A skills development facilitator (SDF) is the person your company registers with its SETA to plan and report on training. The SDF drafts the Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and the Annual Training Report (ATR), gets them to the SETA by 30 April each year, and keeps the evidence behind them so you can claim the mandatory grant. Many employers outsource the role. Tell us your sector, headcount and what you need, and we pass your request to independent SDFs who work in your area. They quote you directly, free of charge.
What an outsourced SDF does
An SDF can be an employee or an outside consultant; either way they are registered with your SETA for your company. A typical outsourced service covers:
- SETA registration of the SDF
- The WSP and ATR: the training planned for the coming year and the training actually done, set out the way your SETA's template asks
- Training committee meetings where the company has one, with minutes and attendance kept on file
- Grant applications when a SETA opens a discretionary grant window, for example for learnerships
- B-BBEE skills evidence: spend records, attendance registers and certificates filed so a verification agency can follow them
The skills levy, the mandatory grant and 30 April
The Skills Development Act 97 of 1998 and the Skills Development Levies Act of 1999 set up the system. Employers with an annual payroll over R500,000 pay a skills development levy of 1% of payroll through SARS, and the levy goes to the SETA for your sector. If your WSP and ATR reach the SETA by 30 April, you can claim the mandatory grant, which is 20% of the levy you paid. A late or incomplete submission can cost you that grant. Discretionary grants are separate: each SETA sets its own priorities and windows. Confirm the current rules and dates with your SETA.
Which SETA, and why it matters
There are 21 SETAs, each for a sector. A school or training provider usually falls under the ETDP SETA, a mine under the MQA, a car parts maker under merSETA, a retailer under the W&RSETA, a municipality under LGSETA, a government department under PSETA and a farm under AgriSETA. Each SETA has its own templates, system and grant rules, so an SDF who already submits in your sector saves you time and mistakes. Ask which SETAs they submit to every year.
Briefing and comparing SDFs
Before you ask for quotes, gather your levy number, last year's submission if there was one, your headcount by site and a list of the training done in the past year. Then ask each SDF:
- How many submissions did you do for our SETA last year?
- Is the fee a yearly retainer, per submission or per employee?
- Do you run the training committee and keep the minutes?
- Will you prepare a skills file for our B-BBEE verification?
If the WSP shows gaps, the same request can go to providers of leadership training or soft skills training.
What to include in your brief
- Your sector and the SETA you pay into
- Headcount and number of sites
- Whether you have submitted before
- Grant applications you want to make
- Whether you need a B-BBEE skills file
Skills Development Facilitators for business, government and communities
- Companies and head offices: group SDF work across several companies and sites, with grant claims and B-BBEE skills files
- Government departments and municipalities: SOEs and agencies reporting training to their SETA alongside public service planning
- Schools, colleges and universities: independent schools, colleges and providers submitting to the ETDP SETA each April
- NPOs, churches and community groups: larger NPOs with a payroll over the threshold that want their levy back as a grant
- Small and family businesses: a growing firm that has just passed the R500,000 payroll mark and needs its first WSP
- Mines, plants, factories and farms: mines, plants and farms reporting safety and technical training to the MQA, merSETA or AgriSETA
- Event organisers and associations: event and hospitality firms reporting seasonal staff training to their sector SETA
- Training and skills development providers: training providers that help client companies plan and evidence their training spend
Frequently asked questions
Who needs a skills development facilitator?
Can someone in our HR team be the SDF?
How do SDFs charge?
Do you provide the SDF yourselves?
Skills Development Facilitators by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg