The Future: QCTO's Impact on South Africa's Skills Development

A significant transformation in education and training in South Africa, is happening. The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) is rolling out a single national quality assurance system for accredited qualifications and skills programs, signalling a shift that promises to streamline and simplify the realm of skills development.

The QCTO ensures the development of relevant and specific occupational qualification curricula for various industries. The Council also oversees the quality assurance of qualification provisions to impart the necessary competencies to the workforce in particular occupations.

These substantial changes require a re-assessment of our current training programs to align them with the occupational learning pathways specified by the QCTO Occupational Sub-framework.

According to the QCTO, the qualification end date for all 'historical' qualifications is 30 June 2023, with a phased-out period of one year allowing accredited Skills Development Providers to register learners until 30 June 2024.

Consequently, a transition to occupationally directed qualifications becomes imperative essential from 30 June 2024. Notably, training, assessments, moderations, and achievements related to these legacy qualifications will only persist be accepted by the SETA’s for learners registered before 30 June 2024.

A teach-out period will be implemented to support learners enrolled before 30 June 2024 until 30 June 2027. However, it is crucial to note that statements of results and certificates will not be issued beyond 30 June 2027.

In summary, we would like to suggest that our clients take proactive measures to adequately prepare for these changes. Late registration and potential backlogs can significantly impact training agendas in the future.

It's important to note that not all legacy qualifications have a direct replacement with by an Occupational Qualification on the QCTO Occupational Sub-framework and not all of qualifications have yet been registered as learnerships. KVR Training continues to monitor the addition of new qualifications on the QCTO website as new qualifications are added frequently and KVR Training will continue to apply for accreditation as per our client needs.