Barloworld Apprenticeship vs Learnership

About Barloworld

Barloworld Limited is an industrial brand management company which was once a large conglomerate with many unrelated businesses – from mining, information technology and building materials to motor vehicles, it has repositioned itself as an industrial brand management company. Barloworld was founded in South Africa, specifically in Durban in 1902 by Major Ernest (Billy) Barlow. It first sold wool products, and later sold engineering equipment. It was then expanded by Barlow’s son, Charles Sydney (Punch) Barlow, into the sale and service of Caterpillar products. The company flourished throughout the years as it was expanded into the manufacture of cement and paint, acquired Rand Mines Limited (a company that runs in the mining industry), and changed its name into Barlow Rand.

Photo by Muhammadtaha Ibrahim on Unsplash

In 1979, Barlow Rand was expanded into the USA after acquiring Wrenn Brothers (later Wrenn Brungart), a lumber company, and continued to expand its operations in Europe in 1992 by acquiring Lamson in Belgium, Finanzauto in Spain and STET (Sociedade Técnica de Equipamentos e Tractores / Technical Society of Equipment and Tractors) in Portugal.

Between 1993 and 1994, Barlow Rand unbundled non-core and underperforming business segments, and changed its name into Barlow Limited. Later in 2000, the company changed its name again into Barloworld and renewed its focus on core strengths and increased global reach by acquiring the Sterling Freightliner dealership in the USA, three motor dealerships in Australia, Protean (a laboratory company) in the United Kingdom and Portland Holdings (a cement business) in Zimbabwe. From then, Barloworld expanded across Europe, the USA and even Russia – having operations run in 24 countries worldwide, with more than 19.500 personnel in South Africa.

Barloworld is a distributor of leading global brands, providing integrated rental, fleet management, product support and logistics solutions. The company is headquartered in Johannesburg (South Africa) and Maidenhead (United Kingdom). Its subsidiaries include the following.

• Barloworld Automotive, which comprises world class business units; Car Rental, Avis Fleet and Motor Trading.
• Barloworld Equipment, the official dealer for the Cat (Caterpillar) construction, mining and industrial machine.
• Barloworld Logistics, a supply chain solutions business.

Barloworld offers local and international deals with various trades. They dedicate their work to the development in South Africa and aid in sustainable employment. The company is aware that human resource is the foundation of development, regardless of what field the organisation runs in. Therefore, Barloworld constantly seeks young, talented individuals to join the company, where they can shape a career path in multiple sectors across the Group’s business units: Barloworld Limited, Barloworld Equipment, Barloworld Automotive and Barloworld Logistics.

Barloworld operates in a decentralised structure and each of the divisions is responsible for acquiring and managing their opportunities. As Barloworld pays attention to the society within the areas that they operate, they constantly empower the people; developing skills of their workforce, uplifting communities and stabilizing the economy. They offer opportunities to potential youngsters to develop their skills and enhance their experience in mechanical and technological fields. The offerings consist of Young Talent Programmes and Graduate Development Programmes as well as internship and apprenticeship programmes. Each and every division in Barloworld also provides training programmes, thus, those interested may choose in which section of the industry they would want to have expertise in.

• Young Talent Programmes are aimed at growing critical skills and a potential pool of leaders for the future. Trainees will spend 3 years building the competencies and each trainee is given a mentor to walk the road with.
• Graduate Development Programmes is an early development programme for talented, motivated new graduates in a variety of business disciplines. This competency based programme is over a 12 month period, where participants will be given a challenging hands-on role working in a diverse environment.

Barloworld Apprenticeship Programmes

There is a significant difference between an internship and an apprenticeship programme. Although both give entry-level experience in a career, they work in different ways. Often described as programmes that allow the participants to earn while they learn, apprenticeships pay them to learn a skill or trade in the work environment. Meanwhile, internships give the participants the chance to learn before they earn, as their focus is on showing what it would be like to work in a specific job or work environment before participants choose a career.

An apprenticeship is a formal employment programme that trains people to do a specific job. Unlike internships, apprenticeships employ people who already know which career path they wish to follow. In an apprenticeship, there is a contract between the employer and the apprentices. The apprentices will learn specific skills during the apprenticeship, which usually includes a mix of on-the-job training and work experience, and formal, classroom-based learning. The programme lasts for six years, and at the end of the programme, the apprentices will have a formal qualification and the skills needed to work in the chosen field.

These kinds of programmes are provided by Barloworld as the company not only seeks for talented people to work in the company, but also attempts to develop the skills of the young generation, specifically those who live in the areas where the company run their business operations.

General Requirements for the Barloworld Apprenticeship

To be enrolled in the Barloworld Apprenticeship programme, those interested will need to meet the following requirements.

• A South African citizen, proven by a copy of valid ID – to be attached to the application
• Completed Grade 12 / Matric with N3 level in Mathematics and Physical Science or possess a Foundational Learning Certificate (FLC) – a certified copy should be attached to the application.
• Must be unemployed and currently not enrolled in any educational / training programme
• Have mechanical ability (essential)
• Own a valid driver’s license (Code B) – a copy should be attached to the application
• Have basic analytical and numerical reasoning skills
• Able to operate a computer – competent in MS. Office for the least
• Conversant in English
• Have spatial visualisations
• Have basic verbal comprehension
• Individuals with a disability are welcome to apply, though they must enclose a medical certificate within the application.

How to Apply for the Barloworld Apprenticeship

Once candidates are sure that they meet the requirements, they may apply online for the Barloworld Apprenticeship on the official webpage www.barloworld.com/careers. Application forms sent via e-mail or fax will not be accepted.