“ SETA” stands for Sector Education and Training Authority

What do SETAs do?

The functions and responsibilities of SETAs are set out in Chapter 3, section 10 the Skills Development Act, 1998. Their main function is to contribute to the raising of skills, to bring skills to the employed, or those wanting to be employed, in their section. They have to do this by ensuring that people learn skills that are needed by employers and communities. There is no value in training people if they cannot use the skills they have learnt. Training and skills development is not just for young people starting their first jobs, though it is important for them too! The skills of people already in jobs must also be enhanced. Training must be to agreed standards and within a national framework wherever possible. It is no good if someone is trained in one province and their qualifications are not recognised in another. It is not ideal for one employer to increase the skills of his or her staff if another employer does not recognize them. All training, wherever it is provided should be subject to quality control and where appropriate be compared to the best international standards.

In order to achieve these objectives the Skills Development Act states that the functions and duties of a SETA are to:

• Develop a skills plan
• Implement its sector skills plan
• Promote learning programmes
• Register agreements for learning programmes
• Perform functions delegated to it by QCTO
• Disburse levies collected from employers and their sector
• Liaise with National Skills Authority on policy, strategy and sector skills plan