You need a SETA and QCTO Accreditation Strategy to ensure you can withstand market competition. Organizations offering training or coaching services can add further value to their markets when accredited to deliver recognized occupational solutions.
Do You Have a QCTO Accreditation Strategy?
How you connect your market to relevant qualifications is critical for your success. If you don’t already have a readily available market, you’ll have to attract one. But how will you know which qualifications give you easy access and minimal competition without an analysis?
What is your QCTO Accreditation Strategy?
There are many accredited organizations offering credit-bearing training to result in an industry-relevant qualification or part qualification (skills programs). What will you do differently?
Accreditation Means Credibility: What do you plan to achieve with it?
Accreditation signals a stamp of credibility, compliance and accountability to the market.
By conforming to legislated levels of compliance, learners receive certificates of competence, and organizations procuring accredited training can claim tax rebates and BEE points as a reward for their contribution.
QCTO Accreditation Strategy Touchpoints
1. Market Alignment: Know Your Target Markets
SETAs have a vested interest in the following markets, do you?:
- High school leavers market.
- 25-54 year old market.
- Business and industry training market.
- A vocational and lifelong learning market.
2. Solving Scarce Skills Increases Competitiveness
Many industries complain of skills shortages and voice concern over a lack of technical skills and expertise. Emerging and existing training organizations can identify business opportunities by linking their services to meeting scarce skill areas.
3. Select Registered Qualifications or Skills Programs
You must select qualifications, skills programs or unit standards that are registered on the National Qualifications Framework.
Qualification Career Pathing
It’s advisable to select more than one qualification/component to be accredited for and maximize market advantage. Identify groups of qualifications e.g business administration NQF levels 3, 4, and 5, and pursue accreditation for all 3 so you can career path learners and provide greater scope for returning clients who adore your services.
Although the accreditation process requires that you attach training team contracts, CVs, and qualifications, you can advertise for these specialists and negotiate their involvement. Most require an upfront payment in exchange for their credentials, this is a fair trade-off as many complain that newly accredited organizations often scope the market for other facilitators and fail to contract those who submitted initial documents.
4. Survey Your Competition
Identify existing training providers in your sector who are offering the same or similar qualifications. Consider how you must differentiate yourself in order to compete in similar target markets.
Qualifications, unit standards, etc contain lists of training providers. Most information is years out of date, so don’t assume the list is complete and stop your competitive research there! However, the QCTO appears to maintain its databases and information appears to be pretty current and very useful for analytical purposes.
Google the qualifications you want to be accredited for as the market leaders will feature prominently – as you will need to. Identify typical qualification branding features, many organizations purchase content from the same providers which means their course structures and titling are often virtually the same. See what you can do differently.
5. Funding Dependency
Although accredited providers can apply and compete for funding, it’s never a good idea to set up a business that depends entirely on funding. Accreditation needs to be backed up by a sustainable business model. Applicants must therefore seriously consider finance for their venture in the same way any other business would.
There really is NO reason why the SETA should entrust limited funds to new providers in the market. However, those new providers who are savvy enough to establish themselves correctly and target the right markets (with the relevant qualifications) can access SETA support.
New providers are often a high risk as they are inexperienced. They still need to build an understanding of due diligence in this formal environment. If you can demonstrate this understanding then you could enter the market competitively.
NEED HELP?
Online SETA and QCTO Accreditation Strategy Coaching
Cost-effective, easy, and accommodating. This service is for those who have tough days and insufficient hours.
6 accreditation coaching hours can be reserved during or after work, Mondays – Saturdays and wherever you are!
