Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a SETA?
2. What is Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)?
3. If I cannot speak English, can I opt for RPL?
4. How does RPL assessment differ from general assessment?
5. In the absence of providers ready to implement RPL, what do we do
with learners wanting RPL?
LEARNERSHIPS
6. What is a Learnership?
7. What is an Apprenticeship?
8. How will Learnerships work in practice?
9. Can universities and schools offer learnerships?
10. What is the duration of a Learnership?
11. What does it mean for an unemployed learner to be on a
Learnership?
12. What shall a learner obtain at the end of a Learnership?
13. Will the learner be offered a job after completing the
Learnership?
14. How do unemployed people apply for Learnerships?
15. How do employed people apply for a Learnership?
16. How shall learners benefit from Learnerships?
ETQA - EDUCATION TRAINING QUALITY ASSURANCE
17. What is Monitoring?
18. What is the difference between Monitoring and Quality Audit?
19. Why are Monitoring and Quality Audits interventions conducted?
20. Accreditation of Providers
21. What is Accreditation?
22. What do I do if I want to be registered as an Assessor?
23. Do teachers have to be certificated and registered as Assessors?
24. How do I know which ETQA should I be registered with once I have
been trained as an Assessor?
25. What is the difference between a qualification and a learning
programme? Can a programme be registered on the National Qualifications
Framework (NQF)?
26. What is a short course?
27. How are short courses related to Skills Programmes? |
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| 1.What is a SETA? |
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A Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) is a body whose main purpose
is to contribute to the improvement of skills in South Africa through achieving
a more favourable balance between demand and supply, and by ensuring that
education and training, |
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acknowledges and enhances the skills of the current work force, (in addition to
ensuring that new entrants to the labour market are adequately trained)
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meets agreed standards within a national framework
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is provided subject to validation and quality assurance; and
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where appropriate, is benchmarked against international standards.
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| The functions of the AgriSETA ETQA are:
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Accredit Constituent providers
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Promote quality amongst Constituent Providers
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Monitor the training provision of Constituent Providers
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Evaluate assessment and facilitation of Moderation
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Register Constituent Assessors
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Certificate Learners
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Co-operate with the relevant bodies across sectors
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Recommend the new standards and qualifications to the relevant National
Standards Body (NSB)
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Maintain a database
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Report to SAQA
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| 2. What is Recognition of Prior Learning
(RPL)? |
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Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) constitutes a method used to establish
the level of a person’s knowledge and skills for the purpose of: |
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Accessing jobs
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Progressing in career paths
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Grading and Pay/Salaries
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Promoting Employment Equity
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| 3. If I cannot speak English, can I go for
RPL? |
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Yes, depending on the requirements of the qualification or unit standards you
want recognition for.
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| The RPL policy states that, "In some instances, training needs to
include an explicit component on language bias, where language may become a
hindrance to assessment. Where demonstration of skills does not require formal
language skills, assessors have to be sensitive to the use of words and terms
common within a particular context". |
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| 4. How does RPL assessment differ from
general assessment? |
General assessment has the formative and summative components, whereas RPL
assessment is mostly the summative component. When assessing candidates for
RPL; they are assessed against the same unit standards and exit level outcomes
of qualifications using the same assessment criteria as for other full time
learners. What is demanded of a full time learner has to be met fully by an RPL
learner during assessment.
Assessment of RPL learners can be on a one to one basis or even on group basis,
like full time learners. If 50% is demanded as a pass mark for full time
learners, the same should apply for RPL learners.
Certificates obtained through RPL should be the same as those obtained through
full time learning. Recording of RPL learners and their achievements should be
kept by the respective ETQA’s and providers involved. |
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| 5. In the absence of providers ready to
implement RPL what do we do with learners wanting RPL? |
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Depending on the need for RPL and also the level of assessment, learners can
be referred to centres implementing RPL. |
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| LEARNERSHIPS |
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| 6. What is a Learnership? |
A Learnership is a vocational education and training programme. It combines
theory and practice, culminating in a qualification that is registered with
SAQA.
A person who successfully completes a learnership will have a qualification
that signifies occupational competence and is recognised throughout the
country.
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| 7. What is an Apprenticeship? |
An apprenticeship is a non unit standard based registered qualification,
which is governed by the sections 13 – 29 f the Manpower Training Act 56 of
1981.
An apprenticeship comprises the integration of workplace and institutional
learning and culminates in a national qualification. |
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| 8. How will Learnerships work in practice? |
Employers enter into a Learnership Agreement with learners and providers.
In most cases an employer will provide the practical part of the learnership
and the training and education provider will offer the theoretical part of the
total programme. Some employers may be able to offer both elements of the
learnership |
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| 9. Can universities and schools offer
learnerships? |
| A Learnership agreement involves |
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a learner,
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an employer or a group of employers and
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an accredited provider.
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| Yes, universities and schools can and may be involved in
learnerships. |
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| 10. What is the duration of a Learnership? |
| The minimum duration of a Learnership is thirty (30) weeks to a minimum of one
year.
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| 11. What does it mean for an unemployed
learner to be on a Learnership? |
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An unemployed learner shall sign
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a Learnership Agreement as well as
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a contract of employment for the duration of the Learnership.
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The Learnership Agreement, shall be signed by the unemployed learner; the
employer(s), (who shall host/employ the learner for workplace learning) and
Training provider.
The Learnership Agreement shall detail what is expected of the learner and what
the learner shall have to do during the training.
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| 12. What shall a learner obtain at the end
of the Learnership?
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| If the Learnership is successfully completed the learner shall obtain a
qualification that is recognised throughout the country and a certificate as
proof of competence.
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| 13. Will the learner be offered a job after
completing the Learnership? |
There is no guarantee of a job on successful completion of the Learnership.
The employer who offers the learner workplace training does not have an
obligation to offer employment. It is however proper and fitting that the
responsible provider ensures and makes arrangements that unemployed learners
who have been declared competent find placements: |
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At the workplace or practice or with any other employer
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At their own farms (ELRAD beneficiaries) or
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At their own respective areas of land.
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| 14. How do unemployed people apply for a
Learnerhsip?
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Unemployed people shall register with the Department of Labour as a work seeker
by completing the required registration form indicating their interests. The
forms are available at the Labour Centres
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They shall keep their contact details up to date.
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The Labour Centres shall contact these people if they meet the minimum criteria
for the Learnerships with a specific employer
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Employers shall be responsible for the final selection of learners.
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| 15. How do employed people apply for a
Learnership?
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Employed people can contact their employers through their Human Resources
Department.
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They can also speak to their Supervisors responsible for their appraisal
process in the company/organisation.
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They can contact their trade union official (if available) for more
information.
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| 16. How shall learner benefit from
Learnerships?
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| Learners shall receive quality and relevant education and training. |
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Learners acquire competence required in the workplace.
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Learnerships improve access to opportunities for employment
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Learners shall have access to further learning opportunities
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Learners shall receive a certificate of service confirming their working
experience
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Learnerships offer an opportunity to affordable education, training and
development.
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| ETQA EDUCATION TRAINING QUALITY ASSURANCE |
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| 17. What is Monitoring? |
| Monitoring is a continuous process of review of quality. It can be conducted
internally by a provider, or externally by AgriSETA.
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| 18. What is the difference between
Monitoring and Quality Audit? |
| Monitoring is supportive and developmental in nature whereas Quality Audit is
judgmental and determines whether or not the Provider performing according to
established criteria. |
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| 19. Why are Monitoring and Quality Audits
interventions conducted? |
| Monitoring has a formative emphasis. Feedback from the monitoring process
will incorporate recommendations, and thus contribute directly to quality
improvement. A Quality Audit is a summative evaluative of attainment of
quality. Both processes are geared toward the improvement. |
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| 20. Accreditation of Providers
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| Providers approach the AgriSETA ETQA and declare their intention to apply for
accreditation. Providers set up systems and procedures to meet the criteria of
accreditation. The ETQA has an option to grant providers provisional or full
accreditation for a period of one year or three years respectively.
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| 21. What is Accreditation? |
South Africa’s National Skills Development Strategy encourages training
providers to develop appropriate human and physical resources to deliver
training that can lead to the achievement of relevant and employment-creating
outcomes.
For this reason, training providers have to be evaluated, formally recognized
and be accredited.
Accreditation is tied to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
qualifications and standards, registered by the South African Qualifications
Authority (SAQA).
Accreditation is an audit of your organisation’s ability to implement
learnerships/apprenticeships in the work place, which includes an audit of the
training programme and courses. An accredited provider and training would
ensure that learners who are trained in the workplace, gain nationally
recognized credits, which can result in a formally recognised qualification. |
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| 22. What do I do if I want to be registered
as an Assessor?
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| Undergo training on the generic assessor unit standard with a provider that
is registered /accredited by the ETDP SETA. If you are an Assessor at present,
you need to be assessed for competence on the generic assessor unit standard by
the ETDP SETA. |
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| 23. Do teachers have to be certificated and
registered as assessors? |
| Yes, as stipulated in the Criteria and Guidelines for the Registration of
Assessors, everyone who assesses learning should be certificated by the ETDP
SETA and registered with the AgriSETA ETQA in each sector. |
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| 24. How do I know which ETQA should I be
registered with once I have been trained as an Assessor? |
| It would be the SETA your company is registered with and paying a Skills
Development Levy to. |
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| 25. What is the difference between a
qualification and a learning programme, and can a programme be registered on
the National Qualifications Framework? |
| The essential difference between a qualification and a learning programme is
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a qualification is a learning outcome, and
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a learning programme is the process one embarks upon in fulfilment of that
outcome.
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A qualification means the formal recognition of the achievement of learning.
This is subject to the definition and rules of combination as defined in 8(1)
of the National Standards Body (NSB) Regulations.
A qualification is characterized by learning outcomes; critical cross-field and
specific outcomes, which provide the learner with opportunities for further
(lifelong) learning. Subject to SAQA approval, a qualification can be
registered on the National Qualifications Framework. A learning programme is a
provider-specific course or programme offered to learners against a particular
qualification, and is subject to quality assurance by the AgriSETA ETQA.
Learning programmes, then, cannot be registered on the National Qualifications
Framework.
New standards and qualifications are placed on the National Learners Records
Database (NLRD). Searchable databases have been established on the SAQA Website
(http://saqa.org.za) to
give access to anyone wishing to see what Standards and Qualifications are on
the NLRD. |
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| 26. What is a Short Course? |
A short course is a short learning programme which a learner may be awarded
credits.
A Credit-bearing short course is a short learning programme for which credits
is/are awarded. A credit-bearing short course contains less than 120 credits. |
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e.g. Skills programmes leading to the achievement of credits in relation to a
qualification.
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| 27. How are Short Courses related to Skills
Programmes? |
| A Skills Programme is occupationally based and when completed will constitute
credits towards a qualification registered in terms of the National
Qualifications Framework. Provisioning is undertaken by a training provider
accredited by an Education and Training Quality Assurance (ETQA) Body. A skills
programme is a short learning programme. |
