{"id":90,"date":"2026-06-11T12:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T12:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bursariesafrica.co.za\/learnerships\/?p=90"},"modified":"2026-09-18T01:23:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T01:23:12","slug":"mercedes-benz-south-africa-opens-applications-for-apprenticeship-programme-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/learnerships\/mercedes-benz-south-africa-opens-applications-for-apprenticeship-programme-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercedes-Benz Apprenticeships: Plant or Dealership?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Search for a Mercedes-Benz apprenticeship in South Africa and you will find two completely different things wearing the same star. One trains artisans for a car plant. The other trains technicians for dealerships. They have different employers, different entry points and different trades, and the applications do not cross over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two routes side by side<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/th>The plant academy<\/th>The dealership network<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Where<\/td>East London, at the Mercedes-Benz Learning Academy<\/td>Dealerships around the country, including Sandton and other metro sites<\/td><\/tr>
Who employs you<\/td>Mercedes-Benz South Africa<\/td>The dealer group that runs the branch, such as Motus<\/td><\/tr>
Trades<\/td>Electrician, millwright, fitter, fitter and turner, automotive motor mechanic, transportation electrician, mechatronics<\/td>Motor mechanic and automotive electrician work on customer vehicles<\/td><\/tr>
What the training is for<\/td>Keeping a vehicle assembly plant running<\/td>Servicing and repairing vehicles for customers<\/td><\/tr>
Length<\/td>Three to four years to trade test<\/td>Usually structured in years, starting with a Year 1 intake<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why the East London academy matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Mercedes-Benz Learning Academy is not just an in-house training school. It is accredited by merSETA as a training provider and by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations as a trade test centre, and in February 2026 it was reported as the first institution in South Africa accredited to trade test mechatronics<\/strong>, the trade that combines mechanical, electrical, electronic and control systems work. For an apprentice that has a practical meaning: you can be trained and trade tested in the same place, instead of waiting months for a test slot elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A trade test is the exam that turns an apprentice into a qualified artisan. Where you can sit it, and how long the queue is, matters as much as who trains you.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What a dealership apprenticeship involves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n