EDTP ensures quality education in South Africa. Genuine educational equity requires that students in primary and high schools study with teachers who educate by example as well as direct instruction; students long for teachers who look and sound like them, who understand their cultural norms, and can lead them to higher education and into the corridors of power. Ideally, ethnic, linguistic, and socio-cultural diversity in the educational community would mirror the nations.,but achievement of that ideal depends upon assuring disadvantaged youth and adults access to teaching positions through non-traditional career paths.
In South Africa, teaching certification requires a Bachelor’s Degree and a year of pre-service training beyond college graduation, but the Education, Training, and Development Practices sector employs para-professionals, early childhood educators, industrial training specialists, and other professionals who conduct the serious business of education outside traditional schoolrooms. ETDP SETA assures these workers meaningful training and access to diverse routes for professional advancement.