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Training Providers - FAQ's

Table of Contents

Accreditation

Questions and Answers:

Accreditation

Q: What is the Accreditation Process?
A: The first step in the accreditation process is the completion of a letter of intent that is submitted to the ETQA body. This is a one-page document that covers aspects such as contact details, the type and form of the training programmes and the titles of the training courses that are offered. This will be looked at to ascertain whether the majority of the education and training provision does indeed fall within the ESETA.
You will then receive a letter of confirmation of receipt of your letter of intent, and your details will be captured onto our database, after which you will receive the Application for Accreditation Documents that you will need to complete and return to us.

The application is then recorded and an initial check for compliance conducted, after which an investigation team is tasked to assess and evaluate the application. The assessment includes staff accreditation and a site visit. The ESETA ETQA's intent to accredit the provider is published on the ESETA website for stakeholder comment.

Should the Accreditation be granted, ESETA would issue a certificate to that effect.

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Q: Where could I find guidelines or Legislation to guide me through the application documentation?
A: The ESETA ETQA Application for Accreditation Documentation was developed and designed according to South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) regulations and requirements. It would be advisable that you familiarise yourself with the relevant legislation, as it will simplify the process.

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Q: How do I know which ETQA I should use to accredit my Training Programmes?
A: South African Qualifications Authority's (SAQA) organising principle for the provider to ETQA relationship is a simple one-to-one relation. Namely, that the provider is accredited by one ETQA on the basis of primary focus.
The first issue to be decided would be which ETQA sector the provider falls within and then which are the National Qualification Framework (NQF) registered standards or qualifications that it wishes to provide. This should indicate the Education and Training Quality Assurance (ETQA) to which the provider should apply. There may be some instances in which the indication is not clear as it should be. The provider is then advised to approach South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) for further guidance. Providers should note that even if they are multi-purpose providers for a range of standards and qualifications in different areas of learning, there will probably be a number of ETQAs involved in the ongoing accreditation and quality assurance of the institution, particularly in relation to the different learning programmes, courses and assessments on offer. To all intents and purposes this multiplicity of relations will not impact on the provider in that the accrediting primary focus ETQA will take the responsibility for organising the necessary evaluations and even site visits with all relevant parties.

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Q: If the majority of your learning Programmes (primary focus) fall within the scope of the ESETA ETQA, but some programmes fall within the scope of other ETQAs, do I need to apply to the other relevant ETQAs as well to get all my programmes accredited?
A: If your primary business focus falls within the scope of the ESETA ETQA it is our responsibility to take the training programmes that do not fall within our primary focus to the relevant ETQA to be accredited. We will sign an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with other SETAs in the event of this occurrence and will ensure that the responsible authorities thus accredit the training courses. Please note one Training Provider, one ETQA.

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Q: What do I present to my clients as proof that I am in the process of becoming accredited?
A: At this moment the only documentation ESETA can provide with regard to proof of a company going through the accreditation process is the confirmation of the receipt of the letter of intent, the confirmation of receipt of application for accreditation letter, confirmation of compliance letter, confirmation letter that provider is in the evaluation for quality phase and the confirmation letter of application to serve in front of ETQA Committee for ratification. It should be noted that providers who only have submitted letters of intent to be accredited means that no evaluation has yet taken place. For this reason the ESETA is willing to confirm that the provider has applied and is in the process of accreditation.

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Q: What will this process cost me?
A: To date there has been no clear directive from South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) or the Director General regarding the fee structure that ETQAs may charge for accreditation activities.
ESETA has therefore taken the decision to not to charge for any accreditation activities at this stage. However should ESETA receive a directive from the necessary authorities to the effect that we may levy a charge for these activities, ESETA reserves the right to do so.

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Q: If I only want to be accredited as a training centre, do I need to complete all the documentation in the ETQA file?
A: Yes, all the documentation including the self-evaluation questionnaire needs to be completed.

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Q: If I decide to develop more courses or diversify after I have been accredited, do I need to go through the whole process again?
A: Should you decide to diversify at a later stage, you need only apply for an extension of accreditation for those courses you wish to add.
Should the extension means that another ETQA must get involved, the primary focus ETQA will still manage and administer the extension of accreditation, but will establish a framework for collaboration with the secondary ETQA.

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Q: What does provisional accreditation mean?
A: Provisional accreditation means that the provider meets the eight core criteria as specified by South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) in the document "Quality Management Systems for Education and Training Providers". It also means that the learning programmes are aligned to National Qualification Framework (NQF) registered qualifications and unit standards.

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Q: Can I be accredited as a provider if I only offer courses of less than six months' duration?
A: Providers are accredited to offer learning programmes against specific standards and qualifications. A course does not necessarily equal a qualification. A course may address the needs of certain standards that are parts of a qualification. The "shortest" qualification registrable on the National Qualifications Framework is a certificate, which in terms of the NSB Regulations (RSA, 1998b) must consist of a minimum of 120 credits (a credit being equivalent to ten notional hours of learning). Since notional time is merely a convenient measurement for determining the average length of time the average learner supposedly takes to complete a unit of learning, however, one should not equate notional time with real time to suggest - as some have done - that a qualification of 120 credits will take one year to achieve. Indeed, in an outcomes-based education and training system it is learner readiness only that should determine when assessment occurs, and hence the length of the learning programme leading to the award of the qualification.
The short answer to the question, "Can I be accredited as a provider if I only offer courses of less than six months' duration?" is: Yes, you can, provided that you as a provider satisfy the ETQA that has accredited you of your capacity to offer a learning programme that meets the criteria for quality built into the qualification. If one is offering a learning programme against a qualification or part of a qualification, i.e. standards, registered on the National Qualification Framework (NQF), the length of time devoted to its delivery is immaterial - provided

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Q: Can a non-registered provider that wishes to be accredited as a provider of education and training in terms of regulation 13(a) of the ETQA Regulations apply to be registered with the ETQA from which it seeks accreditation prior to seeking such accreditation?
A: ETQAs accredit providers - they do not register providers. The Department of Education, under the Schools Act of 1996, HET Act of 1997 and FET Act of 1998, registers providers. According to these acts all providers, public and private, providing education and training in the three bands - GET, FET and HET - must be registered. This regulation therefore says that, registration as a provider must be with the Department of Education in terms of the relevant Act, and accreditation to offer specific national qualifications must be with the appropriate accredited ETQA.

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Q: Do all private schools and further education and training establishments have to be registered and accredited to provide education and training?
A: Yes, all private schools and further education and training establishments have to be accredited by the General and Further Education and Training Quality Assurance Body (GENFETQA) as soon as it is established and be registered by the Department of Education.

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Q: Are consultants and Small Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) supposed to meet the generic criteria for accreditation as education and training providers or are there special criteria for them since they are not institution based providers?
A: All types of education and training providers should meet the generic criteria for accreditation. The criteria are broad requirements that need to be contextualized. In addition, a developmental approach should be adopted by ETQAs in the accreditation of providers.

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