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Executive secretaries and personal assistants keep a manager’s working day under control. They run the diary, the documents and the flow of information, and they often have to step into the manager’s shoes when a difficult person or a difficult problem needs attention. Executive secretary courses and personal assistant courses build the skills that make this possible: planning, prioritising, record-keeping, communication and discretion.
This course at BOTI todayExecutive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Administrator Training (2 days)
The current course runs at your offices anywhere in South Africa, live online or at a BOTI venue. The course page has the up-to-date outline and group prices.
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This guide to executive secretary courses sets out the skills the role demands, what BOTI’s two-day course teaches, and the accredited route for people who want a formal qualification. For receptionist, office management and minute-taking training, browse our administration and office support courses.
What does an executive secretary or personal assistant do?
The job titles overlap. Executive secretary, executive assistant (EA), personal assistant (PA) and office administrator are often used for similar roles, and the work usually includes:
- Managing the manager’s diary, meetings and appointments, and protecting time for priority work
- Handling correspondence, calls and visitors on the manager’s behalf
- Preparing documents, and keeping files and records that can be found quickly
- Organising meetings and following up on the actions agreed
- Passing information between the manager, colleagues, clients and outside contacts
- Handling confidential information with care and discretion
Because a PA deals with senior staff, clients and visitors every day, the role carries the image of the department and the organisation as well as its paperwork.
Skills an executive personal assistant course builds
An executive secretary or executive PA has to juggle many tasks without dropping any of them. Executive personal assistant courses work on these skills:
- Planning and prioritising: deciding what comes first when routine work, urgent requests and deadlines compete, and reporting early when a deadline is at risk.
- Organisation: using planning aids, scheduling techniques and time management to keep your own work and your manager’s on track.
- Problem solving: dealing with the unexpected, such as a diary clash, a missing document or an upset caller, without waiting to be told.
- Accuracy: working to a high standard under time pressure, so that documents and records can be trusted.
- Confidentiality and discretion: protecting sensitive information and personal data at all times.
- Professional communication: dealing courteously and tactfully with senior staff, colleagues, clients and visitors.
- Working relationships: teamwork, managing conflict, and adapting your communication style to the person in front of you.
- Ownership: accepting accountability for results, and being flexible enough to help colleagues when the workload peaks.
What BOTI’s executive secretary course covers
BOTI’s two-day Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Administrator Training is built around four areas.
1. The business environment
Delegates look at the business environment in terms of its people, the legislation that applies to their work and the documents it runs on, so that they understand the context of the requests that land on their desk.
2. Planning and organising your own work
Delegates use planning aids, scheduling techniques, time management and prioritising to plan and monitor their work. They learn to sort routine and unexpected tasks according to the organisation’s procedures, to report likely problems with deadlines early, and to ask for help when a demand or deadline cannot be met alone.
3. Working relationships
This part covers teamwork, managing relationships and conflict, and communication styles. Delegates practise giving internal and external customers the information they need, for routine requests and one-off ones, and meeting the commitments they make. They also look at how a PA can promote the image of the department and the organisation, while keeping information confidential and protecting personal data.
4. Files and records
Delegates learn the procedures for sorting, handling and storing information, filing new documents and records, and keeping track of files when they are moved. They also learn to spot ways to improve a filing system and to raise them with the right person.
How the training works
The course is practical and outcomes-based, so delegates apply what they learn to their own work, and it is presented to encourage group participation and involvement. The methods include role-plays, practical exercises, speeches and presentations, team sessions, demonstrations, questionnaires, discussions and case examples, and delegates receive the course material.
Training runs in-house at your premises anywhere in South Africa, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or live online. A three-day version of the Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Administrator Training is also available for teams that want a longer programme.
This course is not accredited. It is delivered as a professional skills programme, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Is there an executive personal assistant diploma or certification?
Many people look for an executive personal assistant diploma, or for a way to become a certified executive personal assistant. This is what BOTI offers:
- No BOTI diploma. BOTI does not offer a diploma for executive secretaries or personal assistants.
- Short courses with a certificate of attendance. The two-day and three-day Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Administrator courses are not accredited. Delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance, which shows that they completed the training. It is not a qualification or a professional certification.
- Accredited occupational certificates. For a qualification registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), BOTI is accredited by the QCTO to offer two occupational certificates that suit secretaries and PAs. Each ends in an External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) through the QCTO’s Assessment Quality Partner, and the QCTO issues the certificate.
The two occupational certificates are:
- Occupational Certificate: Management Assistant (SAQA ID 101876, NQF Level 5, 316 credits). Last date for enrolment: 30 December 2026.
- Occupational Certificate: Office Administrator (SAQA ID 102161, NQF Level 5, 445 credits). Last date for enrolment: 30 December 2026.
Both qualifications are in teach-out, so new learners must enrol by 30 December 2026, and no replacement qualification has been registered yet. PAs who supervise other office staff can also look at the Occupational Certificate: Office Supervisor (SAQA ID 118740, NQF Level 5, 240 credits), which takes new learners until 31 December 2026. All of BOTI’s accredited qualifications are listed under QCTO occupational certificates.
Who should attend
The courses suit executive secretaries, executive assistants and personal assistants, office administrators who support a manager, and staff who are moving into a PA role. Managers can also send their assistant to build the planning, record-keeping and relationship skills the role depends on.
Speak to a BOTI consultant
Phone 011 882 8853 or email [email protected]. Tell us how many people need training and where they are based, and we will recommend a course and send a quote.
Frequently asked questions
What does an executive secretary course cover?
BOTI’s course covers four areas: knowledge of the business environment (people, legislation and documentation), planning and organising your own work with scheduling and prioritising techniques, establishing and maintaining working relationships through teamwork, conflict management and communication styles, and maintaining files and records. Confidentiality and data protection run through all four, and the training uses role-plays, exercises and case examples.
Is there an accredited executive secretary qualification?
BOTI’s two-day and three-day executive assistant and PA courses are not accredited; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance. For a formal qualification, BOTI offers the QCTO Occupational Certificate: Management Assistant (SAQA ID 101876, NQF Level 5, 316 credits) and the Occupational Certificate: Office Administrator (SAQA ID 102161, NQF Level 5, 445 credits). Both are in teach-out, so new learners must enrol by 30 December 2026. Each ends in an External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA), and the QCTO issues the certificate.
How long is the executive secretary course?
Two days, and a three-day version is also available. The course is practical and outcomes-based, so delegates apply what they learn through role-plays, exercises, speeches and presentations, team sessions, demonstrations, questionnaires, discussions and case examples. It runs in-house at your premises, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online.
What skills does an executive secretary need?
Planning and prioritising come first, together with organisation, problem solving and accuracy under tight deadlines. The role also needs confidentiality and discretion at all times, courteous and tactful communication with senior staff, colleagues, clients and visitors, good working relationships, and the willingness to take accountability for results and help others when the workload peaks.
Does BOTI offer an executive personal assistant diploma?
No. BOTI does not offer a diploma for executive PAs. Its executive assistant and PA courses are non-accredited short courses with a BOTI certificate of attendance. For a qualification registered on the NQF, BOTI offers the QCTO occupational certificates for Management Assistant and Office Administrator, both at NQF Level 5, with new enrolments closing on 30 December 2026.
How can I become a certified executive personal assistant?
BOTI does not award a “certified executive personal assistant” title. Delegates on its PA courses receive a BOTI certificate of attendance, which records the training but is not a qualification. If you want a certificate issued by the QCTO, enrol for the Occupational Certificate: Management Assistant or Office Administrator by 30 December 2026 and complete the qualification, including its External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA).
BOTI’s two-day Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Administrator Training gives secretaries and PAs practical methods for planning their work, keeping files and records, and building working relationships. It runs in-house at your premises, at our venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.