Yes, it’s that time of year again. Your workplace skills plan (WSP) and Annual Training Report (ATR) must be submitted by 30 April annually in order to claim your Mandatory Grant (MG) from your Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA).
But you are not even sure what they are, well I am here to help.
Employers in South Africa with an annual payroll of R500 000 or with 50+ employees pay a Skills Development Levy (SDL), employers are able to claim back 20% of the levy paid through the MG process. Sounds simple enough, right? So what do you need to do?
Each SETA will have its own system and process, as far as the Regulations allow, so a great starting point is to contact your SETA and ask. They will direct you to their online system and the requirements for submission. It needs to be noted, that with less than two weeks till the deadline date, the SETA’s will inundate with queries related to MG submissions. So be patient, grab a cup of coffee and take a deep breath.
While you are waiting for the SETA, let’s break down what the WSP and ATR are.
Workplace Skills Plan
A plan developed every year at an enterprise level that describes an organisation’s intended training and skills development programme for the year ahead. The WSP provides the basis for identifying and planning skills development initiatives relevant to your organisation’s strategy and to individual development needs that will help it to meet its overall objectives and targets.
It defines the occupational shortages and skills gaps identified by the employer, the training programmes that are required to meet and deliver those skills and the staff that will be targeted for training.
It is a key source of information for the SETA about the sector – in terms of demographics, existing qualifications, training and development priorities for the forthcoming year, skills gaps, and hard-to-fill vacancies (critical and scarce skills). The data needs to be accurate and well prepared so that the SETA can make use of this data to establish skills needs in the sector and ensure that the correct interventions are funded.
Accurate planning and submission of these plans will inform the employer’s SETA on strategic priorities in the development of its Sector Skills Plan (SSP).
Annual Training Report
The report of the actual training that has been implemented is based on the WSP submitted in the prior year. How well did your organisation do with implementing the WSP? The relevance of the information provided by employers is significant to the SETA as it contributes towards labour market supply and the broader sector skills plan.
Sounds easy enough, right? Hold on, the SETA will require proof so be sure to include all training attendance registers, proof of expenditure, skills development provider (SDP) details, etc.
SETAs must verify and monitor the accuracy of the employer’s submission. All plans and reports should be studied and examined to establish credibility, this may even include monitoring visits.
So, what are you waiting for? Submit your WSP and contribute to the future of skills in South Africa!
