At the end of 2012, the Minister of Higher Education and Training approved and published new SETA Grant Regulations in Government Gazette No. 3594.
These new regulations come into effect on 1 April 2013 and mainly aim to regulate the SETA allocation of grants from the skills levy contributions paid by employers.
The provisions of the Regulations that have major implications for the funding of training for workplace development are:
Ø The mandatory grant paid to employers for submitting their Workplace Skills Plans is reduced from 50% to 20% of their levy contribution. This is the grant that you get from your SETA for drafting and submitting a Workplace Skills Plan and Training Report.
Ø The SETAs will pay the remaining skills levy funds to employers as discretionary grants, after deducting administration costs. Your Skills Development Facilitator would need to play a pro-active role in establishing what discretionary grants are available and what you need to do to align your Workplace Skills Plan and skills development initiatives with these grants.
Ø The Regulations require SETAs to spend 80% of the discretionary grants on PIVOTAL (professional, vocational, technical and academic learning) programmes that result in qualifications or part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework.
Ø The SETAs will have to set out in their Discretionary Grant Policy ‘how PIVOTAL programmes can be delivered through public education and training institutions’.
Ø Furthermore, in their Annual Performance Plans submitted to the Department of Higher Education and Training, SETAs will be required to clarify how they will allocate discretionary grants to prioritise programmes that address sector needs through public education and training programmes.