Frequently asked questions regarding the QCTO?
What are the main functions of the QCTO
ü To advise the Minister on all matters of policy relating to occupational standards and qualifications
ü To design, develop and maintain occupational standards and qualifications
ü To quality assure occupational standards and qualifications in and for the workplace
ü To promote the objectives of the NQF and
ü To liaise with the NSA and SAQA, other Quality Councils and Professional bodies on matters to do with occupational qualifications
What is the main purpose of the QCTO?
The core purpose of the QCTO is to oversee the design and maintain the quality of qualifications and part qualifications required for the practise of trades and occupations.
What is meant by an Occupational Qualification?
A qualification associated with a trade, occupation or profession resulting from work-based learning and consisting of:
- Knowledge unit standards
- Practical unit standards and
- Work experience unit standards.
Does that mean that the QCTO are going to work with Unit standards?
In the context of the QCTO it will be part qualifications and not unit standards.
What is the purpose of an occupational qualification?
The purpose of an occupational qualification is 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).
What is the difference between a job and an occupation?
The OFO distinguish between a ‘job’ and an ‘occupation’ where a “job” is seen as a particular set of tasks and duties uniquely performed, or meant to be performed by an individual for an employer (including self-employment), normally in return for profit or payment and an “occupation” is a cluster or group of similar jobs whose main tasks and duties are characterised by a high degree of similarity of purpose and performance across a variety of relevant working sites, that they can be grouped together for the purposes of the classification.
Which are the groupings of the OFO?
The eight major groupings in the OFO are:
1 Managers
2 Professionals
3 Technicians and Trade Workers
4 Community and Personal Service Workers
5 Clerical and Administrative Workers
6 Sales Workers
7 Machinery Operators and Drivers
8 Labourers and Elementary Workers
What is the NOPF?
The National Occupational Pathways Framework (NOPF) reflects progression pathways across the different Major Groups of the OFO. The QCTO will develop and maintain the NOPF.
The NOPF clusters occupations and groups of related OFO occupations (Unit Groups) across different levels of the NQF and across different Major groups to inform learners of potential progression pathways and to assist occupational qualification developers to lay the foundation for vertical progression when developing individual qualifications.
The NOPF contains 9 high level occupational clusters, each with a constituent set of occupational fields, which in turn consist of families of occupations. The pathways link occupations (at various levels of complexity) that share related knowledge bases and which are commonly grouped together for career guidance purposes (because they are associated with similar working environments and relate to different learner aptitudes and interests).
The nine occupational clusters are listed as follows:
1 Business Administration, Information Services, Human Resources and Teaching Related Occupations
2 Finance, Insurance, Sales, Marketing, Retail and Logistics Related Occupations
3 Accommodation, Food Preparation and Cleaning Services Related Occupations
4 Farming, Forestry, Nature Conservation, Environment and Related Science Occupations
5 Medical, Social & Welfare, Sports and Personal Care Related Occupations
6 Security and Law Related Occupations
7 Visual Arts, Design, Installation, Maintenance, Extraction and Construction Related Occupations
8 Production Related Occupations
9 Transportation, Materials Moving and Mobile Plant Operating Related Occupations.
What type of qualifications will the QCTO have?
The Occupational Qualifications Framework distinguishes between two types of qualification:
· National Occupational Qualification; and
· National Occupational Award
National Occupational Qualifications consist of 120 credits or more and National Occupational Awards consist of a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 119 credits.
The credit value of an occupational qualification is determined by the range, content and the complexity of the learning processes required to attain occupational competence. Included in the total credit calculation are the credits that have to be earned through workplace experience, a compulsory component of all occupational qualifications. As in the SAQA community as a whole one credit is equal to 10 notional hours of learning.
How does the QCTO model work in a nutshell?
1. Three parties are involved namely DQP (Development Quality Partner)
Providers ( Delivering the training)
AQP (Assessment Quality Partner – recommended by the DQP)
2. Once the need is determined for an Occupational qualification a DQP will design the qualification and recommend an AQP
3. The qualification will consist of three parts, namely the knowledge/theory; the Practical and Work experience.
Is the model not too fragmentised?
It is a valid question and Providers know from experience that if they do not drive the process, many learners do not complete. Related to this concern is the question, ‘who will ensure that work integrated learning takes place?’. To address these concerns, the model allows for Pipeline owners. A provider or the Workplace can therefore lead the process until the learners have successfully completed the qualification.
Where does existing qualifications fit into the picture and what happens to learnerships?
Existing qualifications will phase out. SETAs ETQAs will function until September 2012 and qualifications extended until 2015 unless they are replaced.
Different parts of different Learnerships can for example be used as knowledge, practical or work experience components.
Who are the DQPs and AQPs?
AQP: Assessment Quality partner and DQP: Development Quality partner.
AQPs must be recommended to the QCTO by the relevant Community of Expert Practitioners within the DQP occupational development process at a point when they submit an occupational profile.
A party seeking to perform the functions of a DQP must satisfy the following criteria:
a. must be recommend by stakeholders in a QCTO facilitated scoping meeting
b. have the human resources necessary to perform its functions as specified in the policy
c. have access to communities of expert practitioners in the occupation/s
d. have the financial resources necessary to perform its functions as specified in the policy, verified by means of a written letter by its relevant authority committing the necessary financial resources to fund the DQP function, and confirming that effective, efficient and transparent financial management and internal control systems are in place;
e. be willing to sign the QCTO code of Conduct if delegation is approved and
f. submit a valid tax clearance certificate where appropriate
What are the steps to become a DQP?
Where are we in the process to sign SLAs with DQPs?
Service level agreements were signed on 20 July 2011 with:
1. AgriSeta
2. Bank SETA
3. Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)
4. Department of Defence
5. ETDPSETA
6. FASSET
7. Foodbev SETA
8. FP&M SETA (Fibre Processing and Manufacturing)
9. INSETA
10. Institute of Plumbing of South Africa (IOPSA)
11. MERSETA
12. MQA (Mining sector)
13. National Treasury
14. Toolmaking Association of South Africa (TASA)
15. W&R SETA (Wholesale and Retail)
16. National Artisan Moderation Body (NAMB)
What is Foundational Learning Competence? (FLC)
It is about using language and mathematics for occupational learning. It forms an integral part of occupational learning and is prescribed for all occupational qualifications at NQF levels 3 and 4.
Entry: at least ABET level 3 for those undertaking workplace learning.
It is still to be registered as a part qualification with SAQA before it can be implemented.
Compiled by
Dr Marina le Grange
APPETD’s representative on the QCTO Council