HR Pulse

You can now register a professional body with SAQA

The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Act 67 of 2008 has replaced the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act of 1995. And it has brought many changes with it, for example:

• Expanding the previous eight-level National Qualification Framework (NQF) to 10 levels; and
  
  
• Merging the three quality councils into one.

What I feel is probably the most important change is that professional bodies are now being recognised in terms of the new act.

What was the situation previously?

Previously, professional bodies’ voices did not have any legal standing. However, with this new change, these bodies can now:

• Perform a quality-assurance function for the members of the profession they represent. In other words, members of the public who use a particular professional body’s services, where the body is recognised in terms of the NQF Act, will be assured that they are getting high-quality services. This is because members of a professional body will all adhere to the same code of ethics;
  
  
• Improve career development services among members of their profession – which is currently their biggest task; and
  
  
• Promote standards of trust among professionals in South Africa.

Many of you, our loyal readers, have been writing to me, asking questions about the registration. I have done some digging and found a page of frequently-asked questions on the SAQA website, which might help you. Here are a few:

1.    Will all professional bodies, including professional associations/institutes, be required to apply to SAQA for recognition by the NQF?

If a professional body or a professional association wants to be involved in the education and training environment, and wants to cooperate with the relevant quality council (QC) about developing qualifications and quality assurance, it must apply to SAQA for recognition. The three QCs are:

• The Council on Higher Education (CHE) for the Higher Education sub-framework;
  
  
• Umalusi for the General and Further Education and Training sub-framework; and
  
  
• The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) for the Trades and Occupations sub-framework.

2.    If we, as a professional body, do not want to be recognised by SAQA, what are the implications for us?

You may continue to function as you did before, however you will only be allowed limited involvement in the formal education and learning environment.

3.    Can a professional body register members on learnerships?

Professional bodies may register its members and employees on learnerships as long as these are not the accredited provider of the qualification associated with the learnership.

4.    Why may a professional body not be an accredited training provider?

Potential problems may arise when professional bodies have to quality-assure their own offering to learners and assess the learner. An additional area of conflict could arise when a professional body, which is also an accredited provider, is required to accredit other providers of the same qualifications.

5.    Will professional bodies be able to continue offering training as part of their members’ continual professional development (CPD)?

Professional bodies will be allowed to offer training as part of their CPD offerings to members. However, where such training leads to a registered qualification or part-qualification, the training must be conducted by an accredited provider.

6.    Can a part-qualification and/or NQF-aligned skills programme be regarded as an underlying qualification for a professional body’s professional qualification?

The term qualification includes part-qualifications. This implies that the underlying qualification of a designation can be linked to a part-qualification registered on the NQF.

7.    Will a professional body’s professional designation be registered at an NQF level?

A professional designation will not be registered at a specific NQF level. However, the underlying qualifications of all professional designations will be registered at a specific NQF level.

8.    Can a person hold more than one professional designation and will all of these be recorded on the National Learners' Records Database (NLRD)?

A person can hold any number of professional designations, each awarded by a different professional body. The NLRD will be able to record more than one designation per person.

9.    What will happen to a registered professional designation once a recognised professional body is either derecognised or ceases to exist?

The designation/s of a professional body, which loses its recognition status, will be deregistered. The designation holders’ records will reflect a deregistration date and no new records will be added against the specific designation. Deregistered designation holders’ records will not be removed from the NLRD.

10.    Will Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) play a role in recognising professional bodies and registering professional designations?

SAQA is the only organisation that can recognise professional bodies and register professional designations for the purposes of the NQF Act. SETAs may, however, opt to support its members where appropriate.