Office Administration Courses: Admin, PA & Reception
These office administration courses are for the people who keep an office running: administrators, receptionists, secretaries, personal and executive assistants, office managers and admin clerks. They cover the work that makes an office reliable: answering calls and receiving visitors, keeping records that can be found and trusted, running the office day to day, organising meetings, travel and events, and supporting a manager.
Most courses run for 1 or 2 days; a few run for 3. Training runs in-house at your premises, at BOTI's venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online. Staff who need a full qualification can take the QCTO route below, but only until December 2026.
Most popular
- Events Management & Planning Beginners Course · 2 days. Plan and run an event from the first brief to the wrap-up: the team, tasks, vendors, sponsors and marketing. No prior experience needed.
- Reception and Telephone Etiquette Training - BOTi Essential Course · 2 days. Answer every call professionally and receive visitors with the business etiquette that projects a polished company image.
- Office Management Training Course · 1 day. Practical tools to organise email, electronic and paper files and voicemail, and to run the office day to day.
- Administrative Office Procedures Course · 1 day. The correct procedures for electronic and paper files, voicemail etiquette and a workspace organised for productivity.
- Organizational Skills Course · 1 day. Clear the clutter, organise your workspace and schedule, and stop feeling overwhelmed.
- Executive Secretaries Personal Assistant Training · 2 days. Telephone skills, business etiquette and professional protocol for receptionists, PAs and secretaries, practised through role-play.
Showing all 15 results
All Administration & Office Support courses
Reception, PA, meetings and events
- Reception and Telephone Etiquette Training - BOTi Essential Course · 2 days. Telephone skills and business etiquette for receptionists, front-desk teams and call handlers.
- The Professional Receptionist / PA Course · 2 days. Front-office training in telephone skills, business etiquette and visitor handling for reception and PA staff.
- Professional Receptionist Training · 2 days. Manage the front desk: first impressions, visitors and the security of the premises.
- Executive Secretaries Personal Assistant Training · 2 days. Professional protocol, etiquette and telephone skills for secretaries and PAs.
- Executive Assistant Personal Assistant and Administrator Training Development Course · 3 days. A customisable programme: each delegate chooses three modules to build the skills their role needs.
- Events Management & Planning Beginners Course · 2 days. Planning and running an event with basic project management, from committee to marketing.
- Events Management Expertise · 2 days. Arrange off-site events such as workshops, conferences, team-building days and client functions, including travel, accommodation and delegate facilities.
- Co-ordinate meetings, minor events and travel arrangements · 2 days. Organise meetings, small events and business travel for a team or a small business.
Office administration and organisation
- Office Management Training Course · 1 day. Tools and routines to administer and manage an office.
- Administrative Office Procedures Course · 1 day. Filing, voicemail and workspace procedures for receptionists and PAs.
- Organizational Skills Course · 1 day. Decluttering, organising and planning your own work.
- Administrative Support Course · 1 day. Follows on from the office procedures course: process email and other information channels efficiently and become more productive.
- Manage general administration · 3 days. Process payments, handle confidential documents, co-ordinate promotional activities and apply control measures in a small business.
- Monitor and control office supplies · 2 days. Keep track of office stationery and supplies, and control ordering and use.
- Maintain a booking system · 1 day. Record, confirm and manage bookings on a manual or computer system, and deal with errors and cancellations.
- Plan and conduct basic research in an office environment · 3 days. Plan, carry out and evaluate simple research to answer a workplace question.
- Mastering Asset and Inventory Management · 2 days. Manage fixed assets and stock levels so that neither too much nor too little stock hurts profitability.
- Powerful Project Management Course (as a project team member) · 3 days. For staff moved onto a project team: the processes, principles and techniques of project management.
Records, information and knowledge management
- Data and Records Management Training · 2 days. Why records matter, and how to keep proof of payments, orders and supplier transactions so the business can rely on it.
- Mastering Data & Records Management · 2 days. Organise, store, retrieve and protect organisational records, and control confidential documents across teams.
- Archiving and Records Keeping Course · 1 day. Keep and archive business records so they can be found at tax time or whenever proof of a transaction is needed.
- Applying the Principles of Knowledge Management · 3 days. Capture, share and reuse what your organisation knows: knowledge repositories, lessons learned and good practice.
Office conduct, safety and compliance
- Apply the organisation's code of conduct in a work environment · 3 days. Personal ethics, the role of a code of conduct, and upholding it in a work team.
- Control of Fraud in an Office Environment · 3 days. Common office fraud schemes, the legal side of fraud, and how to prevent, detect and investigate it.
- Contribute to the health, safety and security of the workplace (Business Administration Services) · 2 days. Workplace health, safety and security standards and procedures, and your part in them.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the rights and responsibilities of the individual under the South African Constitution (Business Administration Services) · 1 day. The Bill of Rights, the rights and responsibilities of the individual, and what to do when rights are abused.
- Digital Citizenship Course · 1 day. Digital etiquette, tone in online writing and the responsible use of technology at work.
Workplace literacy and numeracy
- Write for a defined context (Business Administration Services) · 3 days. Match text type, structure, tone and wording to the reader when writing at work.
- Access and use information from texts (Business Administration Services) · 3 days. Read workplace texts for different purposes, find the main ideas and use what you read.
- Measure, estimate & calculate physical quantities & explore, critique & prove geometrical relationships in 2 and 3 dimensional space in the life and workplace of adult with increasing responsibilities (Business Administration Services) · 2 days. Measure, estimate and calculate quantities in practical workplace situations.
- Demonstrate understanding of rational and irrational numbers and number systems (Business Administration Services) · 2 days. Work confidently with numbers, estimates and approximations.
- Work with a range of patterns and functions and solve problems (Business Administration Services) · 3 days. Use patterns, functions and simple algebra to represent and solve workplace problems.
The courses on this page are not accredited. They are delivered as professional skills programmes, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Talk to us
Tell us your team's goal and we will recommend the course. Call 011 882 8853 or email [email protected].
Accredited route
Enrol by 30 December 2026. BOTI is accredited by the QCTO to offer three full occupational qualifications for office staff. Each ends in an External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) through the QCTO's Assessment Quality Partner, and the QCTO issues the certificate. All three close to new enrolment at the end of December 2026, and no replacement qualification has been registered yet.
- Occupational Certificate: Office Administrator (SAQA 102161, NQF Level 5, 445 credits). Last date for enrolment: 30 December 2026.
- Occupational Certificate: Management Assistant (SAQA 101876, NQF Level 5, 316 credits). Last date for enrolment: 30 December 2026.
- Occupational Certificate: Office Supervisor (SAQA 118740, NQF Level 5, 240 credits). Last date for enrolment: 31 December 2026.
See every accredited programme on /qualifications/.
Guides
- Executive Secretaries Personal Assistant Training: the skills an executive secretary or PA needs to progress.
- Data and Records Management Training: managing records to stay compliant and work efficiently.
- What an office administration qualification leads to: the roles, career path and pay the QCTO Office Administrator qualification opens up.
- Office administration course requirements in South Africa: entry rules, duration, delivery and QCTO accreditation.
- Events Management for Beginners Training: an introduction to planning events.
- Executive and Personal Assistants Training: an overview of training for executive and personal assistants.
What our clients say
“The facilitator effectively encouraged participation and used practical examples, discussions and interactive activities to ensure that the concepts were understood and could be applied in the workplace.”
“Business Optimization Training Institute facilitated Microsoft Excel Training for our company. The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training.”
“The training was very informative and practical, leaving our employees feeling confident in their ability to leverage Excel more effectively.”
Frequently asked questions
Which course suits a new receptionist?
Start with the one-day Reception and Telephone Etiquette course for calls and the front desk. For the wider role, including visitors, etiquette and support to a manager, choose The Professional Receptionist / PA Course or Professional Receptionist Training (2 days each).
Can our PAs choose what they learn?
Yes. On the Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Administrator course each delegate chooses three modules. For in-house groups, any course on this page can be built around your own procedures, systems and sector.
Can you train our admin team at our offices, or online?
Yes. Every course can be delivered in-house at your premises anywhere in South Africa, at BOTI's venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online. Per-delegate rates fall as the group grows, so in-house is usually the most cost-effective option for a team.
Do these courses lead to a qualification?
No. Delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance. For a qualification, see the QCTO Office Administrator, Management Assistant and Office Supervisor qualifications above, which close to new enrolment at the end of December 2026.