QCTO skills programmes

The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) is South Africa’s accreditation body for occupational skills programmes across all industries and sectors. The QCTO develops and accredits occupational skills programmes, accredits training providers, and submits approved programmes to the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) for registration on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). 

Absolute Health Services is accredited by the QCTO to deliver approved occupational skills programmes. As additional programmes are released by the QCTO, we will continue expanding our range of accredited skills programmes in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town.

Both our HWSETA-accredited and QCTO-accredited courses meet legal occupational health and safety compliance requirements. The core learning outcomes and content of the HWSETA compliance courses are closely aligned to those of the new QCTO skills programmes.

However, there are some important differences between our existing HWSETA-compliant courses and the QCTO skills programmes that employers should be aware of:

Additional QCTO fees

The new QCTO skills programmes are more expensive than the equivalent existing HWSETA-compliant courses. This is due to the longer duration of skills programmes (i.e. the additional training days) as well as an additional QCTO registration fee of R150 per person per skills programme.

Longer course durations

Despite covering very similar content and learner outcomes, QCTO skills programmes are bound by the attached credits and therefore are longer in duration than existing HWSETA-accredited compliance courses. This is largely due to the credits and the inclusion of a Final Integrative Summative Assessment (FISA) over and above the internal assessment procedure for each course, which adds upwards of an extra day to the programme duration.

Longer lead time on certificates

Having first aid and OHS training certificates on site is important for compliance purposes. After successfully completing our HWSETA-accredited compliance courses, we ensure that delegates receive their certificates within 14 days. In contrast, lead times on QCTO skills programme certificates can be up to months as these are processed and issued by the QCTO. We are however able to issue an additional certificate for compliance purposes while you wait for your QCTO certificate to be issued. 

On-site training requires inspection and pre-approval by the QCTO

We are able to offer our HWSETA-accredited compliance courses on-site at your premises for groups of eight or more delegates anywhere in South Africa. While this is theoretically possible for skills programmes, be aware that the QCTO must first inspect and approve your premises for training prior to the training taking place. This process may cause a significant delay and the QCTO may not approve your premises. Our training centres in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town are accredited and skills programmes can be facilitated at our centres.