in which

way to develop their people to world-class standards industry will be able to identify scarce skills, focus for incentives

and bursaries

Appendix III - Checklists


Resources

computer and internet access funds training aids for on-the-job training videos access to providers administrative system (nothing complex)

o learner progress tracking o reporting

putting project plan together

Personnel

use external assistance develop partnerships with external providers possibility of drawing on capacity, expertise of larger companies SDF WRSETA skills advisors implementation team Training committee, Learnership subcommittee, Employment

Equity Committee - overlap

Space

classroom storage of portfolios desks lockers computer

Time

obtaining buy in up front, consulting and briefing everybody how time consuming would this process be - hard to quantify

amount of collective time put learning programme together learner time away from the job

Appendix IV - What do employers require of providers?


Part of process from beginning Holistic view of overall programme Become partners in process Deliver and evaluate training Sustainable Post training Formative and summative assessment Dovetail support with company structure Contextualise generic materials Just-in-time approach to learning Needs to be plan from word go Agreement

Appendix V - Establishing implementation partners

Who can help you?

Providers – formal Technical college Private institution Providers – specialised Material and machinery suppliers Consultants Combine with other companies in the area Lead provider who subcontracts specialists

What do you need from partners?

Project planning Developing learning programmes Providing education and training Assessment Pre assessment Moral support Feedback Monitoring and evaluation

BIBLIOGRAPHY


Implementing of Learnership Workshop Outcomes – Gauteng October 2002 - www.xasa.co.za

Lewis, Gareth, Mentoring Manager, Prentice Hall, 2000.

Vorwerk, Christopher, Preparing to implement Learnerships - www.workinfo.com


http://www.workinfo.com/

http://www.xasa.co.za/

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Orientation Guide for 18 - W&RSETA · Web viewAssessment must be conducted in line with the principles of Assessment. These are contained in the Unit Standard ASSMT 01 and are as