Free Training & Career Tips... Subscribe to Get Weekly Career Tips
By Subscribing You are Agreeing to Terms and Conditions
What is AgriSETA?
AgriSETA is the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority, one of South Africa’s 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). The SETAs were set up under the Skills Development Act 97 of 1998, and each one plans and funds skills development for a sector of the economy. AgriSETA’s sector is agriculture, which in South Africa includes both commercial and subsistence farming, and its work is meant to serve both. It supports people already working in agriculture as well as employed and unemployed people who want to join the sector.
Building your career?
Add a certificate to your CV with BOTI e-learning: 142 self-paced online courses – Excel, Word, project management, customer service and more – from R595 (excl. VAT) with 6 months’ access.
See the e-learning courses
Rather have your employer pay? Here’s how to ask
Add a certificate to your CV with BOTI e-learning: 142 self-paced online courses – Excel, Word, project management, customer service and more – from R595 (excl. VAT) with 6 months’ access.
See the e-learning courses
Rather have your employer pay? Here’s how to ask
Training your staff?
BOTI is accredited by the QCTO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations) as a skills development provider, and is a Level 1 B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) contributor. Plan the training in your Workplace Skills Plan and count it towards your B-BBEE skills development score.
Get a quote for your team
BOTI is accredited by the QCTO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations) as a skills development provider, and is a Level 1 B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) contributor. Plan the training in your Workplace Skills Plan and count it towards your B-BBEE skills development score.
Get a quote for your team
AgriSETA is the SETA for primary and secondary agriculture, from input services to on-farm work and first-level processing. This guide explains what AgriSETA does, how AgriSETA accreditation works now that providers apply to the QCTO, how employers claim grants through the WSP submission, and how learnerships, qualifications and the AgriSETA bursary work. If you need training that leads to a recognised qualification, BOTI’s accredited training courses include QCTO occupational certificates, QCTO skills programmes and SETA qualifications.
Which businesses fall under AgriSETA?
AgriSETA’s scope runs across the agricultural value chain, from input services to farming itself and first-level processing. It includes:
- all forms of farming, including crops and horticulture, fruit, game and fish, poultry and egg production, and red meat
- the processing of tea, coffee, tobacco, nuts and fibres
- fruit packing, juicing and drying
- the milling, storage and processing of grain, sugar and starch products, including flour
- the production of animal feed and pet food
- the distribution and sale of raw agricultural materials
Other agricultural activities are covered even where they are not named here. Each employer pays its levy to the SETA that matches its main business activity, so if you are not sure whether your business falls under AgriSETA, ask AgriSETA to confirm it.
What does AgriSETA do?
AgriSETA aims to create economic, social and employment opportunities for agri-enterprises through relevant, accessible and good-quality education and training in primary and secondary agriculture, working with other stakeholders in the sector. In practice, it:
- identifies the skills agriculture needs in its sector skills plan
- funds learnerships, skills programmes, internships, apprenticeships, mentorships, adult education and training, tertiary study and bursaries through its grants
- helps learners find workplaces where they can gain suitable work experience
- registers learnership agreements, which protect the learner
- monitors the quality of training and works with the QCTO as one of its Quality Partners
- receives its share of the skills development levy and pays it out as mandatory and discretionary grants
- reports to the Department of Higher Education and Training on its income, its spending and its sector skills plan
Because SETAs manage public funds, the Public Finance Management Act applies to them. Under the June 2026 ministerial Directive on pre-2009 qualifications[1], SETAs also remain accountable for developing and replacing occupational qualifications and skills programmes, and they report quarterly to the Minister, through SAQA.
SETA licences currently run from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2030. SETA rationalisation was announced in the State of the Nation Address on 12 February 2026, and the Department of Higher Education and Training expects to take options to Cabinet in the 2026/27 financial year. Until a decision is announced, AgriSETA continues its work.
AgriSETA short courses and courses
AgriSETA funds and supports training; the courses themselves are run by training providers and employers. In the formal system, an accredited short course is usually a skills programme: an occupational programme of 8 to 60 credits that the QCTO records on its database. It builds credits towards a full or part-qualification and ends in a Final Integrated Supervised Assessment (FISA). Longer routes are part-qualifications and full occupational qualifications, which end in the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) and a QCTO Occupational Certificate.
If you are looking for AgriSETA short courses or other AgriSETA courses:
- check that the provider is accredited for the exact programme: by the QCTO for a skills programme or occupational qualification, or by AgriSETA for a legacy qualification still in its teach-out
- ask for the accreditation letter and check its scope and valid-to date
- look up the qualification’s last date for enrolment on SAQA’s register
- if you hope for funding, check AgriSETA’s website for its current grant windows; funding is never guaranteed
Some training that agricultural businesses need is not specific to farming, such as supervision, health and safety or business management. BOTI’s short courses include Supervisory Skills for Team Leaders, the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Course and Essentials of Business Management, with more under Leadership & Management and Health, Safety & Wellness. These short courses are not accredited, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
For people starting a business, including an agri-enterprise, BOTI is a QCTO-accredited Skills Development Provider for the Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur (SAQA ID 124485, NQF Level 3)[2]. It is a part-qualification that ends in an EISA, the QCTO issues the certificate, and new learners can enrol until 3 June 2031[2]. Call BOTI on 011 882 8853 or email [email protected].
AgriSETA accreditation
Under the old system, AgriSETA’s Education and Training Quality Assurance body (ETQA) accredited training providers for unit-standard qualifications in agriculture. In a letter to providers dated 18 November 2025, AgriSETA told them to apply for accreditation directly to the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) for occupational qualifications, part-qualifications and skills programmes. The same letter said that current AgriSETA accreditation will lapse automatically at the end of the teach-out period, 30 June 2029.
Is there an AgriSETA accreditation application form?
Not for new programmes. A provider that wants to offer an occupational qualification, part-qualification or skills programme applies to the QCTO, which accredits Skills Development Providers in partnership with its Quality Partners, including the SETAs, under signed service level agreements. QCTO accreditation lasts five years from the date it is granted, and the QCTO can withdraw it. The QCTO also has an application for extending accreditation for historically registered qualifications. AgriSETA still uses the ETQA name for its quality assurance work, but new accreditation now runs through the QCTO.
AgriSETA funding: the levy, WSP submission and grants
Employers pay the Skills Development Levy (SDL), 1% of payroll[3], every month through the South African Revenue Service (SARS). Employers with a payroll below the threshold set in the Skills Development Levies Act do not pay it[3]; SARS can confirm whether yours is exempt. The levy paid by employers in the agricultural sector goes 80% to AgriSETA and 20% to the National Skills Fund[4]. Measured against the whole levy, AgriSETA uses 20% for mandatory grants, 49.5% for discretionary grants and 10% for administration, and 0.5% goes to the QCTO[4].
AgriSETA WSP submission and the mandatory grant
The mandatory grant is 20% of the levy an employer paid[4]. To claim it, the employer submits its Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and Annual Training Report (ATR) to AgriSETA by 30 April each year[4], and it must be registered as a levy payer and up to date with its levy payments. The WSP sets out the training planned for the year, and the ATR reports the training done in the previous year. Unclaimed mandatory grant money moves into discretionary funding by 15 August[4].
A Skills Development Facilitator (SDF), employed or contracted by the business, usually prepares and submits the WSP and ATR. BOTI can train your SDF, as described at the end of this guide, or act as your company’s SDF and prepare and submit the WSP and ATR for you.
Discretionary grants
Discretionary grants fund skills development projects linked to the sector’s priority occupations. SETAs pay them under the SETA Grant Regulations (Government Gazette 35940 of 3 December 2012)[5], and their main target is PIVOTAL programmes: Professional, Vocational, Technical and Academic Learning programmes that lead to qualifications or part-qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). AgriSETA’s discretionary funding goes mainly to:
- learnerships
- skills programmes
- work-integrated learning
- internships
- bursaries
AgriSETA can also fund non-PIVOTAL projects, such as research in the sector, that do not lead to a qualification. It announces each year’s application window on its website. Discretionary grants are awarded at AgriSETA’s discretion: they depend on the funds available and the criteria in its discretionary grants policy, and need the approval of its accounting authority, so they are never guaranteed.
AgriSETA learnerships
A learnership combines learning with a training provider and practical work on a farm or in an agri-business, and leads to a registered qualification. Under the Skills Development Act, a learnership must have a structured learning component and practical work experience, relate to an occupation and lead to a qualification on the NQF.
How do you get an AgriSETA learnership?
AgriSETA funds learnerships, but you apply to the employer or training provider that advertises one, not to AgriSETA. You can be a current employee or a new entrant, and you must meet the qualification’s entry requirements and the employer’s selection criteria. Once you are selected:
- you, the employer and the training provider sign a three-party learnership agreement, and if you were unemployed you also sign a fixed-term employment contract with the employer
- the provider must be accredited for the qualification: by the QCTO for an occupational qualification, or by AgriSETA for a legacy qualification still in its teach-out
- you learn with the provider and work under a mentor, with regular feedback
- qualified assessors assess you during and at the end of the programme; for an occupational qualification, the final step is the EISA at a QCTO-accredited assessment centre
- if you complete the learnership you receive the qualification, and if you do not, you receive a statement of results for what you achieved
A learnership is not a promise of a permanent job, although the employer may offer you a job or another learnership when it ends.
AgriSETA qualifications
Under the NQF Act, one of AgriSETA’s roles is to plan and develop occupational qualifications for agriculture through stakeholder-driven processes. Its older, legacy (pre-2009) qualifications include qualifications in:
- Plant Production at NQF Levels 1 to 3, with specialisations such as vegetables, hydroponics and fruit production
- Animal Production at NQF Level 2, with specialisations such as large stock, small stock, aquaculture and dairy production
- Mixed Farming Systems at NQF Level 2
Pre-2009 qualifications reached their registration end date on 30 June 2023. In June 2026 the Minister granted final, qualification-by-qualification extensions of 6 to 24 months[1] for selected pre-2009 qualifications, in a Directive gazetted on 17 June 2026[1], and many others have closed to new learners or been replaced by occupational qualifications. Before you enrol, check the qualification’s last date for enrolment on its SAQA record[6]. Qualifications already awarded remain valid and recorded on the National Learners’ Records Database (NLRD).
AgriSETA bursary
The AgriSETA bursary helps students in the agricultural sector continue their tertiary studies. Past calls have been for undergraduate and postgraduate agriculture-related qualifications at a college, university or university of technology, and the bursary has mainly covered tuition and textbooks. Fields have included agricultural farm management, agricultural science and veterinary studies.
Who is the AgriSETA bursary for?
Each call sets its own criteria. Past calls asked for South African citizenship and a completed matric, full-time or part-time study towards an agriculture-related certificate, diploma or degree, and no funding from other government sources, and they were aimed at students who were not employed. Previous recipients had to reapply to continue.
How to apply, and AgriSETA’s contact details
Criteria, fields of study, closing dates and the way to apply change each year, so this guide does not list amounts, forms, email addresses or deadlines. Read the current bursary call on AgriSETA’s official website, use the contact details published there, and apply only through the channel the call names. Applications usually need certified copies of your ID and your latest results. A bursary is not guaranteed: awards depend on the funds available.
Frequently asked questions
What is AgriSETA?
AgriSETA is the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority, one of South Africa’s 21 SETAs under the Skills Development Act 97 of 1998. It covers primary and secondary agriculture, from input services to farming and first-level processing, and it funds learnerships, skills programmes, bursaries and other training from the skills development levy. Like all SETAs, it is licensed until 31 March 2030.
How do I apply for AgriSETA accreditation?
For occupational qualifications, part-qualifications and skills programmes, you no longer apply to AgriSETA. In November 2025 AgriSETA told providers to apply for accreditation directly to the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), which accredits providers for five years. Providers already accredited by AgriSETA for legacy qualifications keep that accreditation until the teach-out period ends on 30 June 2029, when it lapses automatically.
When is the AgriSETA WSP submission deadline?
Levy-paying employers submit their Workplace Skills Plan and Annual Training Report to their SETA by 30 April each year[4]. To qualify for the mandatory grant, which is 20% of the levy paid[4], you must be a registered levy payer, be up to date with your levy payments and submit on time. A skills development facilitator usually prepares the submission. Mandatory grant money that is not claimed moves to discretionary funding by 15 August[4].
Does AgriSETA offer short courses?
AgriSETA funds training rather than running the courses itself. Accredited short courses in the formal system are usually skills programmes of 8 to 60 credits, which the QCTO records and which end in a Final Integrated Supervised Assessment. Check that the provider is accredited for the exact programme, and look for AgriSETA’s current funding windows on its website.
Who can apply for an AgriSETA bursary?
AgriSETA bursaries are for students studying, full time or part time, towards an agriculture-related certificate, diploma or degree at a college, university or university of technology. Criteria such as citizenship, matric, employment status and other funding are set in each year’s bursary call, and previous recipients have had to reapply to continue. Read the current call on AgriSETA’s website before you apply.
Can I still enrol on an AgriSETA learnership qualification?
It depends on the qualification. Many older (pre-2009) SETA qualifications have closed to new learners or been replaced by QCTO occupational qualifications. In June 2026 the Minister granted final, qualification-by-qualification extensions of 6 to 24 months[1] for selected pre-2009 qualifications, so check the last date for enrolment on the qualification’s SAQA record[6]. Qualifications already awarded stay valid and recorded on the NLRD.
AgriSETA’s mandatory grant depends on the WSP and ATR reaching it by 30 April[4], and a skills development facilitator usually prepares them. BOTI’s Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) Training Course is for staff taking on that role. It runs in-house at your premises, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Sources
- Directive on the implementation of transitional arrangements for pre-2009 qualifications (Government Gazette 54858) – Minister of Higher Education and Training, 17 June 2026.
- SAQA qualification record: Occupational Certificate: Entrepreneur (SAQA ID 124485) – South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), 2026.
- Skills Development Levy – South African Revenue Service (SARS), 2026.
- Mandatory Grants – Health and Welfare SETA (HWSETA), 2026.
- Grants Policy 2025/26 – merSETA, 2024.
- Pre-2009 Extended Qualifications – South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), June 2026.
For employers: put your skills levy to work
We train your staff at your offices, online or at a BOTI venue. Training can be planned in your Workplace Skills Plan, and spend on training black employees counts towards the skills development element of your B-BBEE scorecard.
Accredited programmes · All courses · SDF service for your Workplace Skills Plan
Building your own skills? Start an online course with a certificate today, or ask your employer to pay.