Decision Finally Announced On Move From Old Workplace Qualifications To New Style QCTO Qualifications

Skills Development and training providers have been very worried in recent months about the impending end-of-life about many workplace skills programmes and qualifications that have been used in the local business world since the advent of the 'skills development revolution' that was ushered in with the democratic government

The infrastructure of unit standards, skills programmes, qualifications, Learnerships, Setas and the rest was introduced with the Skills Development Act of 1998 and driven forcefully by the formed Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana.

Many thousands of qualifications, and skills programmes (smaller units that full qualifications) were developed by Setas and training providers. This was all part of a push to make up for many decades on under-investment in training and development in the local workforce.

However when the skills development department was amalgamated with the higher education department the concern was more about 'parity of esteem'. A Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) was established to supervise workplace qualifications and they set about establishing new programmes, breaking from the unit standards of the past.

Now 14 years after the QCTO was setup its finally time to move over to their new qualifications - but they haven't prepared enough to meet the training demand in the workplace.

There were calls from training providers to issue another extension for the older qualifications and skills programmes to avoid a sudden drop in workplace training - and many training providers going out of business as they were no longer allowed to deliver the training courses that they had previously.

With only a few weeks to go Minister Blade Nzimande has now announced that the older qualifications that are still being used will be extended to allow greater time for them to be converted to QCTO qualifications. Exact details of which those are aren't exactly clear, but hopefully will become clearer.

Read the story on Skills Universe for more details and to view the Government Gazette.