South Africa’s Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) were established to address the country’s critical skills shortages by bridging the gap between education and employment. They fund and oversee various skills programmes, including learnerships, internships, apprenticeships, and short skills courses—all designed to develop a competent and job-ready workforce.
Despite many success stories, the SETA system is not without its challenges. Learners, employers, and training providers frequently encounter problems that hinder the full potential of SETA training initiatives. In this article, we examine the most pressing challenges in SETA training across South Africa in 2025 and what can be done to address them.
1. Administrative Inefficiencies and Red Tape
One of the biggest obstacles in SETA training is bureaucracy. From delayed accreditation of training providers to late payments of stipends and grant disbursements, administrative bottlenecks affect all stakeholders.
Common administrative challenges include:
- Delayed accreditation of training providers by QCTO or SETAs
- Slow approval of learnership and internship applications
- Late payments of learner stipends
- Inconsistent communication from SETA officials
- Backlogs in issuing certificates
For learners, these delays can result in demotivation, financial hardship, and even drop-outs. For employers and providers, the slow pace adds risk and uncertainty to project planning.
2. Mismatch Between Training and Industry Needs
Many SETA-funded programmes do not align closely with what the labour market demands. This often leads to graduates who are qualified on paper but not employable in practice.
Reasons for the mismatch:
- Outdated unit standards and qualifications
- Poor industry consultation in curriculum design
- Lack of flexibility in accommodating emerging sectors (e.g., digital skills, green energy)
- Limited workplace placement opportunities
The result is that graduates struggle to find employment, and employers still report critical skills shortages in their sectors—even while thousands of learners complete SETA courses annually.
3. Inadequate Quality of Training Providers
The quality of training delivery varies significantly across South Africa. While there are many excellent ETDP SETA-accredited training providers, others offer sub-par instruction, lack proper facilities, or fail to meet compliance standards.
Warning signs of poor training providers:
- Trainers with no industry experience
- Poor learner support and communication
- Incomplete delivery of modules
- Non-compliance with assessment and moderation processes
- Failure to assist with workplace placement
These problems directly affect learner outcomes, compromising the credibility of SETA qualifications in the eyes of employers.
4. Difficulty Securing Workplace Experience
For qualifications such as learnerships or internships, workplace experience is a mandatory component. Yet thousands of learners are unable to secure placements due to:
- Employer reluctance to host learners
- Limited availability of suitable companies
- Lack of coordination between providers and industry
- Geographic challenges, especially in rural areas
Without the practical component, learners cannot complete or obtain their certificates, and they miss out on the real-world experience needed for employment.
5. Stipend Delays and Financial Hardship
One of the most common learner complaints in SETA-funded programmes is delayed or inconsistent stipends. Learners often rely on this financial support for transport, food, and basic living expenses.
Causes of stipend issues:
- Payment backlogs at SETAs
- Mismanagement by training providers
- Incomplete learner documentation
- Delays in grant funding approvals
When stipends are delayed, many learners are forced to drop out, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This undermines the core goal of SETA programmes—to uplift youth through education and skills development.
6. Poor Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
Many training programmes are rolled out with insufficient follow-up. Without strong monitoring, it’s difficult to track:
- Learner progress and performance
- Trainer effectiveness
- Workplace host compliance
- Post-training employment outcomes
A lack of accountability leads to repetition of mistakes, waste of public funds, and an inability to refine and improve the SETA system over time.
7. Corruption and Misuse of Funds
Unfortunately, some stakeholders exploit SETA programmes for personal gain. This includes:
- Ghost learners (fake enrolments to claim grants)
- Providers billing for incomplete training
- Nepotism in learner recruitment
- Bribery in procurement or accreditation processes
These practices damage public trust and divert resources from deserving youth and honest providers.
8. Communication Gaps and Lack of Awareness
Many young people, especially in rural areas, are unaware of SETA opportunities available to them. Information is not always clearly communicated via official websites or platforms. Additionally, learners often don’t fully understand:
- The difference between a learnership, internship, and skills programme
- Their rights and responsibilities during training
- The value of their qualifications in the job market
Improving career guidance and digital outreach is essential to ensuring that SETA training reaches and serves the intended audience.
9. Lack of Soft Skills Development
While SETA programmes focus on technical training, they often overlook soft skills like communication, time management, emotional intelligence, and professionalism. These are critical for workplace success and career progression.
Employers frequently cite lack of soft skills as a major reason why graduates struggle to integrate into the workplace—even when they are technically competent.
10. Provincial and Sectoral Inequality
Not all sectors and provinces benefit equally from SETA initiatives. For example:
- Urban areas often have more access to training providers and host companies
- Sectors like health, construction, and wholesale/retail may get more funding than niche industries
- Learners in rural Limpopo, Northern Cape, or Eastern Cape face transport and infrastructure challenges
This leads to geographic and economic inequality in access to training and employment.
Solutions: How Can SETA Training Improve?
To overcome these challenges, South Africa’s SETA system needs targeted reforms and stronger partnerships:
- Streamline administrative processes and digitise applications and payments
- Improve curriculum relevance by involving employers and industry experts
- Strengthen quality assurance and penalise underperforming training providers
- Create incentives for employers to host workplace-based learners
- Ensure regular, transparent stipend payments
- Launch national awareness campaigns targeting schools and TVET colleges
- Invest in soft skills development as part of all training programmes
- Expand access to rural and disadvantaged communities
- Implement robust M&E systems to track outcomes
- Hold stakeholders accountable through audits and transparent reporting
Conclusion
SETA training has the potential to transform lives and uplift communities through meaningful, skills-based education. However, persistent challenges—ranging from admin delays to quality control and lack of workplace access—are limiting its impact.
In 2025, the focus must be on efficiency, transparency, quality, and inclusivity. With better systems, partnerships, and accountability, SETA training can truly deliver on its promise to empower South African youth and close the country’s skills gap.