What is it they do?
I know this seems like a trick question, but it is not.
SETAs were established in 2000 in terms of the Skills Development Act (1998) and are responsible for the disbursement of the training levies payable by all employers within their scope. These levies are collected by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and disbursed through the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The levies are split into SETA administration, Discretional Grants, and Mandatory Grants, and a portion is paid to the National Skills Fund (NSF) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO).
Functions & Responsibilities
The functions and responsibilities of SETAs are set out in the Skills Development Act (1998) and expanded upon in the Grant Regulations (2010). Their primary function is to contribute to the growth of skills, for the employed and unemployed, within their economic sectors. They are mandated to do this by ensuring that people learn skills that are needed by the sector to contribute to economic growth.
There have been a few changes to the number of SETAs over the years, there are currently 21 SETAs. Each SETA broadly reflects the various sectors of the South African economy. In order to achieve these objectives the Skills Development Act states that the functions and duties of a SETA are to:
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- Develop a Sector Skills Plan (SSP)
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- Implement the SSP
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- Promote learning programmes for future jobs in the Sector.
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- Register agreements for workplace-based learning programmes
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- Monitoring and Evaluation of learning interventions
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- Workplace approvals for workplace-based learning programmes
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- Perform functions delegated to it by QCTO – accreditation or skills development provider (SDP), quality assurance of learner achievements, and certification of learners.
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- Mandatory Grants Management – Workplace Skills Plans (WSP) and Annual Training Reports (ATR)
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- Discretionary Grants Management – funding of various skills development interventions as identified in the SSP
Each SETA operates slightly differently based on the sector and industries they are responsible for. It is a tough job and there are some great people doing great work at the SETAs, but there are also some that are not doing such great work. Working with SETA’s can be difficult, it is critical that you work with a skills development partner that is able to navigate this landscape.