IT SETA admits to delivery problems

Johannesburg, 07 May 2003

The Information Systems, Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies (ISETT) Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) has conceded that it has not been delivering as well as it should.

However, new CEO Oupa Mopaki and deputy chairman of the SETA board, Innocentius Makola, have given stakeholders the assurance that the training authority will show an effective turnaround in the next few months.

Addressing a stakeholders` briefing in Midrand yesterday, Makola said: "This SETA has not been delivering successfully during the past three years. However, for the first time, the board has assessed where the shortfalls are and developed seven strategic objectives to make a significant impact on performance."

Makola said that while several learnerships are in place, insufficient progress had been made in terms of recognised qualifications and accreditation for training providers. He gave the assurance that significant progress would be made in the short-term, saying the SETA leaderships would be held accountable if this progress had not taken place by the time the next annual general meeting was held towards the end of this year.

Mopaki, who was appointed CEO last month, said the SETA was being refocused, with any organisational problems being eliminated.

"We`re fast-tracking the development of unit standards and qualifications, making ourselves more accountable and generally continually raising the bar in terms of our service delivery," he said. "What we are aiming for is a paradigm shift within the SETA."

One of the new strategic objectives is to significantly improve communication with stakeholders in the sector. With this in mind, the SETA says it has improved and is refining its Web site, to allow for easier tracking of levy payments and grants.

The SETA has staged several stakeholder briefing sessions countrywide. It has also pledged to make it easier for callers to reach staff within the SETA, and to speed up turnaround times on queries.