This update aims to give some idea of where your program is. For each one I take a look at the QCTO version, and the SETA version. There is also a quick note on understanding QCTO’s priorities for govt vs private trianing organisations.
CONTEXT: This article is aimed at training providers who train short courses (skills programs and unit standards), who train OHS related topics, and who are private companies.
DATES: Dates matter, please see the date of each article you read. Dates matter because these are developing situations.
QCTO FIRST AID: Â These skills programs SP230801, 230802, 230803 continue to be active. SDPs are accredited for them and training them on a daily basis. There is discussion between QCTO, HWSETA, and HPCSA about putting these curricula through a review process. I have not seen any evidence that the review process has officially started. The aforementioned bodies have discussed it on occasion since April 2024 though. The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) endorses these three QCTO first aid skills programs with DEL First Aid Training Organisation (FATO) accreditation.
SETA FIRST AID: Â The SETA first aid unit standards 119567, 120496, and 376480 were extended because they fall under regulated training. These are also trained on a daily basis by training providers, and have last date for enrolment in 2026. The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) also endorses these three SETA first aid skills programs with DEL First Aid Training Organisation (FATO) accreditation.
NB: Both the QCTO first aid skils programs, and the SETA first aid unit standards are active simultanesouly. Both are currently active (at time of writing, October 2024)
QCTO OHS: The 18 new QCTO curricula are still under development. They have not moved for some time. Two thirds were or still are open for public comment. The other third does not yet exist in draft form. No public meetings are taking place, they are in the hands of the curriculum developer hired by HWSETA. You can download the ones in draft form from here. My office is following up on this at least weekly.
SETA OHS: The unit standards 9964, 8016, and others are still active and were extended until 2026. More on 9964 Apply Health and Safety here, and more on 8016 OHS and General Housekeeping here.
QCTO FIRE: No QCTO skills program is under development. LGSETA has not applied to QCTO to start development. There is demand for it from the public but that is unfortunately not enought to motivate any SETA to move on it. There was debate as to if this falls under HWSETA or LGSETA, but as things stand QCTO wants the application to develop the program to come from LGSETA.
SETA FIRE: The fire unit standard 12484 was extended. Unit standards 225250 and 120331 have not been extended.
QCTO HEIGHTS: QCTO skills programs for working at heights did reach application phase (curriculum development application that is). They might have gone to early parts of the curriculum development stage, but it sounds like there is an issue with the level of quality assurance QCTO is capable of that a (non QCTO or SETA) party in the process is not happy with. It seems stuck at that obstacle.
SETA HEIGHTS: The working at heights SETA unit standards like 229995 and 229998 have not ben extended by CETA to date. However, training providers with CETA and Services SETA seem to be getting extensions of time for heights related programs. This is because that kind of training cannot stop, and must continue. Despite the unit standards being expired, provider accreditation extensions are being given. It may indicate that the programs will be extended in the future, but they have not yet.
QCTO LIFT TRUCK: This has been established and training providers are gaining accreditation for it. Note that there is indication that industry is not happy with the QCTO skills program curricula though.
SETA LIFT TRUCK: The forklift / counter balanced lift truck unit standard 242974 has been extended until 2026. TETA processes extension of time for forklift training. QCTO accepts applications for their skills programs in lift truck as well.
It should be noted that QCTO’s publications, communications, and the speed at which they are establishing QCTO programs to replace SETA ones indicates that they favour two things.
1. QCTO favours their govt colleges over private training entities and actively promote them as ‘better than the alternative’ (with the alternative being private training organisations in general).
2. QCTO favours qualifications over skills programs, six times more qualifications have been established than skills programs despite qualifications being much larger units of training and being outnumbered by unit standards.
Please bear this in mind as you try to understand the decisions made by QCTO.
I would love to see some solid stats on how much training is done by government colleges vs private training organisations. AI seems to think private sector training accounts for more than half of all training in trades and occupations (these are not tested stats, just an AI guess). If that estimate is even somewhat accurate it would be good to see better engagement initiated by QCTO to speak with private training providers, who are the QCTO’s ‘customer’ according to Batho Pele principles. Over multiple media one can easily see that private training providers feel like they are not heard or listened to in some of the decions being made that affect them.
