The Learning Pathways and Quality Development department is established under the Core Business of the CETA.

The department’s core mandate is:

• The development of qualifications
• Accreditation of skills development providers for the construction qualifications or part qualifications registered on the NQF
• Registration of assessors to undertake assessment for specified qualifications or part qualifications registered on the NQF and
• To upload learner data to the NLRD according to the NLRD load specifications

Functions of the Department

The primary function of the CETA in relation to quality assurance is to monitor and audit the achievements of the CETA in terms of national standards and qualifications standards by performing the following:

• Strengthen quality assurance through review, research and development of appropriate and relevant quality assurance policies, in particular working with the QCTO to develop processes in line with QCTO requirements
• Accredit providers to deliver programmes in the construction sector and to ensure that all accredited providers are delivering  to the quality and standards for the programmes which they are accredited to deliver
• Identify and facilitate the generation of qualifications and unit standards to address skills needs in the CETA , and submit those to the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) for registration on the NQF
• Evaluate learning programmes aligned that address occupational skills needs within the construction sector
• Accredit the delivery and assessment sites/ facilities
• Register constituent assessors and moderators so as to enable all relevant training in the sector to be assessed and credits awarded to successful learners
• Establish and maintain the database of learner achievements, and upload them to the SAQA learner database
• Quality assure learner achievement for those learners proven competent against unit standards and/or qualifications registered on the NQF that falls within the CETA
• Support provider development

Accreditation application process flow:
Phase 1: QCTO 

• Skills Development Provider (SDP) submit letter of intent to the QCTO to apply for CETA registered qualifications
• QCTO evaluates the Skills Development Provider (SDP) intent to obtain accreditation with the CETA
• QCTO gives a recommendation to the Skills Development Provider (SDP)
• QCTO communicates the very same recommendations to the CETA via email

Phase 2: CETA

• The Skills Development Provider (SDP) submits application to the CETA together with a recommendation letter from the QCTO
• Screening application as per checklist
• Acknowledgement of application
• Desktop evaluation & feedback
• Non-compliant, gaps to be submitted within 14 calendar days
• Compliant application
• Audit Compliance visit
• Hand over to Approvals team

Accreditation approval process flow:

• Receive Site Visit reports
• Evaluate reports to align recommendation to application file
• Generate accreditation letter
• Submit for approval
• Not approved, remediation will be advised
• Approved dispatch to entity

Qualifications development: The new approach DQP-AQP model:
The Development Quality Partner (DQP) is a process of qualification development under the QCTO. Currently the CETA has 50 qualifications re-registered for a period of five years i.e. from 01 July 2018 until 30 June 2023. These NQF / Historically Registered Qualifications needs to be reviewed and re-aligned into occupational qualifications under the QCTO. 


Phasing out of current NQF Qualifications:

• Current NQF Qualifications registration end date: 30 June 2018
• Current NQF Qualifications enrolment end date of new learners: 30 June 2019
• Current NQF Qualifications teach out period for learners in training: 30 June 2022

Development of New Occupational Qualifications:

• The CETA is in partnership with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) for occupational qualifications development.
• The CETA has thus far made progress in developing some of the occupational qualifications which are registered with the QCTO
• The CETA qualifications which have occupational qualifications developed and registered with the QCTO must be applied for accreditation with the QCTO.