Setas here to stay: Mdladlana
19 October 2004
The government has no intention of doing away with the country's Sectoral Education and Training Authorities (Setas), says Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana.
South Africa has 27 sector-specific Setas, established in 2000 to support the development of skills in the workplace.
The training bodies - which replace and extend the work of SA's old industry training boards - are responsible for disbursing training levies payable by all employers, and for developing and implementing skills development plans.
Together, they are responsible for about R2.5-billion each year.
Speaking at the launch of the National Skills Development Strategy Education Upliftment Project, Thuthuka, in Limpopo on Monday, Mdladlana said the Setas were playing a critical role in providing skills to unemployed and previously disadvantaged South Africans.
"We are not going to scrap the Setas", the minister said. "On the contrary, we are going to do what we
can to strengthen them, because government is committed to ensuring that they play a part in reshaping the economy."
Mdladlana said the National Skills Development Strategy had enabled millions of South Africans to be trained, and that much of this could be attributed to the work carried out by the Setas.
Thuthuka seeks to support the upgrading of accounting, mathematics and English qualifications for Grade 11 and 12 learners in rural and disadvantaged areas.
The project, co-funded by the National Skills Fund and the Financial and Accounting Services Seta, has been successfully implemented in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and is being extended to Limpopo.
Source: BuaNews
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