Major shift underway in South Africa’s learnership system

There is a major shift underway in South Africa’s learnership system, with responsibility for qualifications and learnerships moving from the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) as at 30 June 2024. 

This transition is one of the most significant changes in the country’s skills development landscape in years, and it requires careful education for employers, training providers and learners.

Learnerships have shifted from paperwork-driven programmes to outcomes-driven qualifications. The QCTO is reshaping Learnerships into high-quality, standardised occupational qualifications with nationally recognised exams, stricter requirements and stronger links to industry priorities.

Learnerships are structured training programmes that combine theoretical instruction with practical workplace experience. For many years, these programmes were overseen by the SETAs, which played a central role in accrediting training providers, registering learnerships, and funding workplace-based training.

The QCTO, established in 2010 under the revised Skills Development Act, was created to provide a more standardised and nationally recognised framework for occupational qualifications. Its goal is to ensure that skills development directly matches industry and economic needs. By 2030, all SETA-accredited qualifications will be phased out and replaced by QCTO occupational qualifications, which form part of South Africa’s Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF).

Although SETAs will no longer accredit or register qualifications, they remain active in a supporting role as Development Quality Partners (DQPs) and Assessment Quality Partners (AQPs), working alongside the QCTO in quality assurance and assessment.

Key transition dates include:

• 30 June 2024: Last enrolment date for SETA-registered qualifications.
• 30 June 2027: End of the teach-out period for learners who enrolled before the cut-off.

The shift to QCTO is necessary because, while SETAs helped expand workplace learning, outcomes often vary across industries. The QCTO addresses this by ensuring consistency and standardisation in how qualifications are designed, assessed and awarded. Under the new model, old “legacy” learnerships and unit standard–based qualifications are being replaced by Occupational Certificates.

Qualification structure

SETA programmes typically included around 30% theoretical instruction and 70% workplace experience, with assessments managed by providers. The QCTO model introduces a more structured three-part format: knowledge, practical training, and an External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA). This ensures a balance between academic learning, practical application, and national-level quality assurance.

Standardisation and quality assurance

QCTO qualifications are nationally recognised, developed in collaboration with industry, and supported by external nationwide examinations (EISA) that replace provider-led assessments. This bolsters credibility and portability, allowing graduates to move more easily across industries and employers.

Credit-based, modular qualifications

QCTO’s occupational qualifications are credit-bearing and designed to integrate knowledge, competencies, and workplace learning. The modular approach offers greater flexibility through part-qualifications and skills programmes, making it easier for learners to build up qualifications progressively.

Implications for employers, providers and learners

Employers must ensure that workplace training opportunities align with QCTO standards, that training partners are properly accredited, and that they continue to claim B-BBEE Skills Development points correctly. Importantly, this transition will change how compliance is managed, and companies will need to be clear on the impact for their strategies.

Training providers must shift from SETA to QCTO accreditation, align curricula with occupational qualifications, and prepare for the external assessments. For learners, the most significant change is the requirement to pass the national EISA examination, raising the bar but strengthening recognition and portability of their qualifications. However, the migration of all qualifications to the QCTO framework has been slowed by resource constraints, and some qualifications are still in the process of moving over.

Another critical change lies in provider accreditation. Training providers must now apply directly to the QCTO and demonstrate that their delivery is aligned with new occupational curricula. Employers, in turn, must prove they can offer the appropriate workplace exposure to ensure that theory and practice are integrated effectively.

Education on this transition is essential

For companies using learnerships to earn B-BBEE Skills Development points, the move to QCTO changes what counts as acceptable evidence and who must be accredited. In practice, businesses will want to confirm that 

(1) Their Skills Development Provider (SDP) is accredited by the QCTO for the specific occupational qualification;

(2) Learners are properly enrolled with the QCTO and queued for the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) with valid Statements of Results (SoRs);

(3) That the workplace exposure, logbooks and mentoring, align to the new curriculum; and

(4) The organisation’s B-BBEE pack still includes the usual verification artefacts (signed learning agreement, invoices/proof of payment, and an auditable learner trail). This is because SANAS-accredited agencies will sample and may interview learners. 

Also keep an eye on transition cut-offs (last enrolments into legacy programmes by 30 June 2024, teach-out to 30 June 2027) and make sure your interventions are mapped correctly to the Learning Programme Matrix categories (e.g., B/C/D) within your measurement period.

Done correctly, QCTO-aligned programmes remain fully claimable; However, done loosely, gaps in accreditation, enrolment or EISA-readiness can put the organisation’s points at risk.

How the BEE Chamber can help

At the BEE Chamber, our focus remains on assisting companies to find reputable service providers who can implement learnerships and training that deliver real business impact. By balancing opportunity with accountability, businesses can ensure that learnerships not only strengthen the skills pipeline but also contribute to socio-economic inclusion and sustainable growth in South Africa’s workforce.