FROM WEEDER TO MANAGER

In 1992, Sarah Sambo joined Neos Estate fruit farm in the Onderberg as a Cane Weeder. Today she is in charge of one of the packlines.

Totally illiterate when she started working for Neos Estate, Sarah has just completed and passed her first literacy examination. She was so excited; she could not wait to show her children what she had achieved. Sarah has achieved so many things during this literacy programme, her greatest aspiration was to understand and to write her name.

“Sarah shows great commitment in everything that she does. She approaches her job with the same enthusiasm that she shows towards the literacy training that we introduced a year ago,” says Bronwyn Palmer, training manager and wife of one of the owners of Neos Estate.

“While all of our employees have eagerly embraced the literacy training, Sarah really stands apart. As a Swazi woman, Sarah never had access to a formal education. Neo Estate is based in an area where Swaziland and Mozambique are closer to Nelspruit. Most of our agricultural work force on the farm comes from these two countries. In both countries, women are not considered worthy of educating. They are, however, desperate to learn and their eagerness is amazing to watch!! They are eager, neat and so motivated.”

Sarah, like many other farm workers around South Africa, was given access to literacy training owing to an initiative by the AgriSeta. The AgriSeta is encouraging its members to implement ABET by providing them with free training material and helping them to establish learning centres. This initiative has had huge success thus far, with farms all over South Africa implementing the Media Works ABET programme, giving farm workers countrywide access to literacy training.

For further details on the Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), please contact Fano Luthuli on fano@agriseta.co.za or Johann Engelbrecht on johann@agriseta.co.za.

SKILLS PLANNING

SECTOR SKILLS PLAN (SSP)

It is of utmost importance for the SETA to submit a five year Sector Skills Plan (SSP). The first SSP was submitted in November 2005 to the Department of Labour (DoL) and has to be updated on an annual basis. The current SSP is an integration of the two amalgamated SETA’s and needs to be refined when the annual update is to be submitted to DoL in August 2006.

During this year, the SETA will engage in extensive research, which will focus on scarce and critical skills within the agri sector. The SETA however will attempt not to contact Employers with extensive questionnaires, but will work through the Employer and Commodity organizations to gain information. The focus of this SSP will be on eradicating scarce and critical skills in the agri sector.

Scarce Skills are the skills which are in short supply when compared with the demand across the whole labour market.
Critical Skills are those currently in work, who do not have the requisite skills to carry out their job optimally – a “top-up” of skills is required to impact positively on their productivity.

It will be useful if employers and employees can sensitize their commodity organisations, employer bodies or labour structures to consider scarce and critical skills within the sector for inclusion in the Sector Skills Plan.

The Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) project to date has 15 000 approved learners of whom approximately 8 000 are already in learning. Whilst already R27 million has been invested in ABET, provision of R7,8 million is being made for the next financial year to further expand the ABET project, which will include face-to-face exposure. (The bulk of the current ABET project is a computer based mode of delivery).

Pipeline projects
Due to the very high demand within the sector for skills development, a further application has been forwarded to the NSF. The aim of the project will be to reach out to 1 000 unemployed people of which 620 learners would be on Learnerships and 300 on internships. Also 80 young people would be on apprenticeship tertiary studies, as they require practical work exposure before attaining their qualification.

The total project value would R32 million of which the NSF would be contributing R28 million.

Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) Training
The SETA has secured the services of accredited providers to provide training to SDF’s. Venues would be secured once all nominations have been received.

Click here for the SDF nomination form.

The following unit standards will be addressed during the programme.

(9946) Develop a Workplace Skills Plan;
(9947) Implement a Workplace Skills Plan;
(9948) Design a Quality Assurance System;
(9949) Compile report on the Workplace Skills Plan

Dates and provinces:

As space is limited, it is recommended that places be secured on a first come basis with an even spread of companies per session.

Participants are to be nominated by their companies on the attached nomination form, and to be returned before 20 Feb 2006 to Myra Hoffman (myra@agriseta.co.za).

SKILLS DELIVERY

Of the surplus of the 2005/6 budget, allocations were made to register learners on Learnerships. The Learnership department received 11 448 Learnership applications and provision has been made to place 927 on Learnerships. Of these learnership applications, 527 are unemployed and 400 employed on a national basis. Unsuccessful learner applications will be kept on the Learner database, for future consideration. The next round of allocations will be made in the new financial year as from April 2006.

The aim of the Skills Delivery Department is to:

• finalise learnership allocations as quick and convenient as possible.

• focus on targets as agreed between us and the Department of Labour, as well as in the Business Plan

• improve communication with stakeholders to ensure they are always updated of the developments within the SETA

• ensure the learnership budget is spent throughout all nine provinces

• ensure that projects are linked to our specific targets

• monitor and evaluate the learnership projects regularly so as to ensure effectiveness, efficiency and quality delivery

• ensure the skills gaps are adequately filled by the implementation of skills programmes

Skills Delivery Department

Tebogo Mmotla - tebogo@agriseta.co.za Skills Delivery Manager
Gisela Welgemoed - gisela@agriseta.co.za Learnership Coordinator
Thobile Mahlalela - thobile@agriseta.co.za Skills Programme Coordinator

QUALITY ASSURANCE

ASSESSOR TRAINING

The AgriSETA will, subject to the availability of funds, invite training and workplace providers (SDF’s), to each nominate one or two subject matter experts in agriculture to participate in Assessor training.

• Providers who wish to nominate more than two subject matter experts shall pay for the additional candidates;

• To ensure an equitable distribution of opportunity, preference shall be given to training and workplace providers who have never had as many opportunities to participate in assessor training.

The training is focussing on building capacity to training and workplace providers in the process of assessing, as well as in the implementation of Learnerships and Recognition of Prior Learning assessments. It is therefore very important nominate the correct candidates for the training. Each candidate will be registered with the AgriSETA against the unit standards that he/she will be capable of assessing, after completing the assessor training. Assessor candidates will not only be learning subject matter but the following assessment outcomes:

• Plan and prepare for assessments

• Prepare the candidates for assessment

• Conduct the assessment

• Evaluate, record evidence and make assessment judgements

• Provide feedback to relevant parties

• Review the assessment

The course is structured into theory of assessment in the classroom situation during which the learners will be taught the methods and art of assessment for the period of four days. On completion of the classroom learning, the learners will return to their respective working environments to apply what they have learnt upon which they shall build their respective portfolios of evidence, by using the given unit standards. The duration of the practical assessment at the work place will approximately be eight weeks. The learners and the training facilitator will agree on dates for submitting the Portfolio of Evidence. Each learner will be expected to sign the forms that commit him/her to the dates agreed upon.

NB: It is therefore a requirement that:

• The candidates nominated for assessor training shall be subject matter experts and have matric (NQF4) or equivalent qualification

• Each candidate completes the course and submits the portfolio of evidence

• The candidates comply with the instructions given by the facilitator

• The candidates comply with starting and finishing times for the course

• The candidates be bound by a code of conduct specified by the facilitator

NB: In the case of SDF’s nominated for training, the AgriSETA will only accept SDF’s who are working on farms.
It is expected of every candidate to complete the course successfully and be registered with the AgriSETA.
Please be advised that the AgriSETA will only cover the direct training fee of R2 000. Should the assessor candidate fail to complete the training this amount is to be repaid to the AgriSETA. Transport and accommodation costs are not covered in the training fee and will be at the candidate’s cost.

Assessor candidates shall have completed and signed Annexure A before commencement of training. This is to ensure that only potential and the most suitable candidates are selected for assessor training. Click here for Annexure A

We hope you will find the course worth your while.

Further enquiries, please contact

Dominicus Yotwana
Quality Assurance Coordinator: Accreditation
Tel: (012) 325 1655
Fax: (012) 325 1677
Cell: 083 560 1025
E-mail: dominicus@agriseta.co.za


ETQA WORKSHOPS

A reminder of the Workshops which will be held nationally to update stakeholders of the various ETQA matters.

Dates:

9th and 10th February 2006
Free State and Northern Cape in Bloemfontein

15th and 16th February 2006
Western Cape Starting in Stellenbosch

22nd and 23rd February 2006
Limpopo and Mpumalanga in Polokwane

2nd and 3rd March 2006 (NOTE THE DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED)
Gauteng and North West in Pretoria

8th and 9th March 2006
KwaZulu Natal in P/maritzburg

13th and 14th March 2006
Eastern Cape in Port Elizabeth

For further information please contact Cynthia Nkabinde on cynthia@agriseta.co.za

SUB SECTOR COMMITTEES

The first round of SSC meetings was held in 2005. As some committee members, especially the employee representation, are new to the processes and procedures, committee members requested that workshops be held, to inform and update members as to the status quo of the SETA and its newly approved structures, roles and functions.

The aim of these proposed workshops/information session would be to assist SSC’s to fully understand the spending structure of their levies and their roles and responsibilities as a Governing Body constituted structure.

Scheduled SSC Meetings:

AUCTION OF THE LYNNWOOD GLEN OFFICES

For the advert of the Lynwood Offices, click here.
For directions to the Lynwood Offices, click here.

DATES TO DIARISE
 

FEBRUARY TO MARCH	ETQA WORKSHOPS
FEBRUARY TO APRIL	SUB SECTOR COMMITTEE MEETINGS
2 MARCH	LYNNWOOD GLEN PROPERY PUBLIC AUCTION
13-16 MARCH	SDF TRAINING – GAUTENG
28-31 MARCH	SDF TRAINING – CAPE TOWN
30 JUNE	ATR & WSP SUBMISSION

Contact Details:
Tel: (012) 325 1655
Fax: (02) 325 1677
Email: info@agriseta.co.za