The Skills Development Act (SDA)

Question 1

What is the Skills Development Act?

Answer 1

The South African Qualifications Authority Act No. 58 of 1995 was passed as a forerunner to improve skills, training, and development… This Act provides for the development and implementation of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the establishment of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)

Question 2

What are the objectives of NQF?

Answer 2

Create an integrated national framework for learning achievements.

Facilitate access to, and mobility and progression within, education, training and career paths.

Enhance the quality of education and training in South Africa.

Accelerate the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and employment opportunities.

Contribute to the personal development of each learner and the economic development of the nation.

Question 3

What is the purpose of SDA?

Answer 3

Develop the skills of South Africa’s workforce.

Increase the levels of investment in education and training.

Use the workplace as an active learning environment and to provide employees with the opportunities to acquire new skills.

Provide opportunities for new entrants to the labour market to gain work experience.

Employ persons who find it difficult to be employed.

Encourage workers to participate in leadership and other training programmes.

Improve the employment prospects of persons previously disadvantaged by unfair discrimination and to redress those disadvantages through training and education.

Ensure the quality of education and training in and for the workplace.

Assist work-seekers to find work, retrenched workers to re-enter the labour market, and employers to find qualified employees.

Question 4

What are the two learning programmes are identified by the SDA?

Answer 4

Learnerships:

This programme incorporates the traditional apprenticeships.

It includes structured learning and work experience, which leads to nationally registered, occupationally linked qualifications in areas of skill, need or opportunity in the labour market.

It assists:

Young unemployed people to enter the labour market
Existing employees to improve their skills levels

Skills programmes:

These are not learnerships, but they should meet quality and relevance criteria – to qualify for grant payments from SETAs or the National Skills Fund.