The SA Qualifications Act of 1995 established the South African Qualifications Authority and a National Qualification Framework to regulate Education, Training and Skills Development in South Africa.

SAQA is a body appointed by the Ministers of Education and Labour. The functions of the Authority are essentially twofold:
To oversee the development of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), by formulating and publishing policies and criteria for the registration and accreditation of bodies responsible for establishing education and training standards or qualifications.
To oversee the implementation of the NQF by ensuring the registration, accreditation and assignment of functions to the bodies referred to above, as well as the registration of national standards and qualifications on the framework.

Standards Generating Bodies were established, responsible for generating standards and qualifications and recommending them to Consultative Panels.

The Education and Training Quality Assurance (ETQA) regulations were also published in1998 and provided for the accreditation of Education and Training Quality Assurance bodies. These bodies are responsible for accrediting providers of education and training standards and qualifications registered on the NQF, monitoring provision, evaluating assessment and facilitating moderation across providers, and registering assessors.

Employers employ Employees to make the effective and profitable operation of the organization or company possible. Employees offer their person and skills to the employer for this purpose, and expect a fair and market-related reward for their efforts. The entire process is governed by a framework of government laws and regulations, aimed at preventing injustices and ensuring future prosperity for the individuals, the organization, and the country. One of the primary laws governing human resource practices is The Skills Development and Employment Equity Act (EEA), which mandates employers to develop the relevant skills of their employees, within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and in compliance with standards set by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). An essential element in any Skills Development programme is assessment, to determine what development is required and to ensure that training is conducted effectively.

According to the Skills Development Act (1998) and the Skills Development Levies Act (1999), employers are mandated to pay 1% of their payroll towards annual skills levies. Employers can recover this levy if they can prove that they have assessed and trained employees during the year. All employers are legally obliged to appoint a SDF (Skills Development Facilitator), to complete and submit a Workplace Skills Plan (WSP), and to report on training in an Annual Training Report (ATR)
A Major Challenge for Every Human Resource Manager is to comply with the Employment Equity Act (EEA) requirements, which resulted in 2007 in more than 66 companies being fined by the Department of Labour between R 100,000 to R900,000 each for non-compliance.
Non compliance with the EEA is:

These are the main offences for which the 66 companies employing more than 50 employees were fined.

Managers have to recognise the prior learning (RPL) of employees in order to place them in on-the-job or job relevant training programmes. Refunds of mandatory skills levies are claimed by the companies from the SETAs for submission of WSPs and ATRs. Furthermore, discretionary grants can be claimed for the registration and provision of Learnerships and Skills Programmes to employees.

LAB assists managers to assess all employees on-the-job, assess prior learning, determine their ability levels, place them in appropriate training programmes and claim back mandatory levies and discretionary skills grants from their SETA.
The recommended LAB implementation programme provides useful guidance to managers in the preparation of their Skills Development Plans. LAB Administrators are trained by LTF in the preparation of IDP’s, and to advise and counsel employees in their career advancement.

The Learning Ability Battery (LAB) provides employers with an invaluable assessment tool which is accredited by SAQA. The LAB programme enables employers to assess the potential of applicants for recruitment, of existing employees for training, future development and promotion. It is also very useful for Skills Audits, Potential and Talent Scouting.

While LAB can be used as a stand-alone assessment tool, it is strongly recommended that organizations/companies integrate LAB as an essential element in their overall Skills Development Policies and Programmes.
Employers should also have written Human Resources Policies in place, including Conditions of Employment, Job and Person Specifications for each Job Category and a Promotion Policy.

Individual Development Plans are compiled in order to identify, prioritise and implement the training needed for the development of employees.

Every Company should be committed to the continuous training and development of its employees to achieve its vision, mission and strategic objectives and to empower employees. Companies should manage training and development within the guidelines of relevant national policies and legislation.

It is suggested that an integrated approach to Human Resource Management be followed, that Human resource development should form an integral part of human resource planning and management.

In order for Skills Development Plans to be successful they should be based on sound Human Resource (HR) practices, such as the HR Plan, job descriptions, the result of regular performance appraisals and career development programmes.

The Individual Development Plans of employees should be included in their annual performance agreements. This approach will ensure the alignment of individual performance objectives to the company's strategic objectives, and that training and development needs can be identified through performance management and appraisal.

Career-pathing ensures that employees are placed and developed in jobs according to aptitude and identified potential. Through training and development they can acquire the necessary competencies to prepare them for future positions. A comprehensive competency framework and profile for all posts in the company should be including the relevant registered unit standards, will specifically assist in the compilation of Individual Development Plans.

Individual Development Plans are compiled for individual employees and the data collated from all employees in the company will form the basis for the prescribed Workplace Skills Plan (WSP), which companies are required to compile. The WSP will co-ordinate all training and education activities in the company in a specific financial year and will enable the compilation of the Annual Training Report (ATR) on progress made in Skills Development to the Sector Education and Training Authority.

Lead the Field provides a suggested format for Individual Development Plans, linked to the documentation of the Learning Ability Battery.

Skills and career development for adults start with the learner becoming literate and numerate up to ABET Level 4 to be ready for further education & training (FET)

Literacy and numeracy courses are fundamental and mandatory for learners to handle the core subjects in Further Education and Training (FET).

LTF’s approach to ABET is NOT merely for the Learner to read, write and work with numbers, but to be equipped to react to written materials and do calculations in order to develop one's full potential and become a more productive person.

No person can be trained in a skill or communicate in a language not understood and comprehended.

LTF uses Suggestopedic Accelerated Learning Techniques SALT) for all it’s ABET programmes, thus achieving proven results in a much shorter time.

Our Government and Trade Unions are doing much to persuade employers to speed up this process which will ultimately lead to greater prosperity and a better quality of life for all.

The ABET learning pathway Levels 1-4 leads to a General Education Certificate (G.E.T.C.) – NQF Level 1.

A General Education and Training Certificate serves a number of purposes and links strongly with the "Bill of Rights".

The following table may be useful to see where ABET levels fit into the overall framework.

The following diagram is a suggested planning tool for a Career Development Programme.
Using the Learning Ability Battery to determine current skills and knowledge levels, candidates can be channeled into the appropriate ABET training courses, followed by Further Education and Training as required.