/ 21 September 2002

Service Seta surges ahead

The service Seta has the largest number of registered levy-paying companies in the country, according to the official quarterly report from the Department of Labour. It is growing at about 2 000 members a month, and its scope covers 29 industries grouped into two chambers, with a total of 46 000 members.

The Seta collects R180-million in levies annually. A total of 100% of levy grants paid back to companies submitting their Workplace Skills Plans is in excess of R20-million.

More than 92% of companies employing over 50 people in this sector are complying with legislation to submit their Workplace Skills Plans.

Over the past two years the following developments have taken place in the Service Seta:

” six regional offices and six career centres have been established;

” 80 new jobs have been created;

” 20 internship positions for human resource practitioners have been created;

” the Seta has facilitated the development and funding of 13 standards-generating bodies, composed of 260 industry experts, primarily from business and labour;

” 36 learnerships have been established;

” an employee assistance programme has been launched in every region to cover workplace management of issues such as HIV/Aids, disability and addiction; and

” 17 areas of research in the sector have been commissioned.

CEO of the service Seta Ivor Blumenthal says the challenges relate to buy-in from small, medium and micro-enterprises comprising the vast majority of their members.

“We have also had to learn hard lessons in areas where we have pioneered new programmes such as standards and qualifications development, skills development facilitator training, assessor training and certification models,” he says.

For more information visit www.serviceseta.org.za; telephone (011) 482 1520; fax (011) 482 2245; Call Centre: 0861 101148