Many South Africa jobseekers encounter the same requirement when applying for learnerships: “South African citizens only.” But why this requirement?
It is not simply because of a general statement that every learnership must be available to citizens.
The Skills Development Act outlines a system aimed at developing skills in the South African workforce and promoting learnerships that lead to occupational qualifications. Skills development financing is provided by the levy-grant system and the National Skills Fund.
In practice, South African citizenship is generally an eligibility condition attached to a particular learnership, funding arrangement or programme – rather than a blanket statement in the Skills Development Act.
What SETAs are responsible for
Sector Education and Training Authorities, or SETAs, play a role in South Africa’s skills-development system.
Their responsibilities include developing sector skills plans, promoting learnerships and workplace training and distributing funding within their sectors. According to the Department of Employment and Labour, SETAs receive funding from skills development levies paid by employers as well as funding from the National Skills Fund.
The Skills Development Act’s purpose is to develop the skills of the South African workforce and create opportunities for people to gain skills and experience. The legislation provides for learnerships that are linked to recognised occupational qualifications.
SETA programmes are therefore not just regular vacancies but part of a national system designed to address skills and labour-market needs in South Africa.
Why citizenship appears in many learnership adverts
A learnership can have eligibility conditions that go beyond general legal requirements.
For example, a specific programme may require applicants to be:
South African citizens
Holders of a valid South African identity document
Within a specified age range
Unemployed
Residents of a particular province, municipality or area
Holders of a particular school qualification
Not currently participating in another learnership or qualification
The eligibility conditions vary depending on the programme.
The statement “South African citizens only” therefore needs to be considered when applying for a programme that specifies such a requirement.
Passing the educational requirement is therefore no guarantee that a person qualifies for a particular opportunity.
The Skills Development Act does not simply say every learner must be a citizen
One of the most common misunderstandings is that the Skills Development Act contains a blanket statement that requires every learner to be a citizen.
The Skills Development Act provides the national framework for learnerships and skills development, but this does not imply that there is a universal citizenship condition that applies in exactly the same way to every learning programme.
For example, the Services SETA’s learner information explains that employed and unemployed people can participate in learning programmes, and describes how unemployed people can register for placement through the Services SETA learner portal or an accredited provider.
The Services SETA page also asks for a South African ID number when registering on their learner portal. But this is a requirement for the Services SETA learner portal, and should not be assumed to apply automatically to all learnerships operated by any SETA.
It is therefore important to read the requirements for the specific programme.
What about the money paid into the skills-development system?
Another explanation is that SETA learnerships are only open to South Africans because they are funded by “SARS money”.
This is not an accurate description of how the skills-development levy works.
The skills development levy is a tax that is collected by SARS and imposed on qualifying employers with the intention of encouraging learning and development in South Africa. The levy is generally calculated at 1% of an employer’s total remuneration subject to the levy.
The Department of Employment and Labour explains that employers who are liable to pay the levy register with SARS and pay the levy to SARS. The legislation then governs the distribution of skills development levy money between the SETA system and the National Skills Fund.
It is therefore more accurate to refer to SETA funding as part of the national skills-development funding system in South Africa, rather than suggesting that SARS collects money and distributes it to learners.
A learner’s stipend or workplace-based learning allowance is also not the same thing as a direct payment from SARS.
Why the funding system matters
The source of the funding can help to clarify the overall purpose of SETAs.
The Skills Development Act states that the skills-development system is intended to develop and improve the skills of the South African workforce. SETAs therefore operate in particular economic sectors, with sector skills plans determining training priorities.
The National Skills Fund also provides funding for skills-development initiatives that are identified as national priorities under the national skills-development framework.
A particular programme therefore has the potential to be shaped around particular priorities related to South Africa’s labour market.
This does not automatically mean that citizenship rules apply universally to every SETA programme.
Are foreign nationals automatically excluded from all learnerships?
There is an important distinction to make.
A foreign national should not assume that they are eligible for a programme that states “South African citizens only.” The conditions in the advertised programme must be followed.
On the other hand, it would be too broad to suggest that there is a universal citizenship rule that applies to every SETA learner.
Eligibility conditions can vary depending on the SETA, the employer involved, the training arrangement, the funding conditions and the specific learnership.
The Department of Employment and Labour’s guidance on establishing learnerships also notes that employers and training providers agree on the criteria for selecting learners.
Applicants should therefore not rely on general social media discussion or statements about SETA eligibility when considering whether they qualify for a programme.
Employers can have additional requirements
The employer hosting a learner can play an important role in the selection process.
A learnership normally involves structured learning combined with workplace experience. Employers and training providers therefore have to determine how learners will be selected and how the workplace-based component will work.
A particular learnership therefore has the potential to impose requirements relating to:
Citizenship
Age
Location
Employment status
Education
Criminal record checks
Availability for workplace training
Previous participation in a programme
Other employer or funding conditions
These requirements should not be applied universally to every SETA opportunity.
SETA programmes can also target particular groups
Another reason for differing eligibility requirements is that skills development programmes can be designed around particular groups or sector priorities.
For example, SETA planning and funding can support focused skills-development initiatives, while individual programmes may concentrate on particular target groups such as youth, the unemployed, people with disabilities or participants from particular communities.
This means that an applicant can meet the basic educational requirements but fail to meet another criterion in the specific learnership.
Conversely, an applicant should not assume that failing to meet the eligibility requirements for one programme automatically means that they are ineligible for every SETA opportunity.
What applicants should check before applying
Before completing an application for a learnership, applicants should read through the full advertisement and check every eligibility requirement.
1. Check the citizenship requirement
If the advertisement states that learners must be South African citizens, this is a programme-specific condition.
2. Check the ID requirement
Some applications specifically require a South African ID number or identity document. This is not the same thing as another form of identification.
3. Check the age range
Youth-focused programmes often specify an age range. Being unemployed is therefore not sufficient if an age restriction applies.
4. Check the education requirement
A programme may require Grade 10, Grade 12, NQF Level 3, a particular certificate, diploma or degree. The qualification must be checked in the advertisement.
5. Check whether you are allowed to be studying
Some learnerships are specifically aimed at unemployed people who are not currently studying.
6. Check the location
Some learnerships only recruit for specific workplaces and may require the applicant to live within a particular municipality, province or reasonable travelling distance.
7. Check the application instructions
Use the application procedure specified by the organisation running the learnership. If an application portal or email address is given, applicants should use this method rather than relying on an unofficial recruitment page.
Be careful with claims that “everyone can apply”
The reverse error is also common.
Because the general SETA system supports learning programmes, an applicant should not assume that every advertised opportunity is available to everyone.
A programme can have additional conditions imposed by its funding arrangement or participating employer.
The best strategy is to distinguish between:
The general SETA system – governed by the national skills-development framework.
The individual learnership – governed by the eligibility and application conditions published for that opportunity.
This distinction can prevent wasted time applying for a programme when a person does not qualify.
The bottom line for applicants
Many SETA learnerships require South African citizenship because the programmes are designed and funded according to South Africa’s national and sector skills-development priorities. The Skills Development Act itself provides a framework for developing the South African workforce and SETAs administrate sector-specific skills-development activities and funding.
But it is not accurate to describe this as a blanket rule that every SETA learnership is legally available only to South African citizens.
Citizenship, age, unemployment, education, location and other conditions are often specified at a programme level.
Applicants should therefore read the eligibility section of a learnership before applying. If the advertisement says South African citizens only, the condition should be taken seriously. If the advertisement does not clarify an eligibility requirement, applicants must seek clarification from the SETA, employer or accredited training provider rather than making assumptions based on general guidance or information from other programmes.
Source & Verification
This article was prepared using information published by South African government institutions, including the South African Government, the Department of Employment and Labour, the Department of Higher Education and Training, SARS and Services SETA. The legislation and official guidance were consulted to distinguish the general skills-development framework from programme-specific requirements.
Editorial Policy
Our editorial approach is to explain opportunities and public-interest information using verifiable information wherever possible. We distinguish confirmed requirements from general guidance and avoid presenting a particular programme’s conditions as universally applicable.
Corrections Policy
If an error is identified, we review the relevant information against the available official documentation and correct the article where necessary. Material corrections should be clearly reflected so that readers are not left with outdated or inaccurate information.
Disclaimer
Eligibility requirements can change between programmes and recruitment periods. Readers should check the latest official advertisement and application instructions before submitting an application. This article provides general information and should not be treated as legal advice or confirmation that a person qualifies for a particular learnership.
