SETAs in Johannesburg

To bring about more effective co-ordination of capacity building and skills development initiatives between governments departments, local government, water agencies and stakeholders and to create syn...

The vision of the ETDP SETA is to be a promoter and facilitator in the development and improvement of the skills profile of the sector's workforce in order to benefit employers, workers and employees in the sector in the following ways: skill levels of employees and workers are raised; a healthy balance between supply and demand in the labour market; diverse, flexible routes for initial and in-service education and training; a variety of career paths are available; quality of education and training provision is improved; levy grant scheme is efficiently administered; regular liaison with providers, other SETAs, the Department of Labour, the Department of Education, the National Skills Authority (NSA), and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and its structures; internal and external communication is effective in order to advance national human resource and skills development; dialogue and interaction between public and private entities in the sector with regard to skills transfer and training delivery is encouraged; employers, workers and employees in the sector benefit from quality training, higher productivity and harmonious mutual dependencies.

The mission of the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) is: comprehensive research and a sound understanding of the skills demand and supply forces in its sector; coordinating, facilitating and providing quality assurance for sector relevant skills development programmes for its stakeholders, aligned with stated national skills development priorities; and establishing a sector skills pipeline with a positive impact on government's economic growth policies, employment creation and the eradication of poverty. EWSETA's responsibility is to manage skills development through strategic sector skills planning within the framework of the National Skills Development Strategy III. This includes developing a sector skills plan and implementing the sector skills plan by: establishing learning programmes; approving Workplace Skills Plans and the Annual Training Report; allocating grants to employers, education and training, providers, and workers; monitoring education and training in the sector; registering learning programme agreements; and promoting learnerships and other training programmes. The role of EWSETA also includes facilitating the creation of learnerships with employers in the sector via the following: finding workplaces where learners can do practical work; supporting people who create learning material; helping to wrap up learnership agreements; and registering learnership agreements.

The FP&M SETA was established by the Minister of Higher Education on 1 ApriI, 20II, following the government's strategic decision to cluster sectors and strengthen value-chain linkages between related industries. The SETA encompasses a diverse range of subsectors, including clothing, footwear, forestry, furniture, general goods, leather, packaging, print media, printing, publishing, pulp and paper, textiles and wood products. These subsectors, while distinct, are intricately interconnected, collectively adding immense value to consumers' lives. The FP&M sector is embracing the advancements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and looking ahead to the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR), and so, the sector is evolving rapidly. Innovations in automation, artificial intelligence, and digitalisation are driving efficiency and sustainability, while human-centric approaches are enhancing the quality and customisation of its products. In fact, it is almost impossible to go through a day without using one or more products manufactured within the FP&M sector.

The functional sectors represented by the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) in South Africa include the health, social development and veterinary sectors. Its mission is to create an integrated approach to the development and provision of appropriately skilled health and social development workers, to render quality services comparable to world-class standards. HWSETA has a broad mandate, but its key objectives are: to develop and implement the Sector Skills Plan; skills development planning, programmes and initiatives; monitoring of education and training; identification of workplaces for practical work experience; to support and facilitate the development of the National Skills Development Strategy; disbursement of levies collected; to forge links with all stakeholders and relevant bodies; to account for the effective and efficient use of public monies in line with the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act; and the promotion of the employment of disabled persons.

The Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA) is one of 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) established to promote skills development in terms of the Skills Development Act of 1998 (as amended). The 21 SETAs broadly reflect different sectors of the South African economy. MerSETA encompasses manufacturing, engineering and related services. The various industry sectors are covered by five chambers within the merSETA: metal and engineering; auto-manufacturing; motor retail and component manufacturing; tyre manufacturing; and plastics industries. Together, the five subsectors comprise approximately 44 000 companies, with a workforce of approximately 600 000. The total levy income is approximately R600 million. The merSETA, like all other SETAs, plays a central role in making sure that the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) is fulfilled. MerSETA does not collect levies but instead receives collected levies from the Department of Higher Education and Training. Seventy percent of the levies is disbursed as grants and 10% is kept for administration. MerSETA does not train, instead it facilitates the process of training by paying grants, registering moderators and assessors, identifying scarce skills, accrediting providers, monitoring the quality of training, and implementing projects to close the skills gap.

The Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SSETA) is responsible for the disbursement of the training levies payable by all employers. These levies are collected by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) via the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), and are to be disbursed through a management system motivated by skills requirement assessment and monitoring. The SSETA ensures that the skill requirements of the services sector are identified and that adequate and appropriate skills are readily available. The SSETA contributes to the improvement of sector skills through achieving a more favourable balance between demand and supply, and ensuring that education and training: is provided subject to validation and quality assurance; meets agreed standards within a national framework; ensures that new entrants to the labour market are adequately trained; and acknowledges and enhances the skills of the current work force.