1. The South
African
Qualifications
Framework
A Basic Framework

2. 2
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 Quality Council for Trades and Occupations
to SDA (national not sectoral standards for ‘trades and
occupations’

3. 3
Pre-2008 ETQAs
on NQF – Source QCTO 2012
Department of Education
Pre-2009 NQF
Pre-2008
Labour
Department of
SETAs
with learnerships incl.
‘structured learning’(?)
CHE with HEQF
(Band ~ ‘Higher’)
S S S S
E E E E
T T T T
A A A A
Umalusi with school and
college qualifications a b c &
(Band ~ General and Further)

4. Post 2008
CHE (NQF
5 – 10)
SAQA
Umalusi
QCTO
(GETC &
(NQF 1 –
FET NQF 2
10)
- 4)

5. 5
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’

6. 6
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;

7. 7
NQF
Level
10
2
9 Professionals
1
Managers
OFO and NQF 8
(NB All 10 levels) 7
3
Technicians and
6 Associate Professionals
Occupational 6 7
5
qualifications 4 5
Skilled
Agricultural,
Plant and
Machine
Clerical Service
within the Major 4 Support
Forestry, Fishery,
and Sales Craft & Related Operators
and
Workers Workers
Groups of the 3
Trades Workers Assemblers
OFO - mapped
against the NQF 2 8
Elementary
levels – Source QCTO 2012 1
Occupations
7

8. 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.

9. 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. 10
THE OCCUPATIONAL
QUALIFICATION
DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS

11. STEPS RESPONSIBLE QUALIFICATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Submit 8 DQP & QDF
Develop
Assessment 7 QDF with Expert Practitioners,
Specifications AQP & Educationalists
Manage Verifi- 6 DQP with Constituency Group
cation Process
Develop QDF with Expert Practi-
tioners, AQP &
Module and 5 Educationalists
Subject
Specifications
Manage DQP with Expert Source:
Verification 4 Practitioners and QCTO 2012
Process AQP
Develop DQP with Expert
Occupational 3 Practitioners &
Profile AQP
Oversee Scoping
QCT
Meeting with 2 O
Constituency
Staff
Receive and
Process Application1 QCTO
Staff
Service Level Occupationa Learning Com- Occupational Qualification Occupational
Agreement l Profile ponent Curriculum Assessment Qualification
RESULTS Specifications Specifications
(C+D)
(DQP & AQP) (& Internal (B+C) (External)
Assessment)
A B C D E

12. 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. 13
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 %)

14. Occupational
Curriculum
 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

15. ASSESSMENT
SPECIFICATIONS
 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

16. 16
Occupation qualification
& curriculum – Source QCTO 2012
Occupational Purpose
Knowledge / Practical Work experience
theory
External, summative assessment
Occupational
Qualification

17. 17
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.

18. Schematic overview of the
Occupational Curriculum
Framework
18

19. Source 19
QCTO
2012

20. Thank you
www.cimap.co.za
The Chartered Institute for the
Management of Assessment
Practice (CIMAP)
A registered NPO