ETDQA Overview | ETDP SETA

Introduction

The Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA) facilitates and promotes skills development in the Education, Training and Development (ETD) Sector. Amongst others, this include the accreditation and monitoring of Skills Development Providers, registration of assessor and moderators, external moderation of assessment results, and certification of learners. These quality assurance functions are discharged by the ETDP SETA through its quality assurance Business Unit.

AIMS

The ETDP SETA has automated most of its primary quality assurance functions through the introduction of ALNITAK Information Management System (AIMS). AIMS has enabled the ETDP SETA to automate assessor and moderator registration, Skills Development Provider accreditation, learner enrollment, internal assessments, external moderation, and learner certification processes. Consequently, assessment practitioners, Skills Development Providers can submit their online applications to the ETDP SETA using AIMS and all feedback done through the same platform. To access AIMS, click here, and follow the easy-to-use registration guideline and create a profile.

ETDQA Unit

The Education, Training and Development Quality Assurance (ETDQA) Unit is a quality assurance Business Unit of the ETDP , which was previously accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) in accordance with the directives of the repealed South African Qualifications Authority Act (Act No 58 of 1995). However, the promulgation of the National Qualifications Framework Act (Act of 2009) repealed the South African Qualifications Authority Act (Act No 58 of 1995) and established the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), which is responsible for the establishment and management of the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF). In discharging its quality assurance mandate, the QCTO has delegated quality assurance functions to the ETDP SETA, which are implemented by the ETDQA Unit. QCTO delegated quality assurance are categorised into three functional areas follows:

Quality Assessment Partner

Firstly, the ETDP SETA is delegated by the QCTO quality assurance functions for historically registered qualifications and in performing this role, it is referred to a Quality Assessment Partner (QAP). Historically registered qualifications are the old qualifications that are currently registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and fall under the QCTO as Quality Council for the OQSF. The ETDP SETA will continue performing the quality assurance function as delegated by the QCTO.

Delegated quality assurance functions are as follows:

Institutional accreditation of Skills Development Providers.
Approval of learning programmes aligned to historical qualifications
Registration of constituent assessors and moderators
Quality Assurance of Learner Achievements
Certification of learners; and
Monitoring of constituent Skills Development Providers.

Below is a detailed description of the QAP functions:

Skills Development Providers Accreditation.

The ETDP SETA will accredit constituent Skills Development Providers under the following conditions:

The Skills Development Provider is juristic person in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
The Skills Development Provider shares a primary focus of provision with the ETDP SETA in terms of the specific National Qualifications Framework (NQF) registered unit standards and/ or qualifications; and
The Skills Development Provider is not accredited by any other QAP.
The Skills Development Provider has applied for accreditation following the formal process which is outlined on the ETDP SETA website.

The Skills Development Provider must visit www.etdpseta.org.za to access AIMS and submit an online application for accreditation, which must be accompanied by supporting documents. During the accreditation process, the ETDP SETA will perform both institutional accreditation and learning programme approval and perform institutional validation for constituent Skills Development Providers. The ETDP SETA will only perform learning programme approval for secondary Skills Development Providers accredited by other QAPs.

Accreditation is for a period of five years and/ or in keeping with the life span of the qualification/s and/ or unit standards the Skills Development Provider is accredited for. One year before the expiry of the accreditation period, the skills development provider must apply for re-accreditation.

Assessor and Moderator Registration Criteria and Approval

Assessor Registration Criteria

The ETDQA Unit shall approve application to be registered as an ETDQA constituent assessor if the applicant can provide proof of the following:

Achievement of unit standard 115753 ‘Conduct Outcomes Based Assessments’ or 7978 ‘Plan and Conduct Assessment of Outcomes Based Learning Outcomes’
Competency in relation to the unit standard(s) and or qualifications for which they apply to be registered at (or preferably above) the level of the said standard(s) and/ or qualification
Two years relevant occupational experience/ expertise; and
Relevant subject matter expertise.

Moderator Registration Criteria

The ETDQA Unit shall approve an application to be registered as an ETDQA constituent moderator if the applicant can provide proof of the following:

Registration as an ETDQA constituent assessor (current)
Achievement of unit standard 115759 ‘Conduct moderation of outcomes based assessment or 7977 ‘ Conduct Moderation’
Two years of relevant occupational experience particularly in the design and implementation of assessments; and
Relevant subject matter expertise.

New Assessor and Moderator Application and Approval Processes

Applications to be registered as a constituent assessor or moderator will be submitted and processed according to the following procedure:

The applicant must visit www.etdpseta.org.za, click on AIMS, select the registration type (new assessor/ moderator registration) desired for and create their profile.
After creating the profile, the applicant must complete and submit the online application form to the ETDP SETA, together with the required documentation.
The ETDP SETA Quality Officials will process the online application and if it meets the registration requirements the applicant will be registered as an ETD constituent assessor and/ or moderator. An electronic notification letter will be sent to the applicant informing them of their registration status.
If the application is unsuccessful an electronic notification will be sent to the applicant informing them about the reasons for not being registered.
Assessor registration application must precede moderator registration application.

Assessor and Moderator Re-registration Application Process

Registered assessors and moderators must complete and submit an online assessor or moderator re-registration online application form thirty (30) working days prior to the expiry of registration to avoid a period of non-registration.

Assessor and Moderator Extension of Registration Scope and Approval Process

Registered assessors and moderators may apply for extension of scope of unit standards and/ or qualifications which they are registered to assess or moderate if they are able to demonstrate that they have achieved the technical competence in the additional unit standard/ qualifications. The online application process for assessor and moderator extension of registration scope is the same as the new assessor and moderator application and approval processes.

Assessor and Moderator Registration Duration

Assessors and Moderators will be registered for a period in keeping with the life span of the qualification/s and/ or unit standard/s they are registered for.

Learner Enrolment and Internal Assessments

The Skills Development Provider is expected to enrol learners on AIMS before the commencement of a learning programme. Once the delivery of theory and practical modules is complete, the Skills Development Provider is expected to assess and moderate learners on AIMS and attach supporting evidence. Thereafter, the Skills Development Provider is required to request through AIMS external moderation of assessment results by the ETDP SETA.

External Moderation and Learner Achievements

External Moderation is a planned and systematic process for validating learner achievements and ensuring compliance to the ETDP SETA certification requirements. It is a means of ensuring that two or more Skills Development Providers delivering the same unit standards and/or qualifications are assessing learners consistently on the same standard, using valid instruments, and meeting the national standard registered on the NQF. External Moderation takes place at the Skills Development Provider’s premises.

External Moderation Workflow

Skills Development Provider submits through AIMS a request for the conduct of external moderation visit by ETDP SETA and give three possible dates for the visit.
The ETDP SETA schedule external moderation visit and the entire moderation process is conducted online through AIMS
After the conduct of external moderation visit, the ETDP SETA electronically communicates to the Skills Development Provider whether their learner assessment results are endorsed or not endorsed
If learner assessment results are endorsed, the Skills Development Provider can download from AIMS the Statement of Results for qualifying learners.

Process Flow for Printing Certificates of Competence

The ETDP SETA issue free of charge an original certificate of competence for a full qualification after the endorsement of learner assessment results and the entire process is automated.
The ETDP SETA also re-issue certificates of competences because of administrative errors, a legal process, or changes to personal information on the National Population Register. Reprints of certificates of competence are made under the following condition:
- Administrative errors reprint requests must be accompanied by an affidavit
- Legal process or changes of personal information requests must be accompanied by the original certificate and its copies before a reprint is processed.
The ETDP SETA distributes the certificates to skills development providers via mail courier or collection. The ETDP SETA reserve the right to distribute the certificates of competence directly to the learner; and
The turnaround time for printing certificates is 30 working days from the endorsement date of the learner assessment results.

Quality Assurance Committee

The Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) convenes four times a year to ratify accreditation and learning programme evaluation recommendations. It is therefore advisable that Skills Development Providers familiarise themselves with accreditation scheduled which is published on an annual basis and accessible below:
https://www.etdpseta.org.za/etd/2023-24-qcaa

Development Quality Partner

Secondly the ETDP SETA is delegated by the QCTO a quality assurance function to develop occupational qualifications. In performing this role, it is referred to as a Development Qualification Partner (DQP). In consultation with its stakeholders, the ETDP SETA has developed the following occupational qualifications:

SAQA ID NUMBER: 94598
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Library Assistant
NQF LEVEL: 5
CREDITS: 127

SAQA ID NUMBER: 96372
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Career Development Information Officer
NQF LEVEL: 5
CREDITS: 120

SAQA ID NUMBER: 97691
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Community Development Practitioner
NQF LEVEL: 5
CREDITS: 212

SAQA ID NUMBER: 97708
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Community Development Worker
NQF LEVEL: 4
CREDITS: 150

SAQA ID NUMBER: 97542
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Early Childhood Development Practitioner
NQF LEVEL: 4
CREDITS: 131

SAQA ID NUMBER: 101321
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Training and Development Practitioner.
NQF LEVEL: 5
CREDITS: 190

SAQA ID NUMBER: 101709
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Adult Literacy Teacher.
NQF LEVEL: 5
CREDITS: 198

SAQA ID NUMBER: 101258
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: School Principal (School Manager)
NQF LEVEL: 6
CREDITS: 285

SAQA ID NUMBER: 118774
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Training and Development Advisor
NQF LEVEL: 7
CREDITS: 195

SAQA ID NUMBER: 118790
OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATION NAME: Occupational Certificate: Trade Unionist
NQF LEVEL: 4
CREDITS: 190

The ETDP SETA continues to develop new occupational qualifications and some of them are in the evaluation or registration stage with the QCTO or SAQA respectively.

Assessment Quality Partner

Lastly the ETDP SETA is delegated by the QCTO quality assurance functions to management External Integrated Summative Assessments (EISA) for occupational qualifications, it developed and quality assure . In performing this role, it is referred to as an Assessment Quality Partner (AQP). In discharging this quality assurance function, the ETDP SETA recommends Institutions to the QCTO to be accredited as Assessment Centres for occupational qualification is has developed. The details of the Institutions that have been successfully recommended to the QCTO for accreditation as Assessment Centres are available from the QCTO website (www.qcto.org.za )

Furthermore, with the support of its Stakeholders, the ETDP SETA has developed a bank of assessment tools and instruments for the following occupational qualifications: