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PSETA Sector Skills Plan 2015 to 2016 Update

Levy contribution to the PSETA F/Y 2014/2015

In terms of the DPSA Directive, a contribution of 30% of the 1% of total department’s annual personnel budget for training and development of its personnel and potential employees is to be paid over to the line function SETA and to PSETA. The contribution of the 30% portion shall be payable to the SETA quarterly and no later than the last day of the first month of each quarter. It is the responsibility of your department to submit a written request to the relevant Treasury seeking and motivating for the creation of transfers to the PSETA in line with Treasury Regulation 6.3.1(a) and (b).  The account details to which transfers may be made is  as follows:  The Public Service  Sector Education & Training Authority; ABSA Bank; Account Number: 40-5196-0384; Current Account; Branch Name: RBB Commercial Northern Region; Branch Code: 632005. Gratitude to all the Departments who have started making the transfers to PSETA.

Utilisation of the 1% levy Frequently Asked Questions

Question:  What is the 1% levy and what purpose does it serve?

Answer:  It is a portion of the personnel budget for training and development that is paid to SETAs by employers. It is meant to ensure employees have ongoing and equitable access to training interventions identified in the Sector Skills Plan.

Question:  Who should pay the 1% levy?

Answer:   In terms of Skills Development Act all employers with over 50 employees pay the levy.

Question: Does the entire 1% PSETA?

Answer: Of the 1% only 30% is paid to a SETA with which the employer is affiliated and 70% of the 1% will remain with the employer. 20% shall be set aside for unemployed youth training and the other 50% will be utilised for current employees.

Question:  How is the transfer to PSETA created?

Answer: Government departments must apply to their relevant Treasury for the creation of transfer payments to PSETA in 2014/2015. The creation of transfers to PSETA must take place in accordance with the PFMA, 1999 as amended. Increase of transfers to an entity has to be applied for by the accounting officer of the department to National Treasury.

Question:  Are all employers compelled to pay the levy?

Answer: Yes. Per annum each government department shall set aside a minimum of one percent (1%) of the total annual personnel budget for training and development of its personnel and potential employees

Question:  How will I know if the transfer is successful?

Answer: The creation of transfers is approved by Treasury and accounting officers will be notified accordingly. PSETA will therefore circulate to all departments a list with names of departments and amounts that each department is expected to transfer to PSETA.

Question:  How does an employee benefit from the 1%?

Answer: SETAs fund discretionary projects, as applied for by the respective employer, which include bursaries, learnerships, skills programmes and occupational qualifications

Question:  What happens if an employer fails to pay the levy?

Answer: All employers are obligated to contribute the levies in terms of the directive of the DPSA No1 of 2013 and the National Treasury Circular issued on 9th July 2014.

Question: What is the exact amount that should be transferred to PSETA?

Answer: DPSA in the HRD Circular 1 of 2013 has worked out a formula for the calculation of levies to the line function SETA and to PSETA

Question: How often should the transfer to PSETA be made?

Answer: Monthly and Quarterly

Question: How would departments know into which account to transfer the money to PSETA?

Answer: Departments must consult PSETA through the office of the CFO and relevant documents will be made available to departments.

Question: Should PSETA invoice or send invoices to Departments?

Answer: No this is a transfer payment in terms of the cabinet decision and Ministerial Directive

Question: Must departments only wait for the creation of transfer by Treasury before transfer?

Answer: No. Departments may send BAS forms to the PSETA to complete for them to capture the details. Subsequent, to that payments may be made.

Question:  Who do I contact should I need clarity regarding transfer of levies to PSETA?

Answer: Manager or CFO on office number 012 423 5733 or email levycollections@pseta.org.za

The PSETA Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on the 27^th November 2014.

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Skills for and through Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs)

The South African government has adopted the National Development Plan (NDP) in November 2011 as its framework for addressing the key ills in the country namely, high unemployment, high inequality and high levels of poverty.  In the following year the President announced the commencement of the National Infrastructure Plan emphasising that the country be industrialised, skills generated boost much needed job creation. To date the Department of Higher Education & Training have been working tirelessly to ensure that skills are indeed generated both for the infrastructure projects as well as through them. Progress made to date include establishing what skills are needed for the infrastructure projects, known as the Strategic Integrated Projects or SIPs. Occupational Teams consisting of people who are deeply familiar with the occupations in question were established. Of the recommendations made by the team, SETAs have a significant role to play in the implementation of these projects.

PSETA will be funding 235 SIPs related occupations namely Programme Managers, Assistant Programme Managers and Project administrators. Competency requirements for project and programme managers include technical knowledge on the delivery of projects, programmes or portfolios, an understanding on the integration of work across disciplines, the production of deliverables and an understanding

of the phases through which projects should progress. The occupations are linked to one of the priority skills for the public service sector. The priority skills for the public service sector are (1) Management, (2) Supply Chain Management, (3) Human Resource Management & Development, and (4) E-learming. Consequently, it is imperative that the structures, policies and operations of the public service respond adequately to the overall direction the State is adopting to enhance its economic and national development. Developing management capacity requires more than attendance at one or two short courses. The notion that any manager can manage anything has resulted in the demise of many businesses and structures.

In terms of achieving the National Development Plan’s objective of building a capable state, management in the public sector must be strengthened. Not only are senior managers often inadequately skilled or experienced, but large numbers of management posts are vacant. The development of management capacity in the SIPs plan relates to management within the public sector. It is evident that, without the ability to plan and manage the rollout of projects by the public sector, the end result of the SIPs will not be achieved.

Source: Skills for and through SIPs report

PSETA making inroads in the Eastern Cape Province

By Ncumisa Khumalo– Learning Programmes Specialist

PSETA Learning Programmes Department started the 2014/15 Skills Development Year on a high note with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Eastern Cape Department of Transport for the training of 26 artisan learners and 13 Work Integrated Learners. PSETA has set aside just over R2 million for this project which kicked off mid July 2014 with the recruitment and placement of the 39 beneficiaries sourced from FET Colleges in the province.

With this initiative PSETA seeks to affirm its position as the lead SETA in the Transversal Skills Space – those skills that are unique to government and also to strengthen partnerships with the FET Colleges in this province.  In line with its mandate of opening up the public service as a training space, PSETA has also partnered with the Eastern Cape Department of Justice and the KSD FET College for the placement of 7 FET College learners for Work Integrated Learning.   The learners in this project started in April 2014.

The primary purpose of the Learning Programmes department of the PSETA is to facilitate the development of learning programmes that address specific sectoral needs  as identified in the  Sector Skill Plan (SSP), the department also advise government departments on the implementation of the indicated learning programmes as well as to do the monitoring and evaluation thereof.  The Eastern Cape success story is one of the great work done across the public service sector in implementing learning programmes in the sector as well as opening up the public service sector into a training space. Government is expected to make opportunities available for apprenticeships, learnerships, internships (including student interns) at national, provincial and municipal levels. It is essential that the public service sector is opened up as a training space to the greatest extent possible not only to meet the very significant skills needs of government but also to ensure that government plays its role in addressing national skills shortages. For more information regarding implementation of Learning Programmes in the public service sector contact:

Ms Ncumisa Khumalo

Learning Programmes Specialist

Tel: 012 423 5702

Email: NcumisaK@pseta.org.za

Working together we can achieve more!

To Report suspected acts of corruption in the Public Service,

call the toll free hotline at   0800 701 701.

Email: reportfraud@pseta.org.za

Call 17737 for the Presidential Hotline

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