McDonaldโs Learnership Programme Cohort 2 โ 30 Positions Across Various Provinces | Grade 12 | Apply by 30 August 2026
McDonaldโs South Africa is inviting unemployed young South Africans to apply for its Learnership Programme Cohort 2, with approximately 30 opportunities available across various provinces.
The programme gives successful candidates the opportunity to gain valuable workplace experience while completing a recognised qualification:
National Certificate: Fast Food Services โ NQF Level 3
The learnership combines practical restaurant experience with classroom-based training in areas such as food preparation, customer service, restaurant operations, teamwork, hygiene, safety and supervision.
Job Overview
Employer: McDonaldโs
Programme: Learnership Programme Cohort 2
Number of Positions: 30
Locations: Various provinces in South Africa
Example Location: Mamelodi, Gauteng
Industry: Restaurant / Fast Food
Job Type: Fixed-Term Learnership
Qualification: National Certificate: Fast Food Services โ NQF Level 3
Closing Date: 30 August 2026
Minimum Requirements
Applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Minimum Grade 12 certificate
- Must be between 18 and 26 years old
- Must be a South African citizen
- Must currently be unemployed
- Must not be studying
- Must have a clear criminal record
- Must be willing to work shifts, including day and night shifts
- Must be able to travel reliably to and from the restaurant
- Must be willing and able to stand for extended periods while on duty
- Must not have participated in another learnership programme within the past 12 months
- Applicants should preferably reside close to the restaurant/location they are applying for
For the Mamelodi opportunity, candidates should reside in the Mamelodi East or Mamelodi West area.
Purpose of the Learnership
The McDonaldโs Learnership Programme is designed to help young people gain practical workplace experience while completing an accredited qualification through CATHSSETA.
Learners will receive practical and theoretical training that can help prepare them for future opportunities in the hospitality, restaurant, customer service and food-service sectors.
What You Will Learn
The programme will provide training and workplace exposure in areas such as:
- Customer service
- Food preparation
- Food safety
- Restaurant operations
- Cash handling
- Point-of-sale operations
- Teamwork
- Workplace communication
- Stock management
- Hygiene and cleanliness
- Health and safety
- Basic administration
- Supervision and workplace coaching
- Basic computer and numeracy skills
Key Responsibilities
Learners will be expected to:
- Prepare food and beverages according to McDonaldโs operating procedures
- Maintain cleanliness throughout the restaurant
- Clean lobby areas
- Maintain clean restrooms
- Assist with keeping outdoor areas clean
- Welcome customers in a friendly and professional manner
- Assist customers with their orders
- Take customer orders
- Process customer payments accurately
- Work at the front counter where required
- Assist with drive-thru operations
- Assemble customer orders
- Present orders accurately and efficiently
- Follow food preparation and hygiene standards
- Work effectively as part of a team
- Attend classroom training sessions
- Complete the required Portfolio of Evidence
- Participate fully in workplace learning activities
- Follow workplace health and safety procedures
What Learners Should Be Able to Do After Completing the Programme
On successful completion of the learnership, participants should be able to:
- Deliver excellent customer service
- Communicate effectively with customers and colleagues
- Operate payment points
- Process transactions accurately
- Maintain health, hygiene, safety and security standards
- Prepare and handle food safely
- Maintain effective workplace relationships
- Perform basic administrative duties
- Complete basic communication tasks
- Maintain stock
- Receive deliveries
- Support takeaway and counter-service operations
- Demonstrate professionalism
- Demonstrate cultural awareness
- Apply basic computer skills
- Apply basic numeracy skills
- Maintain customer satisfaction
- Understand the hospitality and tourism sectors
- Participate in workplace coaching
- Support personal development
- Apply basic first-aid principles
- Follow workplace safety requirements
Documents Required When Shortlisted
Candidates should make sure they have the following documents ready:
- Certified copy of South African ID
- Certified copy of Grade 12 certificate or latest results
- Updated CV
- Proof of residence
- Additional supporting documents where applicable
The certified documents should generally be not older than three months where specified.
Important Vetting Requirements
Successful candidates will be required to undergo criminal and vetting checks as part of the onboarding process.
Candidates should therefore ensure that all information supplied in their applications is accurate.
APPLICATION PROCESS
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CV Tips for McDonaldโs Learnership Applicants
Because this is a learnership, you do not necessarily need extensive previous work experience.
Your CV should instead focus on your education, reliability, communication skills, availability and willingness to learn.
Keep your CV simple and preferably around 1โ2 pages.
Near the top of your CV, include:
Highest Qualification: Grade 12
Employment Status: Unemployed
Availability: Immediately available
Shift Availability: Day and night shifts
Location: [Your suburb/town/province]
What to Include if You Have No Work Experience
If you have never worked before, include transferable skills such as:
- Customer service
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Reliability
- Punctuality
- Ability to follow instructions
- Willingness to learn
- Basic computer skills
- Numeracy
- Ability to work under pressure
- Positive attitude
- Ability to work with different people
You can also include experience gained through:
- School activities
- Volunteering
- Church or community programmes
- Sports teams
- Informal work
- Helping in a family business
- Temporary or casual work
Make Your Location Clear
Some of the learnership opportunities may prefer applicants who live near the participating restaurant.
Clearly include your:
Suburb: [Your suburb]
Town/City: [Your town]
Province: [Your province]
This can help recruiters quickly determine whether you can reliably travel to and from work, especially for early or late shifts.
Possible McDonaldโs Learnership Interview Questions
Prepare for questions such as:
- Tell us about yourself.
- Why do you want to join the McDonaldโs Learnership Programme?
- What do you know about McDonaldโs?
- Why are you interested in the fast-food or hospitality industry?
- What does good customer service mean to you?
- How would you deal with an unhappy customer?
- Are you comfortable working day and night shifts?
- How will you travel to and from the restaurant?
- Are you comfortable standing for long periods?
- How would you handle a very busy restaurant environment?
- How do you work as part of a team?
- What would you do if a colleague was struggling during a busy shift?
- Why is cleanliness important in a restaurant?
- Why is food hygiene important?
- What would you do if you made a mistake with a customer’s order?
- How would you handle cash responsibly?
- Are you willing to attend both workplace and classroom training?
- How would you make sure you complete your Portfolio of Evidence on time?
- What skills would you like to gain from this learnership?
- Why should McDonaldโs select you for this programme?
Interview Tip
For a learnership interview, employers are often more interested in your attitude, reliability and willingness to learn than in having years of experience.
Show that you are:
- Friendly
- Dependable
- Willing to learn
- Comfortable working with customers
- Able to follow instructions
- Prepared to work shifts
- Able to work in a fast-paced team environment
If you have never worked before, don’t apologise for having no experience. Instead, use examples from school, volunteering, sports, community activities or everyday responsibilities to demonstrate teamwork, punctuality and responsibility.
Closing Date: 30 August 2026.