From policy to practice: A principal component analysis of systemic constraints on construction learnership implementation in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38140/ijms-2026.vol3.2.02Keywords:
Construction education and training, human capital development, skills development, sustainable development, learnership programmes, South AfricaAbstract
The persistent shortage of skilled labour and high youth unemployment have rendered learnership programmes a crucial policy instrument for workforce development and socio-economic inclusion in South Africa. Notwithstanding an extensive legislative and institutional framework, concerns persist regarding the limited effectiveness of these programmes in meeting industry skills demands. This study investigates the systemic constraints that undermine the implementation and effectiveness of construction learnership programmes in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, with a focus on the gap between policy intent and practice. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed, utilising a structured questionnaire administered to 149 stakeholders, including employers, accredited training providers, and construction industry practitioners occupying roles such as project managers, administrative officers, supervisors, facilitators, and coordinators involved in learnership delivery. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce the 34 observed barriers into a smaller set of interpretable components. The barrier items with the strongest loadings on the retained components included ineffective assessment methods, lack of regulatory compliance, and financial constraints on beneficiaries. The PCA reduced the barriers to five interrelated components, which collectively explain 69.73% of the total variance, indicating that the constraints are systemic rather than isolated. The findings underscore the necessity for strengthened inter-institutional collaboration, enhanced industry incentives, alignment of curricula with evolving construction practices, and robust quality-assurance mechanisms to translate learnership policy ambitions into effective practice. These findings contribute to the development of a resilient construction workforce in the Eastern Cape and, by extension, South Africa's broader construction sector.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Andisiwe Zandile Dumako, Olusegun Aanuoluwapo Oguntona, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa
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