FAQ

The main difference is scope and duration. A Learnership is a longer, comprehensive work-based learning programme (typically 12-18 months) that leads to a full Occupational Certificate registered on the NQF. It combines theoretical learning with practical work experience.

A Skills Programme is much shorter and more focused, covering only specific skills or modules from a full qualification. It's the perfect solution when you don't need the full qualification, just a specific skill.

Yes. All Skills Programmes and part-qualifications accredited by the QCTO are aligned with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). The NQF level and credit value for each programme are officially registered, ensuring they are credible, high-quality, and nationally recognised. You can verify all registered qualifications on the SAQA website.

Employers in South Africa benefit significantly from implementing QCTO-accredited Skills Programmes. Key benefits include:

• Targeted Upskilling: Quickly and efficiently address specific skills shortages in your team.
• B-BBEE Points: Training spend on accredited Skills Programmes counts towards the Skills Development element of your B-BBEE scorecard.
• SETA Funding: You can claim back a portion of your Skills Development Levy (SDL) through Mandatory and Discretionary Grants from your relevant SETA to fund this training.
• Increased Productivity: A better-skilled workforce is more efficient, innovative, and productive.
• Improved Compliance: Ensures your training is aligned with national quality standards.

Assessment for a Skills Programme is typically conducted by the accredited Skills Development Provider (SDP) like Sequential Training Academy. It usually involves a portfolio of evidence and a final assessment. For some registered part-qualifications, a Final Integrated Supervised Assessment (FISA) may be required to get the official QCTO Statement of Results.

The QCTO maintains official databases of all accredited providers and the programmes they are approved to offer. You can find these lists on the QCTO website's SDP Databases page. It's best to check the "Skills Programmes" or "Business & General Related" lists for relevant courses.

A QCTO Occupational Certificate is a formal, nationally recognised qualification that proves you have the skills, knowledge, and workplace experience to do a specific job (e.g., "Project Manager" or "Office Administrator"). It is registered on the NQF (from NQF Levels 1-8) and is managed by the QCTO. It is the modern, industry-focused replacement for many legacy SETA qualifications.

Every QCTO Occupational Certificate is made up of three mandatory components:

1. Knowledge Component: The theoretical or "head" knowledge. This is typically learned through a training provider.
2. Practical Skills Component: The simulated, "hands-on" skills. This is where you practice the skills in a controlled environment, also with a training provider.
3. Workplace Experience Component: The "on-the-job" experience. This is where you apply your knowledge and practical skills in an actual workplace.

A learner must be found competent in all three components to be eligible for the final exam.

The EISA is the final, national exam for a QCTO Occupational Certificate. It's a key part of the QCTO model and is designed to be a fair and objective test of a learner's competence.

• It is External: It is not set or marked by your training provider (SDP).
• It is Integrated: It assesses all three components (Knowledge, Practical, and Workplace) together.
• It is Summative: It is the final summary assessment at the end of your learning journey.

Once you pass the EISA, the QCTO issues your official Occupational Certificate.

An Occupational Certificate makes you highly employable.

• Industry-Relevant: These qualifications are designed by industry experts to match the exact skills employers are looking for.
• Nationally Recognised: They are registered on the NQF and recognised by employers across South Africa.
• Proves Competence: Passing the EISA proves you can do the job, not just that you attended classes.
• Clear Career Path: They provide a clear pathway for career development and further learning.

You can verify that a specific qualification is legitimate and registered by searching for it on the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) database.

• To search for a qualification by its name (e.g., "Occupational Certificate: Project Manager"), use the SAQA Qualification Search portal.
• If you are an employer or individual needing to verify a person's certificate, you must use the SAQA VeriSearch service.

There is no single national schedule. The EISA is managed by Assessment Quality Partners (AQPs), which are often the SETAs (e.g., Services SETA, MICT SETA). The EISA schedule for your specific qualification is published by the relevant AQP or by the accredited Assessment Centre where you will write the exam. Your training provider (SDP) will guide you on this process.

An SDP, or Skills Development Provider, is the official term for a training provider (like Sequential Training Academy) that has been formally accredited by the QCTO. This accreditation confirms that the provider has the staff, resources, and quality management systems in place to deliver one or more specific QCTO qualifications or skills programmes to the required national standard.

Choosing a QCTO-accredited SDP is essential.

• It's a guarantee of quality and ensures the training you receive is legitimate and meets national standards.
• It's required for certification. Only learners who have trained at an accredited SDP are eligible to write the final EISA and receive an official QCTO certificate.
• It's necessary for funding. For businesses, only training spend with accredited SDPs qualifies for SETA grants and B-BBEE scorecard points.

Never trust a printed certificate alone. The only way to be 100% sure is to check the official QCTO database.

1. Go to the QCTO website.
2. Navigate to the "Skills Development Providers" section.
3. Find the "Databases of SDPs" page.
4. Search the relevant list (e.g., "Accredited SDPs for Business & General Related Qualifications") for the provider's name.

If they are not on this list for the specific qualification they are offering, they are not accredited for it.

This has changed significantly.

• QCTO: The QCTO is the quality council. It develops qualifications, accredits the providers (SDPs) who offer the training, and issues the final certificate to the learner.
• SETA: The Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) now often act as Assessment Quality Partners (AQPs). They work with the QCTO to manage the EISA and quality-assure the assessment process. They also still manage the disbursement of SETA grants (Mandatory and Discretionary) for skills development.

Yes. When a provider applies for accreditation, they must specify their "mode of delivery." The QCTO can accredit an SDP to offer training in-person (face-to-face), online (e-learning), or through a blended model that combines both. Sequential Training Academy, for example, is accredited for multiple delivery modes to suit the needs of our learners.

An Assessment Centre is a facility that is formally accredited by the QCTO to conduct the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA). It is a neutral, independent body, meaning it cannot be the same provider that trained you (though some SDPs may have a separate, independently accredited assessment arm).

The Assessment Centre's sole job is to administer the final EISA. Their responsibilities include:

• Scheduling the EISA (based on the AQP's national calendar).
• Providing a secure, suitable, and properly invigilated venue for the exam.
• Managing all exam logistics, such as receiving and protecting exam papers.
• Submitting the completed assessments to the AQP (the SETA) for marking.
• Ensuring the entire process is fair, valid, and free from irregularities.

You typically don't have to find one yourself. Your accredited Skills Development Provider (SDP) is responsible for registering you for the EISA. They will have a relationship with one or more accredited Assessment Centres for the qualification you are studying.

If you do need to find one, the lists of accredited Assessment Centres are managed by the QCTO and the AQPs (SETAs) for each specific qualification. For example, the Services SETA will have a list of Assessment Centres for the qualifications it manages.

To ensure fairness and objectivity, the QCTO has a clear policy of separation. The provider that trained you cannot be the same entity that assesses you in the final EISA. This prevents any conflict of interest and ensures the assessment is a true, independent test of your competence.

Bespoke training (also known as custom or tailored training) is a learning programme designed from the ground up to meet the specific and unique needs of a single company. Instead of a one-size-fits-all "public" course, we start by analysing your company's goals, challenges, and existing skills. We then build a training programme that uses your company's terminology, real-world case studies, and internal processes.

Bespoke training offers a powerful return on investment (ROI) because it is 100% relevant.

• Solves Specific Problems: It targets the exact skills gaps or performance issues your business is facing.
• High Relevance = High Engagement: Staff are more engaged when the content features their own projects, products, and challenges.
• Builds Team Cohesion: Training your team together fosters a shared understanding, language, and approach.
• Total Confidentiality: You can discuss sensitive company strategies, challenges, and data in a secure environment.
• Cost-Effective for Groups: Training a full team or department in-house is often more affordable per person than sending them all to individual public courses.
• Flexible Scheduling: The training is delivered at a time and location (on-site or virtual) that suits your business operations.

At Sequential Training Academy, we follow a collaborative 4-step process:

1. Consult & Diagnose: We meet with your HR team and line managers to understand your business goals, identify the skills gaps, and define what success looks like.
2. Design & Customise: Our instructional designers create a unique curriculum, building custom modules, case studies, and activities based on our diagnosis.
3. Deliver & Engage: Our expert facilitators deliver the training via your preferred method (in-person workshops, live virtual classes, etc.), focusing on practical application.
4. Evaluate & Support: We measure the training's impact through feedback and assessments, providing post-training support to ensure the new skills are applied on the job.

It can be. We can design the bespoke programme in two ways:

1. Non-accredited: Focused purely on internal skills, processes, or company culture (e.g., "The [Your Company] Way of Selling").
2. Accredited: We can map your company's needs to the modules of an accredited QCTO Skills Programme. This "best of both worlds" approach means your team gets fully customised training and receives a nationally recognised Statement of Results.

• Bespoke Training: A private, customised course delivered only to your team. The content is tailored to your company.
• Public Courses: A scheduled course with a fixed curriculum that is open to individuals from any company. These are great for training one or two employees and offer excellent networking opportunities.

Sequential Training Academy offers both public and bespoke options to fit your needs and budget.

The WSP is a forward-looking document that outlines a company's skills needs and its plan to address them in the coming year. The ATR is a backward-looking document that reports on the training that was completed (and the money spent) in the previous year.

Submitting your WSP and ATR to your SETA by the annual deadline (typically April 30th) is the first and most important step to:

1. Claiming your 20% Mandatory Grant from your Skills Development Levy (SDL).
2. Becoming eligible to apply for Discretionary Grants for learnerships, skills programmes, and internships.

It depends. "Accreditation" is a specific term. Many online platforms offer "certificates of completion," which are not the same as a formal, nationally-recognised qualification.

For an online course to be fully accredited in South Africa, it must be:

1. Offered by a QCTO-accredited SDP.
2. Part of a qualification or skills programme registered on the NQF and listed on the SAQA database.
3. Accredited by the QCTO for an online or blended mode of delivery.

At Sequential Training Academy, our accredited online courses meet all these criteria, ensuring you receive a formal, valuable Statement of Results or Occupational Certificate.

• E-learning (or Self-Paced): This is where you are given access to pre-recorded videos, documents, and quizzes. You study entirely on your own, at your own pace, with no live interaction.
• Online Learning (or Virtual Instructor-Led): This is a "live" class delivered over a platform like Zoom or Teams. You have a live facilitator and a class of other learners, allowing for real-time discussion, Q&A, and group work.

We offer both models, but our accredited programmes are typically delivered via Virtual Instructor-Led Training, as this live interaction is proven to be more effective for skills development.

Based on current industry trends, the most valuable skills for job seekers are a mix of technical and human skills. Popular accredited courses include:

• Project Management (Occupational Certificate: Project Manager)
• Business Administration (e.g., Office Administrator)
• Information Technology (e.g., IT Technical Support, Software Developer)
• Digital Marketing
• Generic Management (for new team leaders and managers)
• Bookkeeping and Accounting

Always do your research before paying for any course.

1. Check Accreditation: Ask for the provider's QCTO accreditation number. Verify it on the QCTO website.
2. Check the Qualification: Ask for the full qualification title and SAQA ID number. Verify it on the SAQA qualification search.
3. Look for Contact Details: A legitimate provider will have a physical address, a landline, and clear company registration information.
4. Read Reviews: Look for reviews on Google and other independent platforms.
5. Ask Us: If you're unsure, contact us, and our team will be happy to provide guidance on the South African qualifications landscape.