What is a SETA?
“SETA” stands for Sector Education and Training Authority. These organizations were re-established by the Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana, on 3 March 2005. They are concerned with education and training and their job is to help implement the National Skills Development Strategy and to increase the skills of people in their sector.
The SETAs have replaced the 33 Industry Training Boards but have greater powers and responsibilities. They cover every industry and occupation whereas the Industry Training Boards covered some sectors only and focused mainly on apprenticeships. SETAs are concerned with learnerships, the internships, learning programme type matrix and unit based skills programme.
There are millions of people who need to learn new skills. Some are already in jobs who need to improve their skills and to learn new ones. Each year there are thousands of young people who finish their education and are looking for jobs. More than 50% of Grade 12 learners leave school without basic skills to seek work. They need skills and training. There are nearly 4.3 million people who are unemployed. Most of them have few skills and little training. There is an estimated figure of between 6,000 and 7,000 unemployed graduates. There are those who want to run their own businesses; people with disabilities, and those whose current skills provide them with barely enough money to survive. All need and can benefit from skills development.
SETAs have been established to manage the many skills development needs. Each SETA coordinates skills development in its particular sector. For the purposes of planning and managing the delivery of training, the economy has been divided into 23 sectors, each of which has its own SETA.
A sector is made up of economic activities that are linked and related. So, for example, there is a SETA that deals with the banking sector: another is concerned with skills development in the information technology sector; another is responsible for the manufacturing sector and there is a SETA for agriculture. The SETAs cover both the public and private sectors.
This is an information site setup by www.vocational.co.za
Training is the future. www.lessons.co.za