Updated 2026-11-14
The Department of Correctional Services, or DCS, has previously offered the FET Certificate in Corrections Services Learnership at NQF Level 4. There is no current learnership application deadline in this guide. The latest DCS-specific advert we found was for the 2022/23 intake and closed on 15 February 2023. On 14 November 2026, the openings displayed on the official DCS recruitment portal did not include a learnership. Check the official DCS recruitment portal and the DCS Forms page for a new advert before applying.
Never pay anyone to apply for a DCS job or learnership. DCS says applications are free.
The requirements below come from DCS's 2022/23 learnership advert. They are not confirmation of requirements for a future intake. A new official advert may change them, so use the new advert as the final rule.
| Requirement in the 2022/23 DCS advert | What DCS said |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | You had to be a South African citizen. |
| Age | You had to be between 21 and 35 years old. |
| School qualification | You needed Grade 12 or a National Senior Certificate, a National Certificate Vocational at NQF Level 4, or a Further Education and Training Certificate at NQF Level 4. |
| Character and record | You had to be law-abiding and have no criminal record. The advert required disclosure of pending or decided criminal cases. |
| Fitness and checks | Applicants had to be physically fit and mentally resilient, and be willing to undergo a physical fitness test, medical examination including a drug test, background, citizenship, qualification and criminal-record checks, and other DCS selection processes. |
| Language | English was the medium of instruction. |
The 2022/23 advert encouraged applicants with additional qualifications in corrections, agriculture, artisanal trades, construction health and safety, food processing, graphic design, two-way radio communication and textile design. These were encouraged fields, not listed as the basic entry qualification. Read the 2022/23 DCS learnership advert for the full historic wording.
Do not send the old 2022/23 form now. Wait for an active DCS advert. When a new intake is published, follow its reference number, closing date, delivery method and regional instructions exactly.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Find the official advert | Check the DCS recruitment portal, the DCS Forms page, and DCS opportunities. Confirm that the advert is current and that its deadline has not passed. |
| 2. Use the current form | Download or collect the form named in that advert. The old form required completion in black ink and in the applicant's own handwriting, with sections A to F completed in full. |
| 3. Choose the correct location | The old form asked for the advertised learnership name, region, reference number and management area or correctional centre. Use only the reference number and workplace location shown in the new advert. |
| 4. Prepare attachments | The old form required copies of your identity document, proof of qualifications and proof of residential address. The 2022/23 advert said shortlisted candidates would be asked for certified ID and qualification copies. Follow the wording in the new notice. |
| 5. Sign and submit as instructed | The old advert rejected late, incomplete and unsigned forms, as well as photocopied completed forms and applications sent by fax or email. This could change, so use the submission route in the active advert. |
| 6. Keep proof and wait for contact | The 2022/23 advert said correspondence would be limited to shortlisted and successful candidates. Keep a copy of your completed application and any delivery proof. |
In the 2022/23 cycle, DCS advised applicants to apply to a management area near where they lived because learners were responsible for their own accommodation, meals and transport during workplace learning. That was a past-cycle instruction, so confirm arrangements in a future advert.
For the 2022/23 intake, the programme ran for 12 months. DCS described it as approximately 30% instructional learning and approximately 70% workplace learning. The theory phase included firearm, physical and self-defence training at designated accredited DCS colleges. Workplace learning took place at correctional centres and social reintegration or community corrections offices.
The same advert said completing the learnership did not guarantee permanent employment. It said successful learners who completed both learning phases, the Portfolio of Evidence and external verification would receive an FET Certificate in Correctional Services at NQF Level 4. These are past-cycle details, not a promise about a future programme.
DCS says it does not require payment when people apply for public-service employment. Its Q&A specifically warns about people claiming to be agencies for learnership recruitment and asking applicants to pay an administrative fee. Treat any request for money, a payment to secure selection, or an unofficial agent as fraud.
Use only DCS's own website and official recruitment portal to verify an advert. DCS's 2021 scam warning said employment opportunities are advertised through mainstream media and the departmental website, and said the department has no contract with recruitment or placement agents or social-media platforms. DCS gives the anti-corruption hotline as 0800 701 701 for information about fraudsters.
We could not verify an open DCS learnership intake on 14 November 2026. The DCS recruitment portal's displayed vacancies did not include one. The latest official DCS learnership advert found was for 2022/23 and its deadline was 15 February 2023. Check the official portal and Forms page for a new notice.
For the 2022/23 intake, yes. DCS listed Grade 12 or a National Senior Certificate as one route to meet the basic education requirement. It also accepted the listed NQF Level 4 vocational or FET certificates. Check the next advert because requirements can change.
No. DCS says applying for Correctional Services jobs is free and says requests for payment are fraudulent. Do not pay a person, agency or social-media account to apply or to be selected.
No. The 2022/23 DCS advert explicitly said enrolment and completion did not guarantee permanent employment in the department.
The old 2022/23 application form asked for copies of an ID, qualification proof and proof of residential address. Prepare these, but submit only what the next official advert and its current form require.