Yes, you can. While many learners are allocated to businesses through TVET colleges, or through programmes such as the Youth Employment Service (YES*), if you want to, you can interview candidates and pick the ones you think are the best fit for your business.

Once you have chosen a learner or apprentice, you are required by law to draw up a legal agreement between you (the employer) and each learner or apprentice who is doing the workplace-based part of their training with your business. Yes, this involves paperwork, but this agreement protects you and the learner or apprentice. It is important to clearly set out each person’s roles and responsibilities.

*The YES programme is a joint initiative by the private sector and government aimed at assisting South Africa’s youth to gain work experience through employment placement. YES can help you with the paperwork involved, and with selecting learners.

Costs

Yes, this will cost you quite a bit, and you need to be prepared for this. Here are the main costs:

• Stipends – you have to pay learners and apprentices a stipend while they work with you

• Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) – you have to pay contributions for the learner or apprentice

• Compensation Fund – you have to pay contributions for the learner or apprentice

• Costs of the tools of the trade used by the learner or apprentice

• Expenses for safety/personal protection equipment (personal protection equipment)

Financial support

The government is very keen on employers giving young people chances in life, and there are a number of ways for employers to get financial support to help them do this.

• The skills development levy. The government uses funds collected through the skills development levy to fund discretionary grants for employers who take part in dual occupational training. These are distributed by the sector education and training authorities (setas). Here’s how to claim a skills development levy rebate

• Broad-based black economic empowerment. You can gain B-BBEE points for workplace-based learning that involves learners who are black

• Learnership Tax Incentive scheme. You can claim a tax rebate if you have a formal agreement with the learner/s on your payroll

• Employment Tax Incentive. You can gain from this incentive if the learner or apprentice is between the ages of 18 and 25

PAYE (Pay-as-you-earn tax)

As the employer, you must register the learner or apprentice for PAYE.

UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund

You need to pay UIF contributions, because any learners or apprentices you take on are viewed legally as your employees. You are excluded from contributing to the UIF if you employ the learner or apprentice for less than 24 hours a month.

Compensation Fund
You must pay contributions to this fund on behalf of the learner or apprentice.

You must also pay each learner or apprentice a stipend while they work with you.

If something goes wrong, you can end your agreement with the learner or apprentice you have taken on.

Protect yourself legally:

• Before you end the agreement, address the problem with the learner or apprentice. Tell them what is wrong, or what they have not done, and give them a chance to make changes. If they don’t make changes or refuse to do so, then you can cancel your contract with them

• Make payments to the learner or apprentice in parts, so that if you do have to end the contract you are not out of pocket as much as you would be if you paid them everything at the start of their time with you

Teaching someone new skills takes time, and you have to be prepared for this.

Remember how it was for you when you were starting out and try to be the kind of mentor you would have liked to have had back then. To make your life easier, make sure the learner or apprentice does at least some theoretical training at a college before they come to your workplace.