ACCREDITATION GUIDELINES FOR PROVIDERS

Policies are guidelines that regulate organizational affairs. They control the conduct of people and
activities of the systems.

A policy is a type of position statement. It clarifies the stance of the organization on an important
issue. It explains how the organization intends to operate

Procedures outline the steps and their sequence towards attaining policies. Policies guide decision
making, while procedures drive actions.

You need policies and procedures for the simple reason that without them nothing can be achieved.
Organizations will plunge into chaos without them and daily operations will halt.

Policies and Procedures reflect the way an organization operates. They clarify what the organization
wants to do, why it wants it done and how to do it.

INTRODUCTION

This document has been developed to assist providers in completing the application form, to
provide additional information in terms of the accreditation process, as well as to explain relevant
terminology that may require clarification by providers.

Providers can apply to be accredited in the following categories:

Delivery and Assessment site:

This is a provider who delivers learning programmes and manages the assessment thereof.

Please remember that SAQA regulations stipulate that a training provider may only be accredited by
one ETQA. If you are already accredited by another ETQA but want to offer qualifications or unit
standards that fall within MICT SETA’s scope, you need to submit an Extension of Scope document.
Contact the ETQA for more details.

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This guideline document follows the same structure as the accreditation application.

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Organisation details:

Contact details:
Please provide the contact details and ID number of the person directly responsible for your
accreditation application, and at least one other contact person.

Registration as a legal entity:

Please provide the required information and documentary proof of your registration. The document
that needs to be attached depends on the business form of your organisation.

SARS registration:
Please provide your SARS registration number and SDL levy number.

Vision, Mission and Primary Focus:

The vision and mission of your organisation should indicate that your organisation is committed to

the achievement of the objectives of the NQF, which are to:

• Create an integrated national framework for learning achievements.

• Facilitate access to, and mobility and progression within, education, training and career paths.

• Enhance the quality of education and training.

• Accelerate the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and employment

opportunities.

• Contribute to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic

development of the nation at large.

Make use of the organisation’s vision and mission statement, but align it to cover training

programme provision.

Organisation Structure:

It is important for the ETQA to understand your organisation structure and to gauge your
organisational capacity to deliver the education and training for which you seek accreditation. You
are therefore required to include an organogram / organisational flowchart. This organogram
should specifically indicate the following roles and responsibilities:

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• General Management
• Trainers / Facilitators
• Assessors / Moderators
• Mentors
• Administration
• Financial Management
• Individual(s) ultimately responsible for quality assurance.

In the organogram indicate the number of people employed. If you outsource any functions
give a clear description of the contractual arrangements and the parties involved in such
arrangements. Attach copies of contractual signed agreements.

Occupational Health and Safety:

Organisations with more than 20 employees are required to have health and safety
representatives (members of staff appointed as such).
Facilities used for training purposes should without exception adhere to Occupational Health and
Safety legislation, of which some of the requirements are:
• Emergency plans and procedures (evacuation plans).
• First aid kit and trained personnel on site.

• You must display:

• Summary of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act
• Summary of the Employment Equity Act
• Summary of the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Summary of the Skills Development Act

Where external / conference facilities are utilised, confirmation must be obtained that the supplier
will ensure compliance with Occupational Health and Safety requirements.

Financial Management:

Providers are required to demonstrate that:

• They have the necessary financial resources to sustain the training services throughout the
period of accreditation.
• Proper budgetary and financial management processes are in place.
• Financial resources are adequate to conclude all contractual obligations in terms of training and
assessment.

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• They comply with relevant legislation in terms of the annual financial statements.

You need to provide an unqualified financial audit report (re-accreditation).

Quality Management Policies and Procedures:

You need to provide policies and procedures that govern and indicate how quality provision will
be ensured and managed. As you work through the guideline document, you will see the areas
that need to be addressed by the Quality Management System.

Providers must include policy statements and procedures regarding the following:

• Development, management and review of the QMS.

• Managing learning programme design, development and implementation.
• Managing assessment and moderation practices.
• Managing administration, record keeping and reporting.
• Managing ETD staff selection, management, development and partnerships.
• Managing learnerships and skills programmes provision, workplace partnerships and

learner support.

QUALITY SYSTEM REVIEW:

In order to retain a high quality learning environment training providers are required to review their
policies and procedures on a regular basis. In this section of the accreditation application you are
required to describe the mechanisms used in your organisation to ensure that all policies and
procedures are revised and updated to ensure that they remain current, in line with legislation and
regulatory requirements, efficient and in line with the needs of the organisation. These quality
review mechanisms can take the form of an internal audit process, a management review process
etc.

PHYSICAL RESOURCES

Provider’s Own Educational Infrastructure and Physical Resources:

The outcome and assessment criteria of unit standards and / or qualifications sometimes point to
the use of specific equipment and as such providers are required to make the relevant physical
resources available to learners. The number and location of physical resources such as training
venues, workshops, libraries, offices and equipment should be recorded.

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Learners should have access to these facilities and must have the necessary skills to effectively
utilise these resources, for example if learners must use an electronic library there must be
personnel to assist them to gain the specific skills necessary to access the library system, if the
need arises.

External Education And Training Infrastructure:

Some providers may use training facilities other than their own, for example conference facilities
or the training facilities of employers. These training providers are responsible to ensure that
these facilities are suitable for the courses that they are offering, that all the necessary
equipment is available, that the facilities can accommodate the number of learners enrolled and
that the facilities are in a good condition. In the accreditation application you must demonstrate
that your organisation has mechanisms in place to evaluate training venues before they are used.
Such mechanisms may include site visits (checklists may be useful), contractual agreements with
the owners of the facilities etc.

Workplace Learning Procedures:

Some qualifications and unit standards include practical skills development and outcomes that
can only be achieved in a real work situation. If your organisation intends to offer such
qualifications or unit standards you should demonstrate that you have practical placement
opportunities available where learners can gain practical experience.
Such practical training may take the form of a learnership.
In your accreditation application you are required to describe the arrangements that you have in
place and to provide proof of agreements with employers.

STAFF RESOURCES

ETD Staff:

In your accreditation application you are required to complete a short table of your ETD staff. It
is a requirement for accreditation that training providers should have policies and procedures in
place covering the following:
• Recruitment and selection of staff.
• The handling of grievances.
• The handling of disciplinary actions.
• Performance management.
• Termination of employees’ services.

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These should be documented (documentary proof required) and should be communicated to staff
members. The provider should also have specific criteria governing decisions around staffing, e.g.
what skills and knowledge and experience employees should possess. The provider should
furthermore be fair and non-discriminatory in its human resources practices.

A personal file should be kept for each employee with typical HR documents, such as CV, letter of

appointment, job description, performance evaluation, etc.

Training providers must note that all Assessors and Moderators involved in the assessment of
qualifications or unit standards that are quality assured by MICT SETA should be registered with
MICT SETA for the specific qualifications or unit standards.
Registration as Assessors and Moderators with other ETQAs or for other qualifications or unit
standards does not provide automatic registration as Assessors or Moderators for these
qualifications or unit standards.

LEARNER SUPPORT

Learner support includes:

• Learner induction.
• Learner code of conduct and discipline.
• Learner grievances.
• Other learner support systems.

Providers are expected to provide documentary proof that the above mentioned learner support
mechanisms are in place and that all relevant information is clearly communicated to learners, for
example learners must be informed of disciplinary and grievance procedures. They must also be
fully aware of all assessment criteria, procedures and the appeals processes (in respect of
assessments) available to them.

ADMINISTRATION AND RECORD KEEPING SYSTEMS

Providers are required to demonstrate that they have the administrative and recordkeeping
procedures, infrastructure and personnel to ensure a high quality learning environment.
Learner application and registration procedures are particularly important and include aspects
such as:
• Marketing and Communication.
• Application and registration procedures.
• Learner administration policy and / or procedures.
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• Learner administration system.
• Reporting procedures on learner achievements.

In your accreditation application describe the procedures and systems that you have in place and
attach documentary proof as far as possible. The keeping of detailed learner records and
submitting it to the ETQA is a statutory requirement of all accredited providers.

Providers are also required to submit learner records to MICT SETA shortly after learners have
successfully achieved the unit standards or qualifications for which they had enrolled.

MICT SETA will then verify the results and issue the necessary certificates. Learner achievement
information will then be submitted to the National Learners’ Records Database (NLRD) which is
maintained by SAQA. The NLRD is a national register of all the qualifications and unit standards
attained by all learners in South Africa.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYSTEMS

Learning programmes should be developed around standards / outcomes / qualifications and must
be outcomes based. Learner and employer needs should be considered to ensure that learning
programmes are valid, effective and relevant at all times. The ETQA is specifically interested in the
mechanisms used by providers to ensure the quality of content and to ensure that the content of
programmes are regularly revised and updated.

The trainer or presenter facilitating the training should have the necessary Education, Training and
Development Practitioner (ETDP) skills.

Once a learning programme has been developed and delivered, evaluation is necessary to ensure
the quality of the learning programme, that it is aligned to outcomes and / or standards, and that it
is relevant and up to date. This should take place on a continuous basis and should involve inputs
from learners, trainers, training / education committees, etc.

Qualifications and Unit Standards:

The qualifications and / or unit standards for which you apply for accreditation must be listed in

your accreditation application.

For each course / qualification you need to submit a complete course / qualification map. This
document provides details about the qualifications and their constituent unit standards.

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All the outcomes and assessment criteria of all the unit standards should be listed and should be
linked to the components of the learning material that specifically address the particular outcomes.
It should also refer to the components of the assessments that address the specific assessment
criteria. This map will assist the ETQA and subject matter experts in evaluating whether the course
content sufficiently covers the outcomes of the qualification or unit standards.

In addition to the course/qualification map you should also submit the course content, assessment
and facilitator guides and examples of assessment instruments. These will be evaluated by subject
matter experts.

ASSESSMENT

The Assessment Process:

In order to obtain accreditation, providers must demonstrate that they have procedures for
the management and administration of assessments and appeals against assessment.
Providers must ensure that assessments adhere to the principles of assessment.

What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?

Formative Assessment

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that
can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning.

More specifically, formative assessments:

 help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
 help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately

Summative Assessment

The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional
unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Information from summative assessments can be used formatively when students or faculty use it
to guide their efforts and activities in subsequent courses.

An assessment process must include the following steps:

• Planning and preparation for assessment.
• Preparing learners for assessment.
• Conducting the assessment using appropriate tools / instruments.
• Recording the results of assessment and to make a decision in terms of competence.

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• Providing feedback to the learner and third parties after the assessment.
• Reviewing the assessment process to ensure continuous improvement.
• Providing for appeal by learners.

In the application for accreditation providers must include an assessment policy which should

provide for:

• Access to assessments.
• Assessment guides and activities.
• Use of registered Assessors.
• Re-assessments.

• Learner appeals against assessments.

• Administration of assessments.
• Support to learners (with regard to assessments).

Providers who apply for accreditation must submit an RPL policy and procedures that are
appropriate for the qualifications and / or unit standards for which the providers seek accreditation.

MODERATION

Moderation ensures that learners who are being assessed are assessed in a consistent, accurate
and well-designed manner. It ensures that all Assessors who assess a particular unit standard or
qualification are using comparable assessment methods and are making similar and consistent
judgements about learners’ performance. Moderation of assessments should occur at both the
level of the provider (internal moderation), and at the level of the ETQA (external moderation).

SAQA requires that only registered Moderator’s moderate unit standards and qualifications and
requires the provider to have access to registered Moderators with relevant subject matter
expertise in the unit standard being assessed.

The moderation policy must also stipulate how frequently moderation will take place and the
sample sizes that will be moderated (i.e. the percentage of assessments that will be scrutinised by
the moderator). MICT SETA recommends sample sizes of not less than ten percent of the total.

Larger proportions may be moderated if learner numbers are relatively small. The moderation
policy must also ensure that Moderators draw random samples and that the work of all Assessors is
moderated.

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The following table provides guidelines with possible evidence required to ensure successful

submission.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR RECORD KEEPING

Scope Criteria Evidence that will be evaluated and validated

by ETQA Specialist
Organisation The Provider has  Organisation Information
Information and developed, established  Vision and Mission Statement
Management and implemented Quality  Policy and Procedures to support the Mission
Systems Assurance Policies and and Vision
Procedures/Plans  Occupational Health & Safety Procedures
 Financial Management
 Quality Assurance and Procedure that indicate
how the Quality of Learning provision will be
maintained
 Quality Review Mechanisms
Physical Resources The provider has  List of Resources
sufficient physical  List of Training Facilities
resources to offer
 Description of facilities for Learner
learning programmes listed
Development
 Equipment required for Learners to practice
skills
 Procedures to evaluate suitability of external
facilities
Staff Resources The provider has sufficient  Number of Learners/Number of ETD
staff resources to support Practitioners
the delivery of learning
 Qualification and Experience of Practitioners
programmes listed on their
scope.  Administration Staff
The provider has  Assessors/Moderators
Implemented sufficient  Recruitment and Selection of staff
QMS systems to manage
 Staff Contracts
Practitioners
 Performance Management Systems
 Code of Conduct for Assessors & Moderators
 Staff Development Plans
Learner Support The provider has sufficient  Entry requirements for Learning Programmes
policies and procedures in defined
place to support learners
 Learners Registration Procedures implemented
when entering a learning
programme until exiting  Learner Induction Materials
 Breakdown of Learner Materials that Learners
will received
 Learner Contracts

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  Resources available to Learners
 Coaching for Learners
 Disciplinary Policies and Procedures
 Report of Learner progression throughout the
learning programme
 Feedback for Employers where Learners are
applying for Skills
Record and The provider maintains  Learner Files
Administration sufficient records of  Portfolio of Evidence
Systems learner personal details as  Database of Record-keeping System
well as assessment results
and evidence of learning  Types of Records
The provider has sufficient  Storage of Records
systems to support all the  Procedures for keeping Records
Administration  Access of Control of Records
requirements around ETD
delivery, assessments and  Reporting Procedures for successful
moderation completion of Learning Programmes
Education & The Provider has  Programme approval obtained from ETQA
Training Support approved Learning  Programme Strategy
Programmes to transfer  Delivery methods applicable and clearly
Knowledge and Skills defined
 Training Schedules
 Progress Reports of Learning
 Facilitators’ Reports
 Report from Workplace
 Learner and Facilitation Guides
 Evaluation Forms for Learning Programme
evaluation
 List of Qualifications/Unit Standards you
seeking Accreditation for
Assessment The Provider has  Assessment Policy
implemented fair, valid  Registered Assessors, proof of registration
consistent and sufficient  Assessment Strategies
assessment practices that  Assessment Guides
support the assessment  Assessment Instruments
decisions made by the  Assessor Reports
Assessors  Assessment Review Reports
 Code of Conduct
 RPL Policy
 Appeals Procedure & Policy
Moderation The Provider has  Moderation Plan
implemented fair, valid  Moderation Reports
and sufficient  Qualified Moderators and proof of Registration
moderation practices to  Code of Conduct
support assessments  Contracts of External Moderators

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  Moderators’ Policy

Process for on-site visit

Process Description of Evidence

Introduce Explain the purpose of the visit
Declaration of their understanding and commitment to the process

Stage One Discuss the criteria on the report and identify documents to be sampled
Stage Two Verification of all the documents requested
Stage Three Discussion of findings and verification report
Stage Four Review verification process

Closure Thank all role players

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