SETAs in South Africa

“SETA” stands for Sector Education and Training Authority.

A Sector Education and Training Authority, commonly known as a SETA, is a vocational skills training organization in South Africa.

As of 2025, there are 21 SETAs in South Africa. Each SETA is responsible for managing and creating learnerships, internships, unit-based skills programmes, and apprenticeships within its jurisdiction.

Every industry and occupation in South Africa is covered by one of the 21 SETAs.

Understanding SETAs

There are millions of people throughout South Africa who want and need to learn new skills. Some are learners who are still at school or in college. Others are already employed but need to improve the skills that they have and also learn new ones.

There are an estimated 4.3-million people who are unemployed, most of whom have little training and few skills. More than half of the Grade 12 learners who leave school every year don’t have sufficient basic skills to get work in any sector of the economy. At any one time there are as many as 7,000 graduates who have university degrees who are also unemployed. All these figures could be higher.

So it is clear that skills development, along with training and education are vital elements for the people in South Africa and for the economy.

Skills development in South Africa

Prior to 2000, there were 33 industry training boards in South Africa that covered various sectors in the country. While their responsibility was supposedly “education and training”, they focused mainly on apprenticeships. They certainly weren’t responsible for ensuring levels of quality when it came to college courses or anything like that.

Recognising the dire need to improve skills development, in 1998, the South African Parliament ratified the Skills Development Act which defined a new Sector Training and Education Authority (SETA) system. In essence, the plan was to develop a series of sector skills plans within a clearly defined framework of the National Skills Development Strategy.

In March 2000, the then Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana formerly established 23 SETAs, each with its own clearly defined sector and sub-sectors.

Each of the sectors was made up of a variety of economic activities that were related and closely linked.

So, one SETA would deal, for example, with banking, while another would deal with health and welfare. All the SETAs were to be responsible for both the private and public sectors within their own sector as a whole.

Unlike the old training boards, the SETAs were to be concerned with learnerships, internships, unit based skills programmes, and apprenticeships. The SETAs were also given much greater powers than the training boards had had, and far reaching responsibilities. Furthermore, they were established to ensure that every industry and occupation in South Africa was covered.

One of the primary objectives of the SETAs was to collect skills levies from employers within each sector, in terms of the Skills Development Levies Act and make the money available within the sector for education and training. This was to go to employers and training bodies, and to learners in the form of discretionary grants and bursaries.

When the SETAs had been operating for five years, in March 2005, Mr Mdladlana re-established them and recertified them. This recertification process was due to be repeated in March 2010, but the Government made a decision to change the SETA landscape. In so doing, the SETA licences were extended for an additional year, to March 2011.

The new SETA landscape in South Africa

In November 2009 Mr Thabo Mashongoane announced that his department, the Department of Higher Education and Training, would assume responsibility for skills development that had previously been controlled by the Department of Labour. In a statement, he acknowledged that:

  • there were negative perceptions about the performance, management and governance of the SETAs,
  • there was an inadequate alignment of industry needs relating to the provision of training and skills development, particularly in relating to artisans and technicians,
  • when the industrial policy action plan was finalised, his department would align skills development efforts to support the implementation of the plan.
    In April 2010 Mr Mashongoane announced the proposed new SETA landscape and a draft framework for a new National Skills Development Strategy to be implemented between March 2011 and March 2016. He also announced steps he planned to take to deal with what he termed “non-performing SETAs”.

In essence, the new SETA landscape will result in:

  • Fifteen of the existing SETAs being recertified with minor changes.
  • Six new SETAs being formed as a result of the amalgamation of existing SETAs or sub-sectors of existing SETAs.
  • A reduction in the total number of SETAs from 23 to 21.

Mr Mashongoane said he would be taking legislative steps to improve the governance of SETAs. He was also examining patterns of “mismanagement and non-performance” in the SETAs and would be taking action.

Ultimately the aim is to ensure the SETAs are achieving what they need to achieve, and thus ensure the critical need for skills development in South Africa at very least over the next five years.

The role of the SETAs

The functions and responsibilities of SETAs are set out in Chapter 3, section 10 of the Skills Development Act, 1998 which are to:

  • Develop and implement a sector skills plan: This is a plan to describe the trends in each sector, the skills that are in demand and to identify priorities for skills development
  • Develop and administer Learning Programmes: These include Skills Programmes and Learnerships
  • Support the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework. The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is the framework, based on eight levels, on which any qualification or learning outcome can be registered.
  • Undertake Quality Assurance on provision of learning in line with the QCTO requirements which include the following:
    • Accredit education and training providers.
    • Monitor provision to ensure that programmes are being followed.
    • Register Assessors.
    • Collaborate with other Education and Training Quality assurers.
  • Disburse levies collected from employers in their sector: Employers pay 1% of their salary payroll to SARS on a monthly basis. 80% of the portion of this contribution is distributed to SETAs and is allocated to administration costs and grants to be claimed back by companies
  • Report to the Minister of Employment and Labour: SETAs are statutory bodies. This means that they are established by Act of Parliament and they are given clear responsibilities to be discharged in the public interest as they are custodians of public funds (levies). SETAs are required to report to the Director-General of the Department of Higher Education and Training, on the efficient and effective use of funds. SETAs are also governed by the Public Finance Management Act, the provisions of which are designed to ensure that public bodies operate in a manner that is not wasteful or irresponsible.

What are the 21 SETAs in South Africa?

Below are the 21 SETAs in South Africa, including the sector each SETA supports, its key role, and how to contact them.

AgriSETA – Agriculture

AgriSETA enhances skills in sustainable agriculture, mechanization, agri-entrepreneurship, and rural development–critical in food security and land reform efforts.

BANKSETA – Banking and Microfinance

From financial literacy to ethical banking practices, BANKSETA helps build trust and professionalism in South Africa’s banking sector.

CATHSSETA – Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport

CATHSSETA fosters creativity and service excellence–fueling jobs in tourism, entertainment, and heritage preservation.

CETA – Construction

CETA boosts artisan development and safety standards in construction, helping rebuild both infrastructure and livelihoods.

  • Location: Midrand, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng
  • Website: www.ceta.org.za

CHIETA – Chemical Industries

From pharmaceuticals to petroleum, CHIETA drives innovation in high-tech and high-risk environments.

ETDP SETA – Education, Training and Development

Focused on upskilling educators, assessors, and curriculum developers–ETDP SETA strengthens the entire education ecosystem.

EWSETA – Energy and Water

EWSETA supports the green economy through training in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable water management.

FASSET – Finance and Accounting Services

FASSET champions integrity and competence in finance–helping build globally competitive professionals.

FOODBEV SETA – Food and Beverage Manufacturing

This FOODBEV SETA prioritizes hygiene, safety, and innovation across the food manufacturing chain.

FP&M SETA – Fibre Processing and Manufacturing

Serving textiles, publishing, furniture, and more, FP&M SETA enables creative industries to thrive through practical training.

  • Location: Killarney, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng
  • Website: www.fpmseta.org.za

HWSETA – Health and Welfare

HWSETA Ensures South Africa’s healthcare and social development workers are competent, ethical, and community-driven.

INSETA – Insurance

INSETA supports digital transformation and compliance in insurance–bolstering consumer trust and career growth.

LGSETA – Local Government

LGSETA supports municipalities with training in urban planning, waste management, and governance.

MERSETA – Manufacturing and Engineering

MERSETA upskills artisans, engineers, and technicians to reindustrialize the South African economy.

MICT SETA – Media, Information and Communication Technology

From content creators to software engineers, MICT SETA ensures digital skills stay ahead of the curve.

  • Location: Midrand, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng
  • Website: www.mict.org.za

MQA – Mining Qualifications Authority

MQA trains workers in one of South Africa’s biggest sectors–mining–while improving safety and sustainability.

  • Location: Parktown, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng
  • Website: www.mqa.org.za

PSETA – Public Service

PSETA focuses on improving the skills of public sector workers, enabling better service delivery.

  • Location: Hatfield, Pretoria, City of Tshwane, Gauteng
  • Website: www.pseta.org.za

SASSETA – Safety and Security

SASSETA supports training for law enforcement, legal services, and correctional officers–building safer communities.

SSETA – General Services

SSETA enables diverse industries like HR, cleaning, marketing, and real estate to upskill and grow.

TETA – Transport

TETA trains professionals across aviation, rail, maritime, and road transport–essential to national logistics.

  • Location: Randburg, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng
  • Website: www.teta.org.za

W&RSETA – Wholesale and Retail

W&RSETA supports everything from spaza shops to online retail platforms by funding retail education and entrepreneurship.

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