Apprenticeship in Lesotho

The Ministry of Education and Training and its Technical and Vocational Department (TVD) regulate TVET institutions, training, industrial attachment and Trade Testing. Public and private vocational schools, skills centres, training centres, institutions and employers provide learning in areas such as agriculture, handicrafts, domestic work, hospitality, construction, engineering, business, management and information technology. Training normally combines practical work with complementary theory. The Lesotho Qualifications Framework (LQF) organizes qualifications across ten levels. The TVET pathway includes the Level 1 Foundation Certificate, Level 2 Basic Operative Certificate or Trade Test Operative, Level 3 Basic Vocational Education and Training Certificate or Trade Test C, Level 4 Vocational Education and Training Certificate or Trade Test B, Level 5 National Craft Certificate or Trade Test A, and Level 6 Diploma. Modern technical and professional apprenticeships can be recognized at LQF Levels 6 to 10, while traditional apprenticeships remain mainly informal. Credit Accumulation and Transfer, Recognition of Prior Learning and Recognition of Current Competences can support vertical or lateral progression, but progression from Levels 4, 5 or 6 to Level 7 is not automatic. Access is open and flexible in TVET policy, but the actual entry requirement depends on the institution and programme. Public evidence describes access in some programmes from Standard 7. Published programme durations range from about one month to 36 months, and some youth or rehabilitation programmes issue a certificate after two years. Industrial Attachment is a supervised workplace period that normally lasts three months and requires placement requests, trainee lists, confirmation or performance reports and logbooks. Eligibility for the Ithuseng Vocational Rehabilitation Centre includes medical and district social-worker assessments, a health booklet and an aptitude report. Applicants may need an application, identity document and, for workplace attachment, a logbook or performance report. The TVET provider is responsible for registration or accreditation, curriculum, delivery mode, programme duration, certificate level, staff records and proof of funds. Current verified sources do not establish one nationwide apprenticeship contract, wage rule, working-time rule, insurance arrangement or dispute process for every apprenticeship. These conditions therefore need confirmation from the relevant provider or employer rather than being assumed. The TVD administers Trade Testing. A Trade Test application requires identification and payment of a fee of M250 per candidate; the stated processing target is three days. Recognition of prior or current competences can use site visits, observation, challenge tests, references and testimonials. Completing a programme, apprenticeship or Trade Test can lead to a certificate or qualification, but it does not automatically create employment. TVET fees depend on the institution and programme, and no single nationwide official tuition tariff has been verified. Industrial Attachment is free according to the available research. Provider registration and accreditation costs M1,000 and has a stated four-month processing period; this is an institutional fee, not a learner fee. The NMDS Loan Bursary can support eligible local programmes subject to institutional admission and programme conditions, with applications made about two months before the institution begins. The Youth Apprenticeship Program, transferred to the Prime Minister's Office in 2023, is a youth employment or placement programme and is not evidence of a vocational qualification. The Graduate Apprenticeship Program is separately registered and mainly provides construction-related evidence. Applicants should distinguish both programmes from qualifying apprenticeship or TVET pathways.