Abstract:

This paper aims to explore how support structures are utilised to assist graduates in navigating the transition through learnership programmes in South Africa. While support structures in learnerships are acknowledged as necessary, their specific role in graduate transitions and development remains under-researched. The overarching question is: How do institutional support structures enable or constrain graduate development within learnership programmes? The qualitative approach was employed, relying on responses to open-ended questionnaires and three focus group interviews with graduates from two organisations that provide learnerships. The study draws on qualitative data from 74 graduates, including 64 respondents to open-ended questionnaires and 10 participants in three focus group interviews. Thematic analysis of the data was employed to identify patterns of support structure and the gaps present. The results indicate that support in the form of induction, the provision of laptops and workstations, the assignment of mentors, effective communication with supervisors, and assignment to real working environments met expectations, alleviated anxiety, and facilitated a successful transition. These support structures were primarily accessed by employed learnership participants and were utilised to varying degrees across organisational contexts. The results also reveal that inadequate planning, the absence of workplace placement, and inadequate support in balancing study and employment led to negative experiences and undermined the benefits of employability. This paper argues that support should be planned and staffed as a central part of learnerships, and that it be coordinated between providers and host employers in a way that benefits everyone equally from the programme and ensures learnerships meet their transition requirements. The support structures examined were embedded within institutionally coordinated learnership programmes and financed through a combination of organisational resources and national skills development funding mechanisms.

Keywords:

Graduate transitions, Learnership programmes, Support structures, Employability development.