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Qualifying a skilled and capable workforce since 2010

Services for

assessment centres

Overview

In terms of the Skills Development Act, 1998 (Act 97 of 1998), the QCTO accredits

assessment centres to conduct the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) (link to EISA information brochure PDF) for specified occupational qualifications, part-qualifications or trades recorded on the National Learners' Records Database (NLRD) but without an associated occupational qualification.

EISA is a single, national assessment which leads to competent learners being awarded Occupational Certificates. It is an integral and critical component of QCTO’s quality assurance system, as it ensures that the assessment of occupational qualifications, part-qualifications and trades is standardised, consistent and credible.

Accredited SDPs and Assessment  Centres

Engineering Related Occupational Qualifications

Business & General Related Occupational Qualifications

Old Trades

Accredited Assessment Centres - Engineering Related Occupational Qualifications

Accredited Assessment Centres - Business & General Related Occupational Qualifications

Accredited Assessment Centres - Old Trades

Accreditation of assessment centres FAQs

  • Who can be an accredited assessment centre?

    The QCTO will accredit an entity as an assessment centre for a specified occupational qualification or part-qualification upon consideration of the recommendation of the AQP.

    The entity must satisfy the following conditions.

    1. Be a juristic person registered or established in terms of South African law
    2. Have a valid tax clearance certificate issued by the South African Revenue Service, if applicable
    3. Have a suitable and compliant Management Information System in accordance with the QCTO specifications
    4. Be safe, secure and accessible to candidates
    5. Meet the relevant standards for occupational health and safety
    6. Have the required physical resources (eg venue, equipment, machinery or protective clothing) specified by the AQP to assess learners’ competence regarding the occupational qualification or part-qualification
    7. Have appropriately qualified human resources as specified by the AQP
    8. Make provision for any other requirements specified for the relevant trade, occupational qualification or part-qualification

  • What are the benefits of being an accredited assessment centre?

    The QCTO accredited assessment centres are responsible for ensuring the integrity and quality of EISA and certification for occupational qualifications and trades. Only accredited assessment centres may deliver assessments for QCTO certification.

  • How does an entity become accredited?

    Upon identifying an occupational qualification or trade for which the centre qualifies to assess, the centre will apply to the Assessment Quality Partner for that qualification to be an assessment centre. The AQP will evaluate the suitability of that centre to be an assessment centre for that qualification and make a recommendation to the QCTO.

  • What is the difference between an assessment centre and a trade test centre?

    A trade test centre is an assessment centre for trades. An assessment centre therefore could either be for occupations or for trades.

  • How do I apply to be accredited as a trade test centre for old trades?

    The potential trade test centre applies through the relevant SETA or NAMB for accreditation. NAMB will then process the application through the National Artisan Development Quality Assurance Committee (NADQAC) and make a recommendation to the QCTO.

     

    The accreditation of trade test centres for artisan trade testing against the new occupational qualifications is the responsibility of the QCTO. The potential trade test centre applies through NAMB who will then process the application and forward a recommendation for accreditation to the QCTO.

     

    The QCTO may conduct a verification site visit to verify that the accreditation criteria are met after which a final decision is made and the trade test centre and NAMB is informed of the accreditation status.

     

  • How long does accreditation of an assessment centre last?

    An assessment centre will be accredited for a period of five years for the new occupational qualifications. The accreditation period for old trades is three years.

ACCREDITATION PROCESS FOR

ASSESSMENT CENTRES (AC)

The application process for accreditation commences with the completion of online application forms.  The online application form link can be found here.

Once the application is submitted online the prospective Assessment Centre's (AC) details will be sent to the relevant Assessment Quality Partner (AQP) for processing.

The AQP will receive and process the AC application and conduct site visits and thereafter sends a recommendation to the QCTO for further processing. The site visit audit report shall be recommended to the QCTO accreditation Committee for consideration and approval. Thereafter the formal outcome will be issued to the applicant.

The QCTO’s objective is to process all ACs recommendations received from AQPs within 30 working days.  The accreditation is valid for five years from the date the QCTO grants accreditation. Accreditation of the AC may be withdrawn at any time by the QCTO if the AC fails to perform its responsibilities as stipulated in the QCTO Accreditation Policy.

At no point should an AC applicant advertise qualifications applied for before a final accreditation outcome has been issued by the QCTO. Any misrepresentation of documents submitted to the QCTO will result in the accreditation application to be denied or if accredited, revoked.

How to apply for accreditation

All occupational qualifications or part-qualifications registered on the OQSF have a QCTO-appointed Assessment Quality Partner (AQP) associated with it.

 

Bodies seeking accreditation as an assessment centre

  • must apply to the relevant AQP responsible for recommending the accreditation of assessment centres to the QCTO
  • should have the required facilities and meet the requirements specified by the relevant AQP for the related occupational qualification or part-qualification
  • should be familiar with the qualification for which they wish to conduct assessments.

 

Interested applicants should also familiarise themselves with the following documents before applying for accreditation.

 

Checklists for Trades-related Qualifications

NOTICES, EVENTS AND WEBINARS

For all queries related to assessment centre accreditation, please email

[email protected] or [email protected]

 

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