We can do all the work entailed in getting your company, institution or centre, accredited with a SETA's ETQA.

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In order to be accredited, SAQA (2000c: 17, 18) has stated that a body may be accredited as a Provider by an Education and Training Quality Assurance Body (ETQA) whose primary focus coincides with the primary focus of the Provider, pro­vided that the body is seeking accreditation on the basis that it:

1. is registered with SAQA as a Provider in terms of the applicable legislation at the time of the application for accreditation
2. has a quality management system which includes but is not limited to:
   1. quality management policies which define that which the Provider wishes to achieve
   2. quality management procedures which enable the Provider to practise its defined quality management policies
   3. review mechanisms which ensure that the quality management policies and procedures defined are applied and remain effective
3. is able to develop, deliver and evaluate learning programmes which culminate in specified registered standards or qualifications
4. has the:
   1. necessary financial, administrative and physical resources
   2. policies and practices for staff selection, appraisal and development
   3. policies and practices for learner entry, guidance and support systems
   4. policies and practices for the management of off-site practical or work-site components
   5. policies and practices for the management of assessment (vi) necessary and reporting procedures
   6. the ability to achieve the desired outcomes, using available resources and procedures considered by the Education and Training Quality Assurance Body (ETQA) to be needed to develop, deliver and evaluate learning pro­grammes which culminate in specified registered standards or qualifica­tions contemplated in paragraph (c)
5. Has not already been granted accreditation by or applied for accreditation to another Education and Training Quality assurance body contemplated in Regulation 2.

GUIDELINES
A guideline for the Provider on ETQA accreditation standards

1.         Education, Training and Development (ETD) practitioner and delivery infrastructure

·         For any learning system to be accredited, a sufficient number of competent ETD practitioners must be available to cover all the learning opportunities offered.

·         LTD practitioners must comply with the following criteria before they will be authorised to perform any of the roles contained in the generic compe­tency profile for LTD practitioners:

• Occupational expertise — demonstrate competence in the area in which learning is facilitated
• ETD expertise — demonstrated competence in the relevant LTD practi­tioner role(s).
• The following criteria must be met in order to train other LTD practition­ers:
  • Occupational expertise — demonstrate competence in the area in which training takes place
  • ETD expertise — demonstrated competence in all the LTD practitioner roles contained in the Generic ETD Practitioner Competency Profile.

·                     The learning Provider must keep a record of all authorised LTD practition­ers, indicating at least the role(s) and areas of learning facilitation for which authorisation has been granted, the date of authorisation and the name of the person who issued the authorisation.

2.         Learning opportunities

·                     All learning opportunities must be competency-based and modular. They must also be outcomes-focused and linked to competency profiles.

·                     Learning opportunities must demonstrate an integrated approach to edu­cation, training and development.

·                     Learning opportunities must integrate theory and practice so that practi­cal, on-the-job exposure follows the theory and appropriate skills training. Enough time must be allowed for mastery of the outcome. The practical on-the-job component must be rounded off with proper assessment of the learner’s ability to do the job.

·                     The competence assessment techniques used in any learning opportunity must conform to the requirements for competence assessment.

·                     Learning opportunities can contain recognition of prior learning (RPL) mechanisms.

·                     All learning opportunities must lead to a nationally recognised qualifica­tion or credit. Competencies addressed in learning opportunities must therefore be marketable and transferable in the labour market.

·                     Learning opportunities must form part of a formal curriculum.

·                     Curriculum and learning opportunity design and development must be based on a needs analysis performed by an LTD practitioner authorised to do so.

·                     Learning and the application of what is learnt must be matched with appropriate work environments to ensure that relevance of the learning to the business is obtained.

3.         Learning equipment/facilities

• Accreditation will be awarded only for those areas for which equipment and/or facilities for learning are available.

·                                 In the case of structured learning:

o        The necessary equipment and/or facilities must be available to support the learning and competence assessment process with respect to the learning system to be accredited.

o        The learning equipment and/or facilities must be reasonably representa­tive of the equipment and/or facilities used in the real work situation.

o        All learning must take place in a situation that is as similar to the real work situation as possible.

• In the case of on-the-job exposure:
  • learners must be exposed to the real operating equipment and systems on which qualified personnel work, as well as to the people with whom they work.
  • Competence assessment in respect of on-the-job learning will be carried out only in those areas for which equipment and/or facilities, as well as opportunities, are available.
  • A self-evaluation form to be completed by the applicant must be returned attached to the accreditation applicant.

4.         Competence assessment

• Competence assessment must be based on clearly stated outputs/out­comes and relevant assessment criteria.
• Competence assessment must always be valid and reliable.
• Competence assessment must always be done on appropriate equipment and in an environment as similar to the real work situation as possible.
• All competence acknowledgement stages must be covered by competence assessments.
• Competence assessment must be a continuous process so that problems are picked up in good time and not on completion of the total learning process.
• Only authorised assessors for the relevant area/job may make competence assessments and issue competency declarations.
• The learning Provider must keep records of competence assessment results for six months after the completion of the learnership. These records must contain the results achieved, the date of assessment and name(s) of the assessor(s).

5.         Evaluation

The learning Provider must have a mechanism in place to evaluate the effec­tiveness of the learning process continually with regard to the following:

• The extent to which the accreditation standards are adhered to
• LTD practitioner competence and delivery infrastructure
• The extent to which learning has taken place as addressed under assess­ment
• The relevance of the learning that is taking place:
  • Are the competencies addressed on the learning process relevant and applicable to the real work situation?
  • Are the competencies mastered during the learning process applied in the real work situation?
  • Are the competencies needed in the real work situation relevant to the learning process?
  • What is the end result of the learning process? Is it in line with the busi­ness needs and what contribution does it make towards business effec­tiveness?