SAQA 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 THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: 

National Certificate: Environmental Education, Training and Development Practice 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
22900  National Certificate: Environmental Education, Training and Development Practice 
ORIGINATOR
SGB Environmental Educators 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
ETDP SETA - Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority  OQSF - Occupational Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
National Certificate  Field 05 - Education, Training and Development  Adult Learning 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  121  Level 4  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L4  Regular-Unit Stds Based 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date -
Status was "Reregistered" 		 SAQA 9999/99  2018-07-01  2023-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2026-06-30   2029-06-30  

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 
This qualification will be useful for entry level environmental education (EE) practitioners or interns. They will ideally work under ongoing supervision of a more experienced practitioner.

People with this qualification will be able to:
  • Support a more qualified and / or experienced EE practitioner to organise, administer and implement environmental learning programmes, action projects or campaigns
  • Organise and carry out particular activities within an environmental learning programme, action project or campaign
  • Draw on the local and national environmental networks in order to research or address a particular environmental topic or issue

    Practitioners will be qualified to teach in particular contexts in which they have environmental knowledge, understanding and insight; for example in nature reserves and protected areas, cultural and natural heritage sites, industry and local communities. They will work with others to make a meaningful contribution to the environment through education.

    Rationale for the qualification:

    This level 4 qualification was designed in order to provide a much-needed entry-level qualification for environmental education practitioners. Many people working in community projects, non-governmental organisations and conservation agencies have been practising as environmental educators without formal training or qualifications. Despite considerable experience and insight, without a Further Education and Training Certificate (FETC) they are unable to gain entry to level 5 qualifications. This level 4 qualification will provide these practitioners with an FETC facilitating entry to qualifications in the Higher Education and Training (HET) band.

    The level 4 unit standards will enable organisations training and employing full-time or part-time environmental educators to structure training according to nationally recognised standards. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    To register for this qualification, the learner must have completed Level 2 Conservation Unit Standards from Field 01 (core unit standards: Understand Nature Conservation Issues; Acquire an overview of Ecological Principles; and Demonstrate an Understanding of Community and Development Issues) or equivalent environmental management standards from field 10. The learner must also have completed 240 credits, 72 of which must be at level 3.

    Other learning assumed to be in place is detailed in specific unit standards. Different combinations of unit standards require different learning to be in place. For example, in the case of in-service training, the particular combination of unit standards will relate to the needs of the particular workplace, e.g. nature reserve, community-based development project or industrial plant.

    Recognition of prior learning:

    The assessment criteria in the unit standards are, for the most part, performance-based, rather than descriptions of required knowledge. This qualification could therefore be awarded as a result of RPL in the workplace. 

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    1. Fundamental category:
    36 credits in Communications and Mathematics at level 4 are compulsory in all FETC qualifications.

    Core category:
    All unit standards in the core category are compulsory.

    Elective category:
    No specific unit standards are compulsory. However, candidates must complete at least 18 credits in this category.

    Plan a learning programme (18 credits)
    Facilitate an adult learning event (16 credits)
    Manage a learning programme (12 credits) 

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    The unit standards making up this qualification reflect aspects of all the roles of the professional educator, as defined in the Norms and Standards for Educators (February 2000):
  • Learning mediator
  • Interpreter and designer of learning programmes and materials
  • Leader, administrator and manager
  • Scholar, researcher and lifelong learner
  • Community, citizenship and pastoral role
  • Assessor
  • Learning area / subject / discipline / phase specialist

    Furthermore, they also promote the development of the foundational, practical and reflexive components of 'applied competence' described in the same document.

    A practitioner with this qualification will be able to:
  • Work under supervision to prepare an environmental learning programme
  • Work with others to implement an environmental learning programme
  • Participate actively in a local environmental action project
  • Fulfil administrative requirements of an environmental learning programme or action project
  • Network locally and nationally in order to source information, advice or support concerning an environmental issue or risk
  • Reflect on his or her own facilitation performance as an environmental education practitioner
  • Work ethically and professionally as an environmental education practitioner
  • Apply knowledge of environmental ethics within their personal experience
  • Develop a personal code of ethics for sustainable living
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of key policies to environmental education
  • Identify and support learners with special needs
  • Organise him/herself in the workplace
  • Function in a team (elective)

    In terms of embedded knowledge, people will this qualification will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
  • Foundational concepts, principles, theories and processes in the fields of environmental studies, environmental management and development;
  • Foundational concepts, principles, theories and processes in the fields of education in general and environmental education in particular.

    The draft level descriptors for level 4 qualifications, including both applied competence and autonomy of learning, have informed development of the unit standards making up this qualification (Government Gazette No. 22869, 3 December 2001, p. 43). 
    		•

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    The exit level outcomes are equivalent to the unit standards for this qualification. Assessment criteria are detailed in each of the unit standards and therefore the SGB did not produce additional assessment criteria for the exit level outcomes 

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    It appears that environmental education qualifications and unit standards are not included in international qualifications frameworks. Possible reasons for this include:
  • Most of the international qualification frameworks are restricted to technical rather than academic qualifications; formal qualifications in environmental education are often educational specialisations at postgraduate level.
  • Non-degree courses in environmental education are often short courses or workshops, which do not count towards formal qualifications.
  • The field of environmental education is a relatively new field internationally. It has received much attention since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit in particular, when more than 100 governments made commitments to the implementation of Agenda 21. UNESCO has described South Africa as being on the 'cutting edge' of incorporating environmental education qualifications into national policy systems.

    While environmental education qualifications per se, are not registered on other national qualifications frameworks, a number of diploma and degree programmes do exist internationally. However, no formal courses were found at levels below initial teacher education, which is equivalent to a qualification at level 6 or 7 on the NQF. A survey of environmental education courses from the Asia-Pacific region, New Zealand and the United States of America indicated that the unit standards covered in this level 4 qualification reflect, at an introductory level, the knowledge, understanding, skills and value orientations covered in international courses. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    Unit standards from the National Certificate in Environmental Education, Training and Development Practice, NQF Level 4 may be chosen as electives by a number of qualifications in, for example, sub-fields Conservation, Social Ecology, ABET and ECD. Similarly, National Certificate candidates may draw on unit standards from these and other related fields and sub-fields. The openness of the elective category allows learners to move horizontally. Although the level 4 qualification is not a pre-requisite for further qualifications in EETDP, the level 5 Certificate builds upon the foundation laid by this qualification and requires competence in a number of level 4 unit standards. 

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    Moderation must include both internal and external moderation of assessments at exit points of the qualification. Moderation should encompass achievement of the competence described in both individual unit standards as well as the integrated competence described in the qualification. For the purposes of recognising prior learning, providers are required to develop sound and fair means for the assessment of individual learners on a case-by-case basis. 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    Anyone assessing learners against this qualification must be registered as an assessor in Environmental Education, Training and Development Practice by the relevant ETQA. Assessors must have a level 5 qualification in Environmental Education, Training and Development Practice. Universities, colleges of education and organisations with well-established environmental education programmes should apply for accreditation in order to be able to carry out assessment. Co-operation between potential groups of assessors will be required in order to standardise assessment, moderation and the awarding of this qualification. 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2012; 2015. 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    UNIT STANDARDS: 
      ID UNIT STANDARD TITLE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL CREDITS
    Core  8618  Organise oneself in the workplace  Level 2  NQF Level 02  3 
    Core  13669  Apply introductory knowledge of environmental ethics in the context of personal experience  Level 4  NQF Level 04  4 
    Core  13670  Demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of key policies to environmental education  Level 4  NQF Level 04  2 
    Core  13671  Demonstrate knowledge of environmental systems and ecology  Level 4  NQF Level 04  20 
    Core  13662  Fulfil administrative requirements of an environmental learning programme or action project  Level 4  NQF Level 04  3 
    Core  13672  Identify and describe learning processes  Level 4  NQF Level 04  3 
    Core  13674  Identify and support learners with special needs  Level 4  NQF Level 04  4 
    Core  13663  Network locally and nationally in order to source information, advice or support concerning an environmental issue or risk  Level 4  NQF Level 04  5 
    Core  13661  Participate actively in a local environmental action project  Level 4  NQF Level 04  8 
    Core  13667  Reflect on own facilitation performance as an environmental education practitioner  Level 4  NQF Level 04  5 
    Core  13668  Work ethically and professionally as an environmental education practitioner  Level 4  NQF Level 04  3 
    Core  13659  Work under supervision to prepare an environmental learning programme  Level 4  NQF Level 04  4 
    Core  13660  Work with others to implement an environmental learning programme  Level 4  NQF Level 04  3 
    Fundamental  9015  Apply knowledge of statistics and probability to critically interrogate and effectively communicate findings on life related problems  Level 4  NQF Level 04  6 
    Fundamental  8974  Engage in sustained oral communication and evaluate spoken texts  Level 4  NQF Level 04  5 
    Fundamental  8975  Read analyse and respond to a variety of texts  Level 4  NQF Level 04  5 
    Fundamental  9016  Represent analyse and calculate shape and motion in 2-and 3-dimensional space in different contexts  Level 4  NQF Level 04  4 
    Fundamental  8979  Use language and communication in occupational learning programmes  Level 4  NQF Level 04  5 
    Fundamental  7468  Use mathematics to investigate and monitor the financial aspects of personal, business, national and international issues  Level 4  NQF Level 04  6 
    Fundamental  8976  Write for a wide range of contexts  Level 4  NQF Level 04  5 
    Elective  7384  Facilitate an adult learning event  Level 4  NQF Level 04  16 
    Elective  10231  Plan a learning event  Level 4  NQF Level 04  8 
    Elective  9935  Manage a learnership/learning programme  Level 5  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5  12 
    Elective  9951  Plan a learning programme  Level 5  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5  18 


    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.
     
    1. Dabulamanzi & Njabulo Ndaba Consulting cc 
    2. NTI College 


    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.