SsdSETA

Social Security and Development Sector Education and Training Authority

The Social Security and Development Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) is to be established as a completely new body from March 2011. It will incorporate the welfare sub-sector from the existing Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA), and will include several sub-sectors from the current Education Training and Development Practices (ETDP) Sector Education and Training Authority.

The sub-sectors that will be included from the EDTP SETA are specifically:

• non-Governmental organisations (NGOs),
• labour unions,
• political parties, and
• community development.

The Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority

Established to facilitate the development of skills within both the health and social development sectors, the existing HWSETA has been tasked with ensuring that the skills needed for this sector are identified and addressed via a number of different initiatives within the sector.

Generally anyone who is going to be participating as an employee within the health and welfare sector will need to have some kind of formal qualification. This may be in the form of a short course that has been passed, one of many available college courses (also with the relevant pass mark), or in the form of some other diploma or university degree.

Those who do not have the available finances to study can try and make use of discretionary grants and various bursaries that some institutions offer. This of course will not change even once the role of the SETA changes, when the welfare sub-sector is transferred to the new Social Security and Development SETA.

The Education, Training and Development Practices Sector education and Training Authority

The ETDP SETA has been a successful promoter and facilitator involved in the development and improvement of skills within this sector’s workforce. As such, the SETA has aimed to develop, promote and facilitate education and training that will enable the relevant employers, workers and employees to benefit.  In terms of values, the ETDP SETA has been committed to:

• fair conduct and transparency,
• integrity and honesty,
• a caring and courteous attitude which it shares with all those committed to the same goals – including learners,
• promoting equity for all the stakeholders involved,
• striving for constant change and improvement,
• co-operative governance, and
• a commitment to honouring deadlines.

Of course representing a SETA that has the primary purpose of education, training and development, it is expected that the EDTP would be a leading light. Not only are they expected to liaise with the Departments of Labour and Education, but also with the National Skills Authority (NSA), the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and with other SETAs that are doing whatever they can to promote and develop education and training within their particular sectors.

It is probably useful for other SETAs to recognise the values that the ETDP put on their operation, specifically that:

• both internal and external communication is necessary to improve national skills development and human resources,
• dialogue and interaction between private and public entities is encouraged when it comes to training delivery and skills transfer, and
• quality training, harmonious mutual dependencies (where those involved depend upon one another) and higher productivity will benefit not only employers, but employees and workers as well.

Where to find the HWSETA

The Health and Welfare SETA is currently located in Bedfordview in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

Telephone: (011) 607 6900

Fax:  (011) 616-8939

Website:  Information

Where to find the ETDP

The Education, Training and Development Practices SETA is currently located in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, Gauteng.

Telephone:  (011) 628 5000

Fax:  (011) 482 6419

Website:  Information