Quality Council for Trades & Occupations

The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations is a Quality Council established in 2010 in terms of the Skills Development Act. Its role is to oversee the design, implementation, assessment and certification of occupational qualifications on the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF).

The QCTO is one of three Quality Councils (QCs) responsible for a part of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Collectively, the Quality Councils and the South African Qualifications Authority (whose role is to advance the objectives of the NQF and oversee its development and implementation), all work for the good of both learners and employers. Another important role for the QCTO is to offer guidance to service providers who must be accredited by the QCTO to offer occupational qualifications.

Following the format of the organizing framework for Occupations (QFO), occupational qualifications are categorised into the eight major employment groups.

• Managers
• Professionals
• Technicians and Associate Professionals
• Clerical Support Workers
• Service and Sales Workers
• Skilled agriculture, forestry, fisheries, craft and related trades
• Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers
• Elementary Occupations

Our vision is to qualify a skilled and capable workforce; our mission is to effectively and efficiently manage the occupational qualifications sub-framework in order to set standards, develop and quality assure national occupational qualifications for all who want a trade or occupation and, where appropriate, professions.

Council on Higher Education

The Council on Higher Education is an independent statutory body established in May 1998 in terms of the Higher Education Act (Act No 101 of 1997), as amended and it functions as the Quality Council for Higher Education in terms of the National Qualifications Framework Act (Act No 67 0f 2008). The functions of the CHE are as follows:

• To provide advice to the Minister of Higher Education and Training on all aspects of higher education policy.
• To develop and implement a system of quality assurance for higher education, including programme accreditation, institutional audits, quality promotion and capacity development, standards development and the implementation of the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF).
• To monitor and report on the state of the higher education system, including assessing whether, how, to what extent and with what consequences the vision, policy goals and objectives for higher education are being realised.
• To contribute to the development of higher education through intellectual engagement with key national and systemic issues, including international trends, producing publications, holding conferences and conducting research to inform and contribute to addressing the short and long-term challenges facing higher education.

The CHE has executive responsibility for quality assurance and promotion and discharges this responsibility through the establishment of a permanent committee (as required by the Higher Education Act), the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC). VNI Consultants, through our associates’ network, assists organisation interested to be registered as an education and training provider with registration and accreditation taking cognisance of the governing elements required to function as a higher education and training provider, as follows:

• Advising, formulating and developing the bespoke strategic direction of the higher education institution in need
• Monitoring and evaluation of the application process
• Development of policy, criteria and standards for the intended higher education qualifications offered by the higher education institution
• Guide the development, registration and publication of qualifications
• Advising and conducting audits of the quality assurance systems of the higher education institution.
• Advising and assisting with the accreditation of new programmes submitted by the higher education institution in need thereof, as well as the re-accreditation of existing programmes offered by private providers;
• Advising and assisting with the re-accreditation of existing programmes in specific subject fields and qualification levels, for the higher education institution in need thereof;
• Advise on administrative, financial, technical and professional services to support the overall application for registration and accreditation with the CHE.

TRAINING MATERIAL & CONTENT MANAGEMENT

VNI has established ourselves as a service provider in the Training Material and Content Development arenas whom renders a professional and cost effective service to our clients. Not only does VNI Consultants implement and maintain training material and content aligned with both our client’s strategic needs, we also ensure that these solutions answer to the appropriate legal requirements (QCTO and CHE). VNI uses its BluAgile methodology to develop and implement bespoke training content and material as follows:

Analysis and Diagnostics

Understanding the challenge at hand is shaped through an in-depth diagnosis of the organisation of which the outcome provides the scope of the anticipated intervention.

Design and Development

Once a project has been scoped and proper management action plans are agreed, a gap analysis is conducted and business processes, reporting structures and support systems are identified and tested for inclusion in the anticipated project.

Facilitated Implementation and Accreditation

VNI Consultants follows a facilitated process to collect, align and verify training material and content. As a result project outcomes deliver tangible features with ongoing management and support and may include all or some of the components listed below:

• Learner Guide and Workbook
• Assessors Guide
• Facilitators Guide and Presentation Slides
• Audit Pack

The above deliverables are standard guidelines that can be mirrored into any workplace, using VNI’s Rubic Echelon tools and techniques.

NOTE: Use VNI’s BluAgile methodology to develop bespoke Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Solutions or receive guidance with registration and accreditation with the QCTO or CHE, which not only supports governance requirements but also favourably influence the organisation’s social position.