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What is CATHSSETA?
CATHSSETA is the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority, one of South Africa’s 21 SETAs under the Skills Development Act 97 of 1998. It was formerly the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority (THETA). Its sector has six sub-sectors: arts, culture and heritage; conservation; gaming and lotteries; hospitality; sport, recreation and fitness; and travel and tourism. CATHSSETA supports skills development in these sub-sectors through grants for training and through learnerships, internships and bursaries, for employers, employees, unemployed young people and learners.
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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.
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Rather have your employer pay? Here’s how to ask
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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.
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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
If you are looking for CATHSSETA accredited training providers, or a list of SETA accredited training providers in general, note that accreditation has changed: providers of occupational qualifications, part-qualifications and skills programmes are now accredited by the QCTO, and SETA accreditation covers only legacy qualifications in their teach-out period. BOTI is a QCTO-accredited Skills Development Provider, and its accredited qualifications and skills programmes for business and workplace roles run in-house, at its Sunningdale venue in Johannesburg, or online.
CATHSSETA accreditation: what changed
Under the old system, CATHSSETA, like every SETA, had an Education and Training Quality Assurance body (ETQA), accredited by SAQA. It accredited skills development providers for unit-standard (pre-2009) qualifications in culture, arts, tourism, hospitality and sport, and registered assessors and moderators in its sector.
For occupational qualifications, part-qualifications and skills programmes, providers now apply for accreditation directly to the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). The QCTO accredits Skills Development Providers (SDPs) in partnership with its Quality Partners, which include the SETAs, under signed service level agreements. Its accreditation lasts five years from the date it is granted[1], and it can be withdrawn. A provider that CATHSSETA accredited for a legacy qualification keeps that accreditation only until the qualification’s teach-out ends, and needs QCTO accreditation to offer the replacement occupational qualification.
In short, ‘SETA accredited’ is accurate today only for legacy programmes still in their teach-out window; for everything else, look for QCTO accreditation. The final assessment differs too: an occupational qualification or part-qualification ends in the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) at a QCTO-accredited assessment centre, followed by a QCTO Occupational Certificate, while a skills programme ends in a Final Integrated Supervised Assessment (FISA).
SETA accredited training providers: is there a list?
Many people search for a list of SETA accredited training providers, or of CATHSSETA accredited training providers. This page does not publish one. Accreditation is granted for a set period, covers only the programmes named in its scope and can be withdrawn, so a list copied onto a website soon goes out of date. The reliable way to find an accredited training provider in South Africa is to check each provider’s accreditation against the programme you want.
How to check a training provider’s accreditation
- Work out what kind of programme you need. An occupational qualification, part-qualification or skills programme needs a QCTO-accredited provider. A legacy (pre-2009) qualification still in its teach-out needs a provider accredited by the SETA that quality-assures it. Degrees and diplomas from higher education institutions are quality-assured by the Council on Higher Education, not by a SETA.
- Ask the provider for its accreditation letter. Check the accreditation number, the valid-to date and the scope: the exact qualification or skills programme, by name and SAQA ID or programme code.
- Look up the qualification on SAQA’s register and check its last date for enrolment and last date for achievement, which differ for each legacy qualification.
- If anything is unclear, confirm the accreditation with the body that granted it: the QCTO, or the SETA for a legacy qualification.
- Ask how the final assessment works and who issues the certificate. For QCTO programmes, the QCTO issues the certificate, not the provider.
- Check any claim of ‘SETA accredited courses’. A short course that is not accredited can still be useful, but it usually leads to a certificate of attendance, not to credits or a qualification, and it should not be sold as accredited.
Employers have a further reason to check. Discretionary grants mainly fund PIVOTAL programmes, which lead to qualifications or part-qualifications on the NQF[2], so a PIVOTAL programme funded by a grant needs a provider that is accredited for it.
BOTI’s accreditation
BOTI is a QCTO-accredited Skills Development Provider for business and workplace programmes; it does not offer tourism or hospitality qualifications. Each of its QCTO accreditation letters names the programmes it covers and a valid-to date. For example, BOTI’s accreditation for the Assessment Practitioner (SP-220320) and Work Based Learning and Development Practitioner (SP-220322) skills programmes, number SDP141024140856, is valid to 10 October 2029, and new learners can enrol on both until 2 March 2028. The full range is under QCTO skills programmes and QCTO occupational certificates. For legacy qualifications still open to enrolment, BOTI holds Services SETA accreditation (12582); see its SETA qualifications. Call BOTI on 011 882 8853 or email [email protected].
What does CATHSSETA do?
CATHSSETA’s role is to plan, fund and support skills development across its six sub-sectors. It:
- develops a Sector Skills Plan (SSP) that sets out the skills in demand in each sub-sector, current trends and the priorities for skills development
- receives its share of the skills development levy paid by employers in its sub-sectors and pays it out as mandatory and discretionary grants
- funds learnerships, apprenticeships, internships and bursaries, which give learners experience in the workplace
- supports quality assurance of learning in its sub-sectors in line with QCTO requirements, as one of the QCTO’s Quality Partners
- develops and replaces occupational qualifications and skills programmes for its sector, a duty the June 2026 Directive on pre-2009 qualifications places on every SETA[3]
As a statutory body, CATHSSETA reports to the Minister of Higher Education and Training and accounts to the Department of Higher Education and Training for how it uses public funds, including under the Public Finance Management Act. Under the June 2026 Directive[3], SETAs also report quarterly to the Minister, through SAQA, on qualification development, provider accreditation and enrolments.
CATHSSETA’s licence, like those of the other SETAs, runs to 31 March 2030. The President announced SETA rationalisation in the State of the Nation Address on 12 February 2026, and the Department of Higher Education and Training expects to put options to Cabinet in the 2026/27 financial year. Until a decision is made, CATHSSETA’s grants, learnerships and bursaries continue.
CATHSSETA funding: the levy and grants
Employers pay the Skills Development Levy (SDL), 1% of payroll[4], every month through the South African Revenue Service (SARS); employers with a payroll below the threshold in the Skills Development Levies Act are exempt[4], and SARS can confirm whether yours is. The levy paid by employers in CATHSSETA’s sub-sectors is split as follows[5]:
- 20% goes to the National Skills Fund
- 49.5% is for discretionary grants
- 20% is for mandatory grants
- 10% is for CATHSSETA’s administration
- 0.5% goes to the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations
Mandatory grants
The mandatory grant is 20% of the levy an employer paid[5]. To qualify, a levy-paying employer must:
- be registered under the Skills Development Levies Act, with CATHSSETA as its SETA
- be up to date with its levy payments
- submit its Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and Annual Training Report (ATR) by 30 April[5]
- where it has a recognition agreement with a trade union, show that the union was consulted on the WSP and ATR and has signed them off
A Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) usually prepares and submits the WSP and ATR. Unclaimed mandatory grant money moves into discretionary funding by 15 August[5].
Discretionary grants
SETAs pay grants under the SETA Grant Regulations (Government Gazette 35940 of 3 December 2012)[2]. The main target of discretionary grants is PIVOTAL programmes: Professional, Vocational, Technical and Academic Learning programmes that lead to qualifications or part-qualifications on the NQF. They fund programmes such as:
- learnerships
- internships
- skills programmes
- work-integrated learning
- bursaries
CATHSSETA can also fund non-PIVOTAL projects, such as research, that do not lead to a qualification. It opens application windows for employers and announces them on its website. Grants depend on the funds available, the criteria in its discretionary grants policy and the approval of its accounting authority, so they are never guaranteed.
Training for staff in the sector
For general workplace skills that staff in any sector use, BOTI’s short courses include Customer Service Excellence and Complaint Handling, Supervisory Skills for Team Leaders and Events Management Expertise: Meetings, Functions and Travel, with more under Sales, Marketing & Customer Care. These short courses are not accredited, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
CATHSSETA learnerships
A learnership combines structured learning with practical work experience, relates to an occupation and leads to a qualification registered on the NQF. Employers in CATHSSETA’s sub-sectors host learnerships, usually with an accredited training provider, and CATHSSETA funds them through its grants.
How do you get a CATHSSETA learnership?
Apply to the employer or training provider that advertises the learnership. Current employees and new entrants can both apply, but you must meet the entry requirements of the qualification and the employer’s selection criteria. If you are selected, you, the employer and the provider sign a three-party learnership agreement, and an unemployed learner also signs a fixed-term employment contract with the employer.
During the learnership you learn with the provider and work under a mentor. The provider must be accredited for the qualification: by the QCTO for an occupational qualification, or by CATHSSETA for a legacy qualification still in its teach-out. Qualified assessors assess you along the way and at the end; for an occupational qualification, the final step is the EISA, and the QCTO issues the Occupational Certificate. If you do not finish, 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 one when it ends.
CATHSSETA qualifications
Under the NQF Act, CATHSSETA plans and develops occupational qualifications for its sector with the sector’s stakeholders. Its older, legacy (pre-2009) qualifications include:
- National Certificate: Accommodation Services
- National Certificate: Professional Cookery
- National Certificate: Fast Food Services
- Further Education and Training Certificate: Hospitality Reception
- National Certificate: General Travel
- Further Education and Training Certificate: Heritage Practice
- National Certificate: Nature Conservation: Resource Guardianship
- National Certificate: Live Event Technical Production
- Further Education and Training Certificate: Sound Technology
- National Certificate: Fitness
- National Certificate: Coaching Science
- Further Education and Training Certificate: Sport Administration
- National Diploma: Club Professional Golfing
Legacy qualifications reached their registration end date on 30 June 2023, and extensions since then have been granted qualification by qualification. The final Directive, gazetted on 17 June 2026[3], allowed extensions of 6 to 24 months[6] for selected pre-2009 qualifications listed by SAQA. Check each qualification’s SAQA record for its last date for enrolment and achievement, and ask whether an occupational qualification has replaced it. Qualifications already awarded remain valid and recorded on the National Learners’ Records Database (NLRD).
CATHSSETA bursary
The CATHSSETA bursary helps students further their tertiary studies in culture, arts, tourism, hospitality and sport. Past calls have been for undergraduate and postgraduate study at a college, university or university of technology, and the bursary has mainly covered tuition and textbooks.
Who is the CATHSSETA bursary for?
Each call sets its own criteria. Past calls asked for South African citizenship, full-time or part-time study towards a certificate, diploma or degree in CATHSSETA’s sector 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 for the CATHSSETA bursary
This guide does not list amounts, forms, email addresses or closing dates, because they change with each call. Read the current bursary call on CATHSSETA’s official website and apply only through the channel it names. Applications usually ask for certified copies of your ID and your latest results. A bursary is not guaranteed: awards depend on the funds available.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a list of SETA accredited training providers?
This page does not publish one, because accreditation is granted for a set period, covers only the programmes in its scope and can be withdrawn. Check the provider instead: ask for its accreditation letter, number, valid-to date and scope, look up the qualification on SAQA’s register, and confirm with the QCTO or, for a legacy qualification, the SETA that accredited it. BOTI is a QCTO-accredited Skills Development Provider for business and workplace programmes.
How do I find CATHSSETA accredited training providers?
First check which kind of programme you need. For a legacy (pre-2009) CATHSSETA qualification still in its teach-out window, the provider’s accreditation sits with CATHSSETA. For an occupational qualification, part-qualification or skills programme, the provider must be accredited by the QCTO. Either way, ask the provider for its accreditation letter, number and valid-to date, and check the qualification’s last date for enrolment on its SAQA record.
What does SETA accredited mean in 2026?
“SETA accredited” is now accurate only for legacy (pre-2009, unit-standard) programmes still in their teach-out window. Providers that offer occupational qualifications, part-qualifications or skills programmes apply directly to the QCTO, which runs accreditation with its Quality Partners, including the SETAs. QCTO accreditation lasts five years from the date it is granted[1] and can be withdrawn. SETAs still fund training through levy grants.
How does a training provider get CATHSSETA accreditation?
For new programmes, a provider applies to the QCTO rather than to the SETA: the QCTO accredits skills development providers for occupational qualifications, part-qualifications and skills programmes, in partnership with its Quality Partners under signed service level agreements. Providers already accredited by a SETA for a legacy qualification keep that accreditation until the qualification’s teach-out ends, and the QCTO has a form for extending historically registered qualification accreditation.
How is the CATHSSETA skills levy split?
Employers pay the Skills Development Levy at 1% of payroll[4]. Of the levy, 80% goes to the SETA (49.5% for discretionary grants, 20% for mandatory grants, 10% for administration and 0.5% for the QCTO) and 20% goes to the National Skills Fund[5]. The mandatory grant depends on submitting the Workplace Skills Plan and Annual Training Report by 30 April[5] and being up to date with levy payments.
How do I get a CATHSSETA learnership?
Companies advertise learnership opportunities, and learners apply and are selected through the company’s recruitment process. You must meet the entry criteria for the specific learnership, and you can be a new entrant or a current employee. A three-party agreement is signed by the learner, the employer and the training provider, and an unemployed learner also signs a short-term employment contract with the employer.
If you manage your company’s levy, Workplace Skills Plan and grant claims with any SETA, BOTI’s Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) Training Course covers the SDF role and SETA submissions. It runs in-house, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online. This course is not accredited. It is delivered as a professional skills programme, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Sources
- For skills development providers – Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), 2026.
- Grants Policy 2025/26 – merSETA, 2024.
- Directive on the implementation of transitional arrangements for pre-2009 qualifications (Government Gazette 54858) – Minister of Higher Education and Training, 17 June 2026.
- Skills Development Levy – South African Revenue Service (SARS), 2026.
- Mandatory Grants – Health and Welfare SETA (HWSETA), 2026.
- Pre-2009 Extended Qualifications – South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), June 2026.
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