Don’t be fooled by marketing mumbo jumbo!
Somehow, somewhere in the whole unraveling of training and education field, the list and meaning of “Umalusi accredited Colleges and Providers” has been slightly twisted to say the least. Many organisations have been unfortunately fooled by marketing mambo jumbo. Umalusi, the council for quality assurance in general and further education and training, accredits private providers of education and training as well as private assessment bodies. Umalusi is mandated to accredit Private Providers of education and training, and Assessment Bodies. Registration gives the Private Provider the licence to operate in South Africa. Accreditation however, is a status given to Private Providers as a result of a quality assurance process. It confirms the quality of provision offered. Umalusi accredited colleges and providers offer tuition and/or assessment for qualifications on the General and Further Education and Training Qualification Framework.
Umalusi Accredited Colleges and Providers
Don’t be fooled by marketing mumbo jumbo! Umalusi accreditation requirements and Umalusi Accredited Colleges and Providers actually include the following institution types:
- Independent schools
- Private Further Education and Training Colleges – TVET Colleges
- Private Adult Education and Training Providers
- Private assessment bodies (for the qualifications Umalusi certifies)
Umalusi certifies formal qualifications offered by public and private providers. These national qualifications are developed and quality assured by Quality Councils, namely Umalusi, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). Umalusi accredited colleges and providers offer one at least, of the following:
- The National Certificate Vocational (NCV) offered by public FET/TVET colleges and some private colleges
- The National Technical Certificate (N3) Engineering
- The National Senior Certificate as offered by most high schools in South Africa
- The GETC/GETCA: offered by many ABET/AET Providers.
The National Senior Certificate for Adults, the NASCA, is in its last stages before being made available to adult learners. The draft curriculum was gazetted for public comment by the DHET, Government Gazette No 38520 of 6 March 2015. The NASCA will be one of Umalusi’s qualifications but no Provider is yet accredited to offer this.
Umalusi Accreditation Requirements
A list of all Umalusi accredited colleges and providers is available on the Umalusi website. It is worthwhile doing a thorough background check on all Colleges and Providers before awarding contracts, tenders or choosing Training Providers.
Umalusi accreditation requirements are detailed on-line, user-friendly. Umalusi accredited Colleges and Providers will attest to the fact that the accreditation process is truly developmental for all institutions.
Umalusi Accreditation for ABET/AET Providers
The Umalusi accreditation requirements for ABET/AET Providers (GETC/GETCA) have changed over the last two years. ABET/AET Providers (4 to be exact) have been awarded full accreditation (a 7-year accreditation). In their endeavor to uphold the highest quality of ABET/AET, Umalusi awards the current accreditation status to ABET/AET Providers:
- 7 year accreditation (Fully accredited) OR
- Confirmed Candidate (I year)
If an ABET/AET Provider does not have one of these above, you need to make urgent enquiries at Umalusi before using them.
Triple E Training has a 7 year accreditation status.
Institutions may have the Umalusi logo on their websites and letterheads but this does not mean they are accredited. A list of private institutions accredited by Umalusi can be found on their website at www.umalusi.org.za. You can in fact search accredited providers by name, type, accreditation status and province. Accreditation afterall confirms the quality of provision offered and enables you to choose what is only excellent for your learners.
Sources
Umalusi Accredited Colleges
Search for Accredited Providers
http://www.umalusi-online.org.za/enquiries
