Workplace Skills Plan

According to the Services SETA website, a Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) is:

“…a strategic document that articulates how the employer is going to address the training and development needs in the workplace.”

WSP documents skills needs in an organisation and describes the range of skills development interventions that an organisation will use to address these needs.

A WSP is developed annually – for the period 01 April to 31 March - by a registered Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) and is submitted to the SETA with which the Company is registered. The WSP facilitates access to the SETs mandatory grant for skills training. Companies are required to report against their WSPs in an Annual Training Report (ATR) that shows how they have addressed the priority skills defined in the WSP. The ATR is submitted at the same time as the WSP, but it reports on progress against the previous year’s WSP.

An equally important purpose of the WSP is that it also provides important sector information to the SETA on employee profiles, skills needs and skills development interventions. A good WSP should consider current and future needs, taking into account gaps identified through a skills audit, the performance management system, succession planning intiatives, and any new process or technology changes planned for the year.

By successfully submitting their WSP and ATR, companies can claim a refund of 20%, of the Skills Development Levies paid, from the Mandatory Grant of their SETA, for training expenses (internal and external) incurred by them. Submission of these documents, also makes companies eligible to apply for discretionary grants from the relevant SETA. A Discretionary Grant is a grant paid to a company, for skills development initiatives linked to scarce and critical skills in the sector(s) that fall within the ambit of the SETA. Such training must be aligned to the Sector Skills Plan. In order to receive discretionary funding, companies must apply for discretionary grants following SETA specific guidelines.

Claims in respect of the following, can be claimed from the Mandatory Grant of the SETA:

The appointment and registration of a Skills Development Facilitator, who serves as the link between the company and the SETA of registration around all matters relating to skills planning and development.
The submission and approval by the SETA of its WSP.
The preparation of an ATR based on its approved WSP.
Expenses such as travelling, catering and venue hire.

Skills Development is a priority element under the amended B-BBEE Codes. Companies that fail to correctly complete and submit a WSP and ATR will receivezero points on the skills’ development element of their BEE scorecards. This willleave their competitors with relatively stronger BEE scorecards, greater chances of getting mandatory and discretionary grant money from SETAs, and better-trained workforces.

In order for a company to score any points under the Skills Development Element (Statement 400) it needs to comply with the following requirements:

Confirmation of SETA registration.
Appointment of a Skills Development Facilitator (SDF)
Compliance with Skills Development Act (SDA)
Compliance with Skills Development Levies Act (SDLA)
Registration with the relevant SETA
Development of a WSP and ATR
Implement a plan to develop priority skills for Black people.

Let Seshni Consulting (Pty) Ltd. assist you with your Skills Development functions.

One of our SDF’s will be assigned to assist your company on a monthly basis to ensure that your Skills Development Function is implemented efficiently and according to best industry standards. This solution is usually implemented for at the least a twelve-month period and includes the following deliverables:

Oversee the formation of a skills committee
Facilitate the monthly skills committee meetings
Negotiate consensus on training priorities and focus areas
Align the company information systems to the SETA reporting requirements
Co-ordinate the establishment of a communication structure for skills development planning and implementation within the organisation
Advise on learning interventions to meet the requirements of the WSP
Determine the impact of Skills Development on organisational performance

Make Seshni Consulting (Pty) Ltd. your strategic partner and derive the following benefits:

An experienced and qualified consultant will be appointed as your Skills Development Facilitator and will be assisted by an experienced skills development team
Your workplace skills plan and annual training report, will be professionally, accurately and timeously developed and submitted taking into account the SETA guidelines and the needs of the business.
Saving you time and effort and ensuring compliance through your partner collecting, completing and submitting the required documentation
Assistance with the establishment, and functioning, of a Skills Development Committee.

Seshni Consulting (Pty) Ltd. will assist your company to claim from the SETA and, at the same time, to earn the maximum points possible on the Skills Development priority element of the B – BBEE Scorecard through the following services:

Acting as an external Skills Development Facilitator for your company.
Establishment and functioning of your Skills Development Committee (by law, a company with 50 or more employees needs to establish a Skills Development Committee and consult with this Committee with regard to, inter alia, the Workplace Skills Plan).
Conducting a skills audit to identify and prioritise skills gaps amongst your employees.
Obtaining funding from the SETA for the skills development of your employees.
Compilation and submission, to the SETA. of your Workplace Skills Plan (including PIVOTAL Plan) and Annual Training Report.
Applying for discretionary grants for your company.
Co - ordinate and submit to the SETA the deliverables which are pre - requites for the SETA to make various tranche payments, in respect of the discretionary grants.
Maintenance of training reports.
Managing the learnership, apprenticeship and internship programmes for your company, including the recruitment of the targeted candidates for these programmes.
The delivery of both non - credit bearing and credit bearing training in terms of your approved WSP.
Serving as a contact person between your company and the SETA.