Dr J.P. Nel, CEO Mentornet (Pty) Ltd

Many learning providers offering occupational learning and development are up in arms because the QCTO had the legacy qualifications, and their accompanying unit standards scrapped and removed from the NQF register. They feel that curriculums for occupational qualifications that can replace the legacy qualifications have not yet been developed. And they are right. However, in all fairness towards the QCTO – the CEO of the QCTO warned us more than four years ago already that the legacy qualifications and their unit standards would be terminated.

When we think about this objectively, we should admit that it is about time that the legacy qualifications and unit standards are properly reviewed and adapted to changes in the external learning and development environment or be replaced by something new. Here are some benefits that we can gain from the replacement of the old occupational curriculums with the new occupational ones. 

1. The flaws in the already registered Occupational Qualifications can be eliminated or at least reduced.
2. The relevant and valuable learning content of Historically Registered Qualifications are kept while redundant learning content are done away with.
3. Duplication between qualifications is eliminated unless repetition is necessary for the sake of efficient learning.
4. Recent developments in learning and development can be included in the new qualifications and Skills Programmes.
5. A balance in level and content of different knowledge and practical modules in each qualification can be achieved, which is currently not the case.
6. Each Practical Skill Module can be aligned with a Knowledge Module. This is critically important because practical work should always be supported by relevant theory. By doing this, the learning content can be structured in such a way that the learning process is conducted systematically. All knowledge should be applied knowledge.
7. Knowledge topics should be relevant to the knowledge modules with which they are linked. This is currently not the case.
8. Associated Internal Assessment Criteria must test knowledge topics. This is currently not the case.
9. The Occupational Qualifications and Skills Programmes can be designed to cater for both contact learning and online learning.
10. All the elements of the curriculum, for example Knowledge topics, Associated Internal Assessment, etc., can be correctly formulated, and a balance can be found in the number of elements for different Modules.
11. The learning experience can be substantially enriched.