South Africa’s skills story and your future at AIET

Every artisan, technician, programmer and community worker contributes through something they can do. South Africa’s skills story is about how people gain that ability, how it is recognised and who has access to the opportunity to learn.

AIET’s own journey began with boilermaking. It remains a flagship focus, alongside engineering and IT. Understanding the wider history helps explain why we value practical learning and why choosing a programme is about more than a course title.

A history of unequal opportunity

Before the modern skills framework, apprenticeship training often took place in large employers and state enterprises. Apartheid restricted access to many skilled occupations. The country needed skilled people, but opportunity was not shared equally.

The Manpower Training Act of 1981 organised formal apprenticeship and experienced-worker routes. Section 13 described a structured apprenticeship pathway, while the historical Section 28 route allowed experienced workers to seek admission to a trade test. Those historical labels should not be treated as instructions for a new application today.

A framework for recognised learning

The National Qualifications Framework created a way to recognise and compare learning. The Skills Development Act of 1998 connected skills development, workplace learning and the national system. The later levy framework helped fund skills development through employer contributions.

SETAs focus on the skills needs of sectors of the economy. Employers can participate in planning and training through the applicable processes. The National Skills Fund supports national skills priorities within its mandate. Public funding is subject to the relevant rules and is not automatically attached to every course or applicant.

Why the levy involves SARS

The skills levy uses the country’s tax administration to collect qualifying employer contributions. It is part of the skills funding framework, rather than a fee that a learner pays to a college. The SARS Skills Development Levy page explains the current employer rules.

Occupational learning connects three parts

Knowledge helps you understand the task. Practical skills help you carry it out. Workplace experience places that ability in a working environment. Occupational assessment, including trade testing where applicable, checks the outcomes required for the qualification.

QCTO was established through the 2008 skills legislation changes and launched in 2010. Its role strengthened the focus on occupations and their learning outcomes. For an experienced worker, ask about the current recognition-of-prior-learning route and the applicable assessment requirements instead of relying on a repealed historical route.

Change continues

The 2026 State of the Nation Address set out a direction for skills reform, including stronger links to workplaces. Announced policy and implemented rules can change at different times. Check the current qualification and intake information when making a study decision.

AIET is preparing its 2027 Occupational Boilermaker NQF Level 4 intake. Programme approval, delivery arrangements and assessment must be confirmed for the selected route before registration. This page does not claim that AIET is the only provider of the qualification.

What this means for you

Choose the work you want to learn, then check the exact qualification, entry requirements, approval, timetable and costs. Ask how practical and workplace learning are arranged. Once enrolled, attend, practise, complete your assessments and seek help early.

Your learning can become a contribution to a family, an employer or a community. That is the purpose behind our emphasis on boilermaking, welding, engineering and IT, and our commitment to the other fields we teach.

Read the story and check its sources

This article adapts the educational story published by Mpowerful. Explore its source register and the official sources linked there, including the Skills Development Levies Act, the Skills Development Amendment Act of 2008, QCTO, DHET and the National Skills Fund.

The sources describe the national framework. Refer to AIET’s own accreditation register for the supplied programme-specific approval records.