Article

The South African skills development landscape is currently weathering a perfect storm: the transition from SETA-based legacy qualifications to the QCTO framework. With the 30 April WSP/ATR deadline approaching, businesses must navigate shifting accreditation requirements while trying to close genuine skill gaps. This article explores how to move beyond the "paperwork of progress" and find a steady course through these legislative changes.

The Current Tide: Why Businesses Feel "At Sea"

In early 2026, the sense of being "at sea" has intensified. We aren't just navigating the usual compliance requirements; we are navigating a fundamental shift in the bedrock of South African training. The tide is pulling away from the familiar SETA unit standards and moving toward a new horizon—the QCTO.

The QCTO Shift: The New "Paperwork of Progress"

The core of the conundrum today is the transition period. Many businesses find themselves in a state of limbo where legacy qualifications are expiring, and the new QCTO-aligned occupational qualifications are still being bedded down.

The frustration for many managers is that this feels like another layer of the "paperwork of progress." Instead of focusing on whether an employee is becoming a better leader or a more proficient technician, we are forced to focus on:

• The Expiry of Legacy Unit Standards: Navigating the "teach-out" periods.
• The External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA): Adapting to the more rigid assessment structures of the QCTO.
• The Accreditation Gap: Ensuring providers have successfully migrated their programs to the new framework.

When the primary goal becomes surviving the administrative upheaval of a new council, the actual development of the employee can easily be lost in the swell.

Navigating the Way Forward: Practical Solutions

1. Audit Your Current Training Matrix for QCTO Alignment
Don't wait for your legacy unit standards to become obsolete. Review your Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) now to identify which programs need to transition to QCTO occupational qualifications. Leading Training can help you map your existing "legacy" paths to the new framework to ensure your B-BBEE points remain secure.

2. Leverage "Skills Programmes" for Agility
While full occupational qualifications are lengthy, the QCTO framework allows for shorter Skills Programmes. Use these to address immediate operational needs—like specific technical skills or digital literacy—without getting bogged down in a three-year qualification if it isn't necessary for the role.

3. Move from "Tick-Box" to "Toolbox
"Despite the legislative "fog," the ultimate goal is still a more capable workforce. Ensure your training providers are focusing on applied competence. Even within the stricter QCTO guidelines, the training should provide employees with a "toolbox" of skills they can use the very next day at their desks.

The "Teach-Out" Window: A Strategic Opportunity

While the shift to the QCTO is inevitable, there is a narrow window to capitalise on familiar, high-impact legacy qualifications before they are fully phased out. Navigating the "teach-out" period allows businesses to bank points and build skills using systems they already understand.

Specifically, two key areas offer immediate value:

• Generic Management Full Qualifications (NQF 4 & 5)
  These are the backbone of corporate leadership development. The legacy versions are well-established and highly effective. Registering your emerging leaders now ensures they can complete their qualification under the existing SETA rules rather than waiting for the new occupational equivalents to be fully bedded down.

• Education, Training and Development (ETD) Practices
  If your internal training capacity relies on staff becoming qualified Moderators or Assessors, now is the time to act. These legacy unit standards are among the most valuable "tools" in your HR toolbox, and securing these certifications now avoids the administrative complexity of the new QCTO assessment hurdles.

The Strategy: Don't wait for the tide to turn completely. By "banking" these enrolments now, you secure your B-BBEE spend for the current cycle and ensure your staff receive certifications from established, proven curricula.