Discovery Opens Insurance Learnership for Young People Living With Disabilities

Young South Africans living with disabilities now have a chance to enter the medical aid and insurance sector through a new learnership programme at Discovery.

The programme is linked to Discovery Health’s Gauteng service operations and leads to an FETC: Long Term Insurance qualification at NQF Level 4. It combines classroom learning with practical workplace experience inside one of South Africa’s biggest financial services companies.

The opportunity is aimed at unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 25 who have completed Matric and want workplace exposure in administration, customer service, and healthcare support environments.

What is the Discovery learnership about?

The learnership focuses on long-term insurance and healthcare administration work.

Successful applicants will complete structured learning while working in Discovery’s service environment. The programme is designed to help learners build workplace experience while gaining a nationally recognised qualification.

Learners may work in areas linked to:

• medical aid administration
• client servicing
• claims support
• health benefits administration
• call centre operations
• new business support

The programme gives learners exposure to large corporate systems and professional workplace processes used in the financial services industry.

What kind of work will learners do?

Most of the work appears to focus on customer support and administration.

Learners may help clients with medical aid queries, process information, support claims-related tasks, and assist with healthcare administration duties.

The role may also involve working with internal systems, handling client communication, and managing day-to-day administrative tasks.

Applicants who are comfortable working with people, solving problems, and staying organised may find the environment suitable.

Who can apply for the programme?

Discovery says applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Grade 12
• Mathematics with at least 50%
• English with at least 50%
• Mathematics Literacy with at least 60%
• A second language with at least 50%

Applicants must also:

• be between 18 and 25 years old
• not be employed
• not currently be studying
• not have completed another learnership before

An incomplete tertiary qualification may be an advantage but is not required.

The programme is specifically open to people living with disabilities.

What skills is Discovery looking for?

The company says successful applicants should be able to work in a fast-paced environment and manage their time well.

Discovery is also looking for people who can:

• communicate clearly in English
• pay attention to detail
• work independently and in a team
• handle pressure
• stay organised
• solve problems effectively

Basic computer skills are also important. Applicants should know how to use Microsoft Excel and Outlook.

Why are insurance and healthcare learnerships attracting attention?

Healthcare administration and insurance support remain important hiring areas inside South Africa’s financial services industry.

Many companies continue to use learnership programmes to recruit and train young people who have little or no formal work experience.

Programmes like this help learners gain experience in customer service, administration, communication, and digital office systems. These are skills that are often needed across banking, healthcare, insurance, retail, and other service industries.

For many young applicants, workplace exposure inside a large corporate company can also improve future employment opportunities.

What should applicants prepare before applying?

Applicants should prepare:

• a detailed CV
• certified copy of ID
• Matric certificate
• supporting disability documentation if requested

Discovery has not yet confirmed how many learners will be taken into the programme.

How can applicants apply?

Applications are submitted through Discovery’s careers platform. Applicants should complete the online process carefully and attach all required documents before submitting.