Types of Training
Training of employees may take a variety of forms including both formal NQF qualifications and courses to informal in house training that has not been aligned to any specific unit standard.
For purposes of recouping you skills development levies it is unfortunately necessary for training to be registered with the SETA or the QCTO.
The decision you make regarding training will of course be dependent on the requirements of the company and of the individual employees. It will also relate back to the development of the CQF as well as the outcome of the skills audit you have conducted.
Occupational Qualifications
This is a qualification associated with a specific occupation, trade or profession which has been developed and quality assured by the QCTO. As previously stated it would consist of knowledge, Theory and practical components and will require the completion of an EISA test as described previously on page 18.
Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship is a learning programme related specifically to a specific trade or occupational qualification. Most of the qualifications are now registered with the QCTO and for this reason there will be a trade test or EISA as described previously under the QCTO qualifications on page 18. In the case of an apprenticeship the learner would have a contract of employment with the employer.
Internship
An internship is offered to a learner who is employed by a company, sometimes without pay, to give the learner an opportunity of gaining work experience or to satisfy the requirements for a specific qualification. Normally an internship would be offered say for a one or two year period to a university graduate who needs to get the experience.
Learnership
This is a learning programme registered with the Department of Higher Education, QCTO or SETA. It will consist of a structured learning component of a specific nature related to specific subject matter and will be for a defined specific period. On completion the learner would have gained a recognised qualification on the NQF that is related to a specific occupation.
In the case of a learnership an agreement is entered into between the company, the learner and the training provider. The learner is deemed to be an employee for the duration of the agreement only and would be treated as an employee during this period.
Skills Programmes
A skills programme usually consists of a group of unit standards or modules linked together.
The skills programme will normally be taken from an occupational related qualification and will grant credits towards that qualification to the learner who is deemed to be competent on completion. A skills programme would be an integral element of your claim for pivotal grants as explained earlier.
Unit standard based training
This would be a short training course where the subject matter is aligned to a specific unit standard taken from an NQF qualification. Here again the learner will be awarded credits towards a specific qualification should he or she be deemed competent by a registered assessor. Again it is worth noting that unit standard based training can be included in your pivotal grant plan and subsequent claim for funding.