There are many benefits from acquiring skills through informal learning, including:
- Developing skills that could assist in generating income, either through permanent or temporary work;
- Developing the know-how to start a small business, for example through helping a small local business that caters for burials or sports events;
- Establishing a new co-operative by using the skills acquired in helping an existing co-operative that needed an extra pair of hands;
- Acquiring knowledge and skills that could enable you to meet the entry requirements into a formal programme that leads to a qualification, for example using the skills developed as a volunteer on the school maintenance team to enrol for a basic qualification in plumbing that you can use as a stepping stone for further studies leading to registering as a fully qualified artisan;
- Making a significant contribution in your own community, thereby assisting in uplifting the community, e.g. by using leadership skills acquired to improve the management of the local school; and
- Improving your self-esteem and the confidence that is gained from having acquired skills that can be used to benefit yourself, your family and your community.
If you are one of the following people, you can benefit from the skills acquired through informal learning:
- Young people who dropped out of formal programmes offered by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, universities or other training institutions;
- People from poor communities who do not have the money for formal training or who have not been able to access the funding that is available to assist learners from previously disadvantaged communities;
- People who are not able to access formal training, for example if such programmes are not offered locally or circumstances prevent attendance of such training, e.g. having to take care of small children or a family member who requires extensive care;
- Unemployed youth who could develop skills that will improve their employability or enable them to generate some income;
- People who have had some training in theory but who lack practical skills in a work context that will improve their employability; and
- People who need to develop skills in a specific area to meet requirements for employment or entering a formal programme, e.g. by serving on the finance committee of the local church to develop financial skills.
This table indicates the types of informal learning described in this section of the website, with the cost and funding source, where relevant.
| Category |
Types of informal learning described |
Cost and funding |
| Learning through work experience |
- The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)
|
- No cost to participants who are paid small amounts of money for working in EPWP projects
- Funded by the Government
|
|
|
- No cost to participants
- Funded by the employer providing the training, and in some cases the employer benefits through tax incentives under the Youth Subsidy
|
- Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)
|
- No cost to participants
- Funded by a Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) in some cases
|
|
|
- No cost to participants
- Funded by the Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) or organisation that provides the volunteering opportunity
|
| Programmes offered by CETCs |
- The General Education and Training Certificate (GETC) in Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET)
- The National Senior Certificate (NSC), the school-leaving certificate, also known as Grade 12 or the matric certificate on NQF Level 4
- National Senior Certificate for Adults on NQF Level 4, designed to address the learning needs of adults
- Vocational programmes in a wide range of areas based on local needs and linked to employment and community development opportunities in local contexts
|
- Cost not yet available, but programmes are likely to be available for free or at minimal cost
- Funded by the Government
|
| Informal short courses |
- Courses offered on a great variety of topics
|
- Free if provided by a public entity or for a small fee if provided by a private entity or NPO
- Funded by the public entity, private entity or NPO
|
| Free internet courses |
- ‘How to’ guidelines on the Internet
- Free courses and other resources on entrepreneurship
- Free learning resources on You Tube
- Free online books
- Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
|
- Free, except for the cost of a formal certificate, where applicable
|
Most of the programmes and learning opportunities described in this section are free as they are funded by the Government, the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), the National Skills Fund (NSF) or through dedicated funding. In some cases beneficiaries have to pay small amounts for participating in opportunities for informal skills acquisition, as indicated in the table above.
The Government introduced a Youth Subsidy in January 2014 as a tax incentive to encourage employers to employ young people (between 18 and 29 years) for on-the-job training and the development of skills through work experience. The Youth Subsidy motivates employers to take young people into their businesses for a maximum of two years under certain conditions. This training and work experience will improve the chances of these young people finding employment or succeeding in their own small businesses.
