Discretionary Grants Fuel Skills Development
The Services SETA Accounting Authority, also known as the Board, is conducting a series of provincial visits across South Africa to provide oversight and assess the impact of Discretionary Grants. This assessment process involves engaging with stakeholders and visiting the actual project sites. The visit commenced in KwaZulu-Natal and was followed by the Eastern Cape.
On Thursday, 1 August 2024, the Board visited the Free State to learn about projects in the province. One of the projects visited by the Board includes several skills development projects awarded to the Free State Office of the Premier.
The director of skills development in the premier’s office, Mrs Spa Kabane, highlighted that the Premier’s Office has a specialised directorate focused on skills development programmes. She further indicated that the funding from the Services SETA has enhanced their programmes and enabled them to reach a wider audience.
Mrs Kabane provided a detailed overview of the current Services SETA-funded programmes, stating that their office was awarded four skills development initiatives.
The first is an electrical apprenticeship, with 30 beneficiaries enrolled. This apprenticeship is a three-year programme that began in June 2024 and will end in May 2027. The success of this programme, with its long-term approach and significant number of beneficiaries, bodes well for the future of skills development.
The second Skills development programme is the 12-month graduate internship programme, with 25 beneficiaries in different fields.
The third programme is the TVET National Certificate Vocational Qualification (NCV Level 4) internship programme, with 25 beneficiaries. Both these internship programmes started in March 2024 and will end in March 2025.
The last skills programme is a 12-month learnership programme with 119 beneficiaries of different enrolments. 40 learners are enrolled in the New Venture Creation, 40 in Hygiene and cleaning, and 39 in Occupational and safety learnership. Mrs Kabane highlighted the positive impact of providing learners with a stipend to support their training.
Mr Wiseman Dinwa, a Services SETA Board member, highlighted his perspective on the ongoing provincial visits. He stated that the objective of these visits is to engage with stakeholders, assess project progress and verify the accuracy of project reports received. “The Board also wants to ensure that the skills development programmes offered by, and through the Services SETA meet the economic needs of the communities they serve,” he added.
The Board and Office of the Premier also visited the electrical programme facility for an extensive training facility tour. This visit underscored the successful collaboration between Services SETA, Office of the Premier and Qualitas Career Academy. The Board had an opportunity to engage directly with the programme’s beneficiaries to comprehensively understand the programme and its effectiveness.
Vuyokazi Mkhontwana, a beneficiary of the Electrical Apprenticeship programme, shared her enrolment experience and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity and the valuable knowledge she has gained. Her story of personal growth and excitement about completing her training and receiving her certificate in electrical qualification is inspiring.
Vuyokazi also mentioned that the Electrical apprenticeship is divided into theoretical and practical components. Currently, they are focused on the theoretical aspects, which are being conducted at Qualitas Career Academy, an accredited training provider in electrical engineering. “I am very thankful to Services SETA and Free State Office of the Premier for the opportunity. I know that only a few were chosen to participate in this programme,” she added.
Overall, the visit to Bloemfontein highlighted the positive outcomes of the discretionary grant funding and reaffirmed the Services SETA board’s commitment to fostering meaningful partnerships. This commitment guarantees that our collaborative efforts in skills development will consistently produce positive results.
