Steps and tips: Formulating apprenticeship agreements

  • Enterprises should use the model template for apprenticeship agreements, if any, prescribed by the regulatory body in their country. They may adapt it to their particular circumstances, if this is permitted by law (see box 4.6).

Box 4.6 Form of agreement, South Africa

In countries where apprentices have the status of an employee of the enterprise, different forms of agreement may exist. For example, in South Africa, employer and apprentice sign two agreements – a learnership agreement and an employment contract.

Source: https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/a97-98.pdf

  • If no model template is available, the partners (e.g. public authority, employers’ and workers’ organizations, TVET providers) can jointly develop a template for an apprenticeship agreement, which may be promulgated nationally. They should ensure that the template complies with the country’s legal requirements.
  • The employer and the apprentice (and, in the case of minors, their legal guardian) complete and sign the agreement. Depending on the context, the TVET provider, intermediary organization or another party may also be required to sign the agreement. Each party to the contract should receive a copy of the agreement.
  • The employer sends a copy of the agreement to a quality assurance body or TVET agency for registration.

TIPS

The apprenticeship agreement, registered with a quality assurance body, can act as a frame for quality assurance, since the employer and the apprentice can be held to their commitments.