SETAs
Prior to 2000, there were 33 industry training boards in South Africa that covered various sectors in the country.
Recognising the dire need to improve skills development, in 1998, the South African Parliament ratified the Skills Development Act which defined a new Sector Training and Education Authority (SETA) system. In essence, the plan was to develop a series of sector skills plans within a clearly defined framework of the National Skills Development Strategy.
Unlike the old training boards, the SETAs were to be concerned with learnerships, internships, unit based skills programmes, and apprenticeships. The SETAs were also given much greater powers than the training boards had had, and far reaching responsibilities. Furthermore, they were established to ensure that every industry and occupation in South Africa was covered.
One of the primary objectives of the SETAs was to collect skills levies from employers within each sector, in terms of the Skills Development Levies Act and make the money available within the sector for education and training. This was to go to employers and training bodies, and to learners in the form of discretionary grants and bursaries.
The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)
The QCTO is a statutory body responsible for advising the Minister of Higher Education and Training (DHET) on all matters of policy concerning occupational standards and qualifications.
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