One of the worst things that can happen to any person who completes an education and training course, is to discover that the college they believed to be accredited, is in fact not. The result: wasted hours and money on an unofficial qualification that carries no merit with an external accreditation or professional body.

Fly-by-night colleges offering bogus courses are more common than one might think. Fortunately, there are ways to check if your Occupational Health and Training provider is legitimate and if the course you choose to study carries the relevant accreditations.

Accredited training providers follow an extensive process to be recognised accordingly, which SafetyCloud has followed to the letter. Education and training providers must be registered with the relevant Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA). These bodies oversee skills development and training in South Africa and ensure that qualifications are in line with the relevant standards of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

Further to this, training providers must apply for accreditation with an Education and Training Quality Assurance (ETQA) body under the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). Companies part of SafetyCloud are accredited and supported by the following professional bodies:

• merSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services)
• LGSETA (The Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority)
• Services SETA
• TETA (Transport Education Training Authority)
• ETDP (Education, Training and Development)
• CETA (Construction Education Training Authority)
• IFWH (The Institute for Work at Height)
• CHIETA (The Chemical Industries Education & Training Authority)
• Saiosh (South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health)
• NEBOSH

Checking these credentials from a private training institution and making sure you won’t be left behind by an unaccredited college is easy to do through these simple methods:

Individuals can find out if the training provider is accredited or not on the relevant SETA website. You can also check if your chosen institution is accredited through the SAQA website at saqa.org.za, where institution accreditation is updated regularly
It is not advised to solely rely on a provided accreditation letter from the institution itself, as these can often be faked.

Our globally recognised skills programmes, qualifications, and work-based learning interventions have helped thousands of businesses to protect their people, stay compliant, and achieve their procurement, B-BBEE, and skills development targets. For more information regarding accreditation, please contact us here.