What a Consultant-Managed QCTO Application Looks Like

If you choose a Lime Green consultant-managed QCTO application, here’s what the process looks like. I’ve outlined each phase with estimated timelines, based on how Lime Green manages applications. 

If you’re working with another consultant, these phases and times are a useful benchmark. They’ll help you spot whether your consultant is genuinely moving the process forward or stringing you along, which is a common scam in the industry. 

PHASE 1: QCTO APPLICATION

Lime Green:

1. Submits your application on the QCTO online form for you. 
2. Requests key documents from you (e.g.  your tax clearance, CIPC, etc) which are checked off on a register as we go. 
3. Brands the QMS with your logo and your company name for you. The QMS essentially is the application. 
4. Plugs in your company specific documents to the QMS to make a complete and company-specific file.
5. Completes a QCTO sharepoint upload for you, which consists of key QMS files for desktop evaluation.
6. Assist you to locate your allocated, QCTO assigned “desktop evaluator” (a person).
7. Coaches you on how to communiate with your QCTO desktop evaluator.
8. Assist you until you receive confirmation from QCTO that your desktop evaluation has been approved by the evaluator, and the next phase can commence.

This phase takes no more than 1 – 2 months

PHASE 2: AUDIT AND EVALUATION

Lime Green:

1. Prompts you on who to contact at the SETA that QCTO assigned your application to, to open communications. Includes email template and address.
2. Fills in all QCTO forms for you (including QCTO Form 1, Form 3, Form 4, and Form 5) that the SETA requests of you, and prompts you on how to send them back to satisfy the booking requirements.
3. Gives you a vital audit “cheat sheet” which is a fully filled-in copy of the evaluation sheet (QCTO Form 5) you will be audited by. The sheet is indexed to the QMS for you.
4. Thoroughly prepares you for the audit, including a guidance on setting up your venue for a ‘ghost learner’, and staying in control of the audit.
5. Supports you live, during the audit via whatsapp, where any remedial touchups can be done on the fly. Very effective, most ‘flags’ can quickly be sorted out before the audit is over. 
6. Supports you if any post-audit remedial is needed. Often there is not, and please note, audits are NOT pass/fail events. 
7. Prompts you on how to ensure your application is recommended by your auditor and is sent back to QCTO for further processing. 
8. Assist you to in locating your application if it gets lost between the SETA and QCTO (which happens relatively often at this phase)

This phase takes no more than 2 – 4 months

PHASE 3: QCTO ACCREDITED

At this stage, you can already begin preparing to run your QCTO-accredited training courses and planning how to deliver them. Do not waste time here, there is plenty you can do while you wait.

Lime Green:

1. Prompts you on who to contact at QCTO (and when) to confirm your application report was sent from the SETA and arrived back at QCTO.
2. Prompts you on preparation you can do while you wait for your letter, including things you must do before training, but can do before being accredited.
3. Prompts you on how to receive your letter (often received but missed!) and what the letter means (e.g. certification of learners warnings etc)
4. Provides guidance on what to do now that you are accredited. 
5. Assist you on locating your application if it gets lost (QCTO and the SETA often lose applications at this phase as well). 

This phase takes no more than 2-3 months

TURNAROUND TIME

Total turnaround should be about 6 months on average. Fastest has been 2.75 months, slowest has been about 9 months.

The site audit happens about 60 – 70% of the way into the process, not at the end.

HOW TO SPOT CONSULTANT SCAMS

All QCTO correspondence will go to your email, or to both you and the consultant, but never only to the consultant.

A consultant stringing you along will act as a barrier, and blame delays and months of silence on QCTO when it is actually because they are not following procedure. 

Your QCTO application constantly moves through checkpoints that are predictable,  and none of these checkpoints have months of silence between them (let alone years) that cannot be sorted out with some targeted follow ups.

Never believe anyone that tells you progress is being made if no response has  been recieved from the SETA or QCTO for even six weeks, and to your email address directly, not the consultant’s.

Consultants who scam rely on the illusion of progress. Follow these rules to spot a scam, or watch this video on how to select a competent consultant.  

Ready to get accredited? Start here.

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