- Determine how much you can afford to spend in Skills Development, or how much you need to spend for your B-BBEE implementation in the coming year.
- Make a list of all the critical skills in your business, and why they are important.
- Identify persons that have those skills and those who are eligible to learn those skills.
- Create an additional list of skills that you would want in your business, that you don’t have now. For each skill, write down the reason why you do not have those skills at this time and how it will benefit you going forward.
- For each skill, you want to train or introduce, research the training options and jot it down as a Bursary, a Learnership, or an Apprenticeship.
- Consult with your SDF to match the two lists of skills you have made, with your SETA’s priority skills list.
- Mark all training that overlaps with the SETA’s and that would be valuable to your business. Those are the ones you will focus on for SETA funding.
- Using your Skills Development budget, determine what courses you can afford to implement first, and prioritize it accordingly. Then, determine how much you still need to implement all the courses you need.
- Work with your SDF to apply for SETA Mandatory and Discretionary Grants to aid your funding. It is worth noting here that you should NEVER rely on Discretionary Grants – that will be a happy bonus if it pays out. For your calculations on SETA funding, only use Mandatory Grants.
- The final step is implementation – now that you know your needs, budget, and training options you need to sit with your SDF and project managers and/or training providers to enrol learners for training.

Understanding the Definition of a Disabled Person According to the Employment Equity Act
In the pursuit of creating a fair and inclusive workplace, it is crucial for employers and employees alike to understand key terms and definitions outlined