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All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source. |
| SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY |
| REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: |
| National Occupational Certificate: Employment Consultant |
| SAQA QUAL ID | QUALIFICATION TITLE | |||
| 124486 | National Occupational Certificate: Employment Consultant | |||
| ORIGINATOR | ||||
| Development Quality Partner - SERVICES SETA | ||||
| PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY | NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK | |||
| QCTO - Quality Council for Trades and Occupations | OQSF - Occupational Qualifications Sub-framework | |||
| QUALIFICATION TYPE | FIELD | SUBFIELD | ||
| National Occupational Cert | Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies | Human Resources | ||
| ABET BAND | MINIMUM CREDITS | PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL | NQF LEVEL | QUAL CLASS |
| Undefined | 140 | Not Applicable | NQF Level 04 | Regular-ELOAC |
| REGISTRATION STATUS | SAQA DECISION NUMBER | REGISTRATION START DATE | REGISTRATION END DATE | |
| Registered | EXCO 0632/25 | 2025-06-03 | 2030-06-03 | |
| LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT | LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT | |||
| 2031-06-03 | 2034-06-03 | |||
| In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise. |
This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. |
| PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION |
| Purpose:
The purpose of this qualification is to capacitate a qualifying learner to function as an Employment Consultant. An Employment Consultant, applies ethical, legally compliant, and professional recruitment, placement, and onboarding services, to clients in different industries by identifying and matching appropriately qualified and suitable candidates to fill different kinds of employment and work vacancies to meet organisational needs and workforce plans. Upon the successful completion of the qualification a learner will be able to: Learners gain a comprehensive understanding of legislative requirements, ethical business principles, and recruitment practices, within the people acquisition function, contributing to their overall knowledge base (Ethics, Legislation, and Governance module). Learners will also develop analytical skills and participative problem-solving abilities. To effectively execute the tasks outlined in the role of an Employment Consultant, the graduate must demonstrate competency in the following key attributes/behavioural competencies: Rationale: South Africa has been grappling with persistently high unemployment and underemployment rates. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues, leading to job losses across various sectors. While specific current rates may vary, historically, South Africa has had unemployment rates above 20%, with youth unemployment being particularly high, often exceeding 50%. These high rates of unemployment and underemployment pose significant challenges to both industry and government organisations. On the one hand there is an oversupply of underkilled candidates and on the other hand there is a shortage of specialised and professionally qualified candidates. This dynamic makes it very difficult for employers to implement organisational growth strategies. The fast-moving technological innovations and disruptions as well as the complex legislative requirements related to social justice and environmental protection are aggravating this situation. Therefore, there is a need to invest in creating a dedicated and well capacitated cadre of practitioners able to focus on navigating the stated complexities, thereby facilitating the effective and timeous union of candidates with work opportunities in an appropriate, ethical, and cost-effective manner. The Human Resource Management and Employment sector identified the need for appropriate qualifications in this area. Since 2012, under the auspices of the Services Sector Education and Training Authority, they have worked on the creation and implementation of qualifications to meet this critical need. The specific benefits that the Human Resource Management sector, and the South African economy and society will gain from utilising a properly constructed and approved National Occupational Certificate for Employment Consultants is summarised as: With trained Employment Consultants, HR professionals are able to expedite the recruitment process by outsourcing tasks such as candidate screening and interviewing, allowing HR managers to focus on strategic aspects of talent acquisition and retention. Trained Employment Consultants are able to effectively match job seekers with suitable employment opportunities, thereby reducing unemployment rates and contributing to the economic well-being of individuals and families. A qualified workforce leads to increased productivity, as Employment Consultants are able to ensure that job seekers are matched with roles that align with their skills and abilities, reducing mismatches and turnover rates. By connecting employers with skilled workers, Employment Consultants stimulate economic growth by fuelling innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment in key sectors of the economy. Increasing the number of individuals gainfully employed, reduces strain on social welfare systems, freeing up resources for investment in education, healthcare, and infrastructure development, which are essential for long-term economic sustainability. There are no similar qualifications currently registered on the NQF, or skills programmes approved by the QCTO. The typical categories of learners who would be interested in pursuing learning towards achieving a National Occupational Certificate for Employment Consultants are defined as follows: This qualification was developed in collaboration with the relevant employer organisations, employee organisations and regulatory bodies: |
| LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING |
| Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
RPL for Access to Training Learners may use the RPL process to gain access to training opportunities for a programme of learning, qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme if they do not meet the formal, minimum entry requirements for admission. RPL assessment provides an alternative access route into a programme of learning, qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme. Such an RPL assessment may be developed, moderated, and conducted by the accredited Skills Development Provider which offers that specific qualification/part qualification/skills programme. Such an assessment must ensure that the learner is able to display the equivalent level of competencies required for access, based on the NQF level descriptors. RPL for exemption from modules For exemption from modules through RPL, learners who have gained the stipulated competencies of the modules of a programme of learning, qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme through any means of formal, informal, or non-formal learning and/or work experience, may be awarded credits towards relevant modules, and gaps identified for training, which is then concluded. Learners who have gained the stipulated competencies of the modules of a programme of learning a qualification through any means of formal, informal, or non-formal learning and/or work experience, may be awarded credits towards relevant modules, and gaps identified for training, which is then concluded. RPL for Access to the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) A valid Statement of Results is required for admission to the EISA in which confirmation of achievement is provided that all internal assessment criteria for all modules in the related curriculum document have been achieved. Upon successful completion of the EISA, RPL learners will be issued with the QCTO certificate for the qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme. Quality Partners are responsible for ensuring the RPL mechanism and process for qualifications and part-qualification is approved by the QCTO. Entry Requirements: An NQF Level 3 qualification. |
| RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? |
| Y |
| QUALIFICATION RULES |
| This qualification is made up of compulsory Knowledge, Practical Skill and Work Experience Modules:
Knowledge Modules Total number of credits for Knowledge Modules: 60 Practical Skill Modules Total number of credits for Practical Skill Modules: 40 Work Experience Modules Total number of credits for Work Experience Modules: 40 |
| EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES |
| 1. Apply a fundamental knowledge base of legislative requirements, business principles, and employment practices, to operate as an employment consultant in practice, servicing the public and/or private sector.
2. Adhere to ethical codes of practice and societal ethical norms to build a comprehensive database of people, from which to source potential candidates to meet specific recruitment needs of public and private sector clients. 3. Apply essential methods, procedures, and techniques, to analyse employment work within different organisations, and produce employee specifications and employment standards. 4. Gather and verify information from a rage of sources to enable the analysis and determination of candidate suitability and potential against employee specifications and client employment requirements. 5. Communicate and present appropriate information to build an employment consultancy brand that is appropriate for specific target markets and aligned to business sustainability requirements. |
| ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
| Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
ELO 1: Apply a fundamental knowledge base of legislative requirements, business principles, and employment practices, to operate as an employment consultant in practice, servicing the public and/or private sector. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2: ELO 2: Adhere to ethical codes of practice and societal ethical norms to build a comprehensive database of people, from which to source potential candidates to meet specific recruitment needs of public and private sector clients. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3: ELO 3: Apply essential methods, procedures, and techniques, to analyse employment work within different organisations, and produce employee specifications and employment standards. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4: ELO 4: Gather and verify information from a rage of sources to enable the analysis and determination of candidate suitability and potential against employee specifications and client employment requirements. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5: ELO 5: Communicate and present appropriate information to build an employment consultancy brand that is appropriate for specific target markets and aligned to business sustainability requirements. Integrated Assessment: Formative Assessments conducted internally. Formative assessments are conducted throughout the training of learners. A range of formal, non-formal, and informal ongoing assessment activities are used to focus on teaching and learning outcomes to improve learner attainment. Formative assessments are conducted continuously by the facilitator to feed into further learning, to identify strengths and weakness, and to ensure the learner's ability to apply knowledge, skills and workplace experience gained. Formative Assessments are conducted by the accredited Skills Development Provider (SDP), and a variety of ongoing assessment methods may be used, for example, quizzes, assignments, tests, scenarios, role play, interviews. Continuous feedback must be provided. Integrated Summative Assessments conducted internally. Integrated Assessment involves all the different types of assessment tasks required for a particular qualification, part-qualification or occupational skills programme, such as written assessment of theory and practical demonstration of competence. To achieve this, the Internal Assessment Criteria (IAC) for all modules as found in the QCTO curriculum document must be followed. An accredited SDP should implement a well-designed, formal, relevant, final internal Summative Assessment strategy for all modules to prepare learners for the EISA. These assessments evaluate learning achievements relating to the achievement of each module of the relevant components of the qualification, part-qualification, or skills programme. Internal Summative Assessments are developed, moderated, and conducted by the SDP at the end of each module or after integration of relevant modules, e.g. applied knowledge tests, workplace tasks, practical demonstrations, simulated tasks/demonstrations, projects, case studies, etc. The results of these final formal summative assessments must be recorded. These results, which include the Statement of Work Experience results, where applicable, contribute to the Statement of Results (SoR) that is a requirement for admission to the EISA. An SoR, using the template provided by the Quality Partner, is issued by the accredited SDP for qualifications and part-qualifications. The SDP must produce a valid Statement of Results for each learner, indicating the final result and the date on which the competence in each module, of each component, was achieved. Learners are required to produce this SoR, together with their ID document or alternative ID document, at the point of the EISA. External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) - a national assessment The Quality Partner is responsible for the management, conduct and implementation of the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA), in accordance with QCTO set standards. Competence in the EISA is a requirement for certificating a learner. For entrance into the EISA, the learner requires a valid Statement of Results issued by the accredited institution indicating: The attainment of all modules for the Knowledge, Practical and Work Experience modules. OR The attainment of all modules for the Knowledge and Application Components. |
| INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY |
| For purposes of comparability the Occupational Qualification was compared to two international qualifications that are aimed at capacitating aspirant Employment Consultants to execute their roles effectively and competently:
In the following section the details of these qualifications are described and a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences between the National Occupational Certificate and these qualifications are provided. Australasian Qualification: Title: Certificate IV in Employment Services. Purpose: This qualification is designed to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge required to work effectively as employment consultants or job coaches who can assist job seekers in finding suitable employment opportunities and supporting them in their job search process. Level: Certificate IV (AQF Level 4). Duration: 12 to 18 months when studied full time. Entry Requirements: Typically, there are no formal entry requirements for this qualification, but participants may need to demonstrate proficiency in English and basic computer skills. Main Modules: Target Population: Aspirant employment consultants, job coaches, career advisors, and individuals seeking to enter the employment services sector. Summary of Learners: The learners taking up this qualification may include recent graduates, career changers, or professionals already working in related fields who wish to specialise in employment services. Alignment to Professional Designations: This qualification aligns with roles such as Employment Consultant, Job Coach, Career Advisor, and Employment Services Officer. Institutions Offering the Qualification: Similarities: Differences: India: Title: Certificate in Recruitment Practices. Purpose: The qualification aims to provide learners with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively perform the role of an employment consultant or recruiter. It covers various aspects of recruitment practices, including sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, and managing client relationships. Accrediting Body: The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Level of the Qualification: This qualification is typically at Level 4 or Level 5 on the Indian National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Comparison with South African NQF: Level 4 or 5 on the Indian NQF would roughly correspond to Level 4 on the South African NQF. Duration of the Qualification: The duration may vary, but it could typically range from 6 to 12 months of full-time study, or longer if pursued part-time. Entry Requirements: Entry requirements may vary depending on the institution offering the qualification, but typically, applicants may need a high school diploma or an equivalent. Main Training Modules/Subjects: Target Population: The qualification is targeted at individuals, who are interested in pursuing a career in recruitment or employment consultancy, including recent graduates or those looking to transition into the field. Institutions Offering the Learning: Similarities: Differences: Conclusion: The National Occupational Certificate: Employment Consultant compares favourably with the two international examples, and it is very similar to the Indian Certificate in Recruitment Practice in terms of focus, level, and module content. |
| ARTICULATION OPTIONS |
| This qualification provides opportunities for horizontal, vertical and diagonal articulation options.
Horizontal Articulation: Vertical Articulation: Diagonal Articulation: |
| NOTES |
| Additional Legal or Physical Entry Requirements:
None. Criteria for the accreditation of providers Accreditation requirements, against which Skills Development Providers (SDP) and Assessment Centres, will be accredited, is found in the Curriculum Document, as listed below. The curriculum title and code are: National Occupational Certificate: Employment Consultant: 333301-001-00-00. Encompassed Trade: This is not a trade. Assessment Quality Partner (AQP) Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA). |
| LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: |
| NONE |
| PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: |
| This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here. |
| NONE |
| All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source. |