The South

African

Qualifications

Framework A Basic Framework

Historical Overview:

Pre-1922 Company specific apprenticeship contracts

1922 Apprenticeship Act

1930, 1944, 1950

Amendments -apprenticeships Apprenticeship Committees by trade / industry / area

1981 Manpower Training Act

Black workers could enter apprenticeship

Industry Training Boards – voluntary, with

voluntary levies

1995 South African Qualifications Authority Act - NQF

1998 Skills Development Act & 1999 Levies Act

Sector Education and Training Authorities

(SETAs) with focus on whole workforce (not only

artisans), mandatory skills levy

2008 Amendment

to SDA

Quality Council for Trades and Occupations

(national not sectoral standards for ‘trades and

occupations’

2

Pre-2008 ETQAs

on NQF – Source QCTO 2012

Pre-2009 NQF

CHE with HEQF

(Band ~ ‘Higher’)

Umalusi with school and

college qualifications

(Band ~ General and Further)

SETAs with learnerships incl.

‘structured learning’(?)

S

E

T

A

a

S

E

T

A

b

S

E

T

A

c

S

E

T

A

&

Pre-2008 NQF

3

De

pa

rtm

en

t o

f Ed

uc

atio

n

De

pa

rtme

nt o

f

Lab

ou

r

Post 2008

SAQA

CHE (NQF 5 – 10)

Umalusi (GETC &

FET NQF 2 - 4)

QCTO (NQF 1 –

10)

Quality Councils 3 Quality Council’s (standards setting

and QA of qualifications

Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) = NQF Levels 1 - 10

Umalusi - (GETC & FET NQF Levels – 2-4)

CHE - NQF Levels 5 - 10

SAQA to enhance ‘communication, co-ordination and collaboration’

5

QCTO mandate in

S26 h 3 , SDA, 2008

Establishing and maintaining occupational standards and qualifications;

The quality assurance of occupational standards and qualifications and learning in and for the workplace;

Designing and developing occupational standards and qualifications and submitting them to the SAQA for registration on the NQF;

Ensuring the quality of occupational standards and qualifications and learning in and for the workplace;

6

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

NQF

Level

8

Elementary

Occupations

7

Plant and

Machine

Operators

and

Assemblers

6

Skilled

Agricultural,

Forestry, Fishery,

Craft & Related

Trades Workers

5

Service

and Sales

Workers

4

Clerical

Support

Workers

3

Technicians and

Associate Professionals

2

Professionals

1

Managers

Occupational

qualifications

within the Major

Groups of the

OFO - mapped

against the NQF

levels – Source QCTO 2012

OFO and NQF

(NB All 10 levels)

7

7

Occupational

Qualification An occupational qualification:

Defines the learning required to be competent to

practice an occupation;

Or an occupational specialisation in a range of working contexts in both the formal and informal economy;

In the public and private sectors.

All occupational qualifications are linked to the

Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO) and

must:

Be ‘fit-for-purpose’,

Reflect workplace requirements, i.e. be demand or

opportunity led and not supply driven.

Occupational

Qualification

Expert Practitioners design occupational

qualifications.

Occupational qualification seeks to qualify a

learner to practice an occupation,

Reflected on the Organising Framework for

Occupations (OFO);

Or an occupational specialisation related to an

occupation that is reflected on the Organising

Framework for Occupations (OFO).

10

THE OCCUPATIONAL

QUALIFICATION

DEVELOPMENT

PROCESS

QUALIFICATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS STEPS

RESULTS

Service Level

Agreement

(DQP & AQP)

Occupationa

l Profile

B

Learning Com-

ponent

Specifications

(& Internal

Assessment)

Occupational

Curriculum

(B+C)

Occupational

Qualification

(C+D)

Receive and

Process Application QCTO

Staff

Oversee Scoping

Meeting with

Constituency

Develop

Occupational

Profile

DQP with Expert

Practitioners and

AQP

Develop

Module and

Subject

Specifications

Develop

Assessment

Specifications

Submit

QDF with Expert Practi-

tioners, AQP &

Educationalists

1

Manage

Verification

Process

RESPONSIBLE

QCT

O

Staff

Manage Verifi-

cation Process DQP with Constituency Group

A C

DQP & QDF

2

4

5

6

8

QDF with Expert Practitioners,

AQP & Educationalists 7

Source: QCTO 2012

Qualification

Assessment

Specifications

(External)

D E

DQP with Expert

Practitioners &

AQP

3

Type of qualification

Two types:

National Occupational Qualification (more than 120 credits)

National Occupational Award (less than 120 and more than 25 credits)

Title of qualification: Linked to occupation on OFO and reflecting

occupational specialisation in brackets (where applicable)

Not reflecting learning field

Three types of standards

Knowledge / Theory (minimum 20%)

Practical Skills (minimum 20%)

Work Experience (minimum 20 %)

12

Type of qualification

Two types:

National Occupational Qualification (more than 120 credits)

National Occupational Award (less than 120 and more than 25 credits)

Title of qualification: Linked to occupation on OFO and reflecting

occupational specialisation in brackets (where applicable)

Not reflecting learning field

Three types of standards

Knowledge / Theory (minimum 20%)

Practical Skills (minimum 20%)

Work Experience (minimum 20 %)

13

Characteristics of occupational curricula – Different from an educational curriculum; Covers : Occupational profile - based on occupational

tasks; Specifications for 3 learning components

(subjects, practical skills & work experience): Internal assessment criteria per subject and

practical skills module and work experience record per work experience module;

Skills Development Provider accreditation requirements per subject and practical skills module and workplace approval requirement per work experience module;

Exemptions

14

Occupational

Curriculum

Focus is on external summative assessment to determine occupational competence through the use of nationally standardised assessment processes and instruments. Assessment specifications will cover:

Purpose of the occupational qualification

External assessment model

Qualification outcomes to be assessed (in each Phase)

Assessment criteria for each outcome

Eligibility requirements to qualify for the external assessment

Criteria for registration of assessors (experts i.e spraypainter)

15

ASSESSMENT

SPECIFICATIONS

Occupation qualification

& curriculum – Source QCTO 2012

16

Knowledge /

theory

Practical Work experience

External, summative assessment

Occupational

Qualification

Occupational Purpose

National Occupational Pathways

Framework (NOPF)

i. Business Administration, Information Services, Human Resources and Teaching Related Occupations

ii. Finance, Insurance, Sales, Marketing, Retail and Logistics Related Occupations

iii. Accommodation, Food Preparation and Cleaning Services Related Occupations

iv. Farming, Forestry, Nature Conservation, Environment and Related Science Occupations

v. Medical, Social & Welfare, Sports and Personal Care Related Occupations

vi. Security and Law Related Occupations

vii. Visual Arts, Design, Installation, Maintenance, Extraction and Construction Related Occupations

viii. Production Related Occupations

ix. Transportation, Materials Moving and Mobile Plant Operating Related Occupations.

17

Schematic overview of the

Occupational Curriculum

Framework

18

19 Source

QCTO

2012

Thank you

www.cimap.co.za

The Chartered Institute for the

Management of Assessment

Practice (CIMAP)

A registered NPO