As per the Skills Development Act and Government Gazette 2001, if an organisation employs 50 or more employees, the company must establish a Skills Development Training Committee.
A Skills Development Committee is a forum established & convened by the employer to consult employees on skills development matters. This committee must comprise of the following (minimum of 4 members):
- A trade union representative (if applicable);
- Management representing the employer for example: Finance/HR responsible for skills development);
- Employee representatives.
The purpose of the consultation is so that parties can engage in a thorough and meaningful joint consensus-seeking skills development process, reflecting the interest of the employees.
The role of the training committee is to:
- Consult on skills priorities and training needs and agree on interventions that address these priorities and needs;
- To represent, communicate with and gather feedback from employees and employers on skills development matters;
- To focus on the statutory objectives, particularly those embodied in the Skills Development Act.
Specific functions and responsibilities should include:
- Providing input into a skills development policy in support of the organisation’s business plan and that it is in line with the regulations as laid down by the Skills Development Act;
- Ensure the development and implementation of the Workplace Skills Plan is aligned to the strategic mission and vision of the organisation & aligned to the Employment Equity Plan
- For the benefit of the organisation, take cognisance of BBBEE requirements;
- Establish training priorities for the organisation based on its short and long term needs;
- Communicate the completed Workplace Skills Plan to other employees in the organisation;
- Monitor the implementation and periodically revise the Workplace Skills Plan;
- Evaluate the skills development needs of the employees and organisation by conducting a skills analysis;
- Providing input into the Annual Training Report;
- Signing off that the committee was consulted on the Annual Training Report, Pivotal Training Report, Workplace Skills Plan & Pivotal Training Plan before submitting reports to the SETA;
- Implementation and the monitoring of the Workplace Skills Plan – by reviewing training committed to as well as training completed thus far;
- Discuss implementation and planning of Discretionary Grants taking into consideration the Critical & Scarce Skills of the Seta;
- Align training to the SETA Sector Skills Plan, learnerships, career pathways, accredited national qualifications, etc;
- Advise of issues related to discretionary grants and monitor progress thereof;
- Monitoring the payments of grants and levies;
- Signed meeting minutes must be kept on record.
It is recommended that the employer should conduct the Skills Development Committee meetings quarterly and consultation should commence as early as possible in the process of preparing for the workplace skills plan or annual training report submission.
SEESA has always been committed to providing ongoing quality service to all our clients. Our team of Skills Development Facilitators will advise and assist your business in making sure the correct drafting and reporting procedures take place.
To find out how SEESA can assist your business, please contact your nearest SEESA office.
About the Author:
Nishal Moodley started her career at SEESA in 2015 and is currently a Senior Skills Development Facilitator at SEESA’s Durban office. She graduated from Varsity College with a Diploma in Bookkeeping and Careers 2000 with Advanced Business Computing.
Resources:
Skills Development ACT/ Government Gazette Number 22398 of 2001