The South African economy is hindered by high unemployment, partly due to a lack of
required skills in the country. Learnership programmes were implemented to contribute to
skills development however there is limited research into the scope, magnitude and outcomes
of these programmes. Previous research into learnerships has highlighted the importance of
building support structures into these programmes in order to ensure their effectiveness. This
study considered the role that workplace adjustment (self-efficacy, role clarity and social
acceptance) has on the relationship between social support (co-workers, family, supervisors
and mentors) and job satisfaction and self-perceived performance. Results indicated that coworker,
supervisor and mentor support are related to performance via their link with workplace
adjustment and that family support is related to job satisfaction via its link with workplace
adjustment. This research aimed to create awareness about the internal processes and benefits
of support personnel within South African learnerships. The results revealed that the quality
rather than the number of support sources provided is important. Positive perceptions of
support from co-workers, family, supervisors and/ or mentors was related to higher levels of
job satisfaction and self-perceived performance. Additionally, learners who perceived the
quality of support offered as high were more adjusted to the workplace. The study may not
provide an accurate representation of learnerships in South Africa as a result of limitations such
as the use of a self-reporting performance measure. Future research may elicit more accurate
and representative analysis through the use of interviews or more objective measures when
collecting data.