VerifiedAn artisan qualification is not a degree and it does not work like one. You are not admitted to a course and funded for three years. You are taken on by an employer, trained partly at a college and partly at work, and at the end you write a practical trade test. The certificate comes from the state, not from the college.
This page explains that route, because the funding only makes sense once you understand it. For the money itself, go to the page for your trade.
The three routes in
- Apprenticeship. A contract with an employer, registered with a SETA. The employer carries you through the workplace training and you attend a TVET college in blocks. This is the traditional route and usually runs about four years.
- Learnership. A fixed-term agreement between you, an employer and a training provider, leading to a registered qualification. Shorter and more common in the construction trades.
- Recognition of prior learning. If you have already worked in a trade for years without a certificate, you can be assessed against the curriculum and given credit for what you can already do. The regulations call this an exemption, and the National Artisan Moderation Body decides it with the QCTO.
What you study first
Most learners do N1 to N3 engineering studies, or a National Certificate (Vocational), at a public TVET college before or alongside the workplace training. NSFAS funds public TVET college study in full for students who qualify, which is why the college part is rarely the expensive part. The workplace part is paid for by the employer or by a SETA.
The trade test
The trade test is a practical assessment at an accredited trade test centre. It is the thing that makes you an artisan, and the rules around it are set in regulation rather than by the college.
- You get three attempts, whatever the length of your learning agreement.
- After three unsuccessful attempts you may apply again, but only after six months, and only with evidence that you have had training against the gaps listed in your assessment feedback report. Every further attempt waits another six months.
- You may appeal a result within 21 days of receiving it. The appeal is lodged with the National Artisan Moderation Body.
- The QCTO issues the national trade certificate, not the college and not the SETA.
The three-attempt rule and the six-month wait come from the Trade Test Regulations, published in Government Gazette 35625 on 31 August 2012 and read in full on 23 September 2026. Source: Trade Test Regulations.
Who runs what
| Body | What it does |
|---|---|
| QCTO | The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations, established in 2010 under the Skills Development Act. It quality-assures occupational qualifications and issues the trade certificate. |
| NAMB | The National Artisan Moderation Body, established under section 26A of the Skills Development Act as a unit inside the Department of Higher Education and Training. It moderates trade tests and handles appeals. |
| INDLELA | The national artisan development centre at Olifantsfontein in Gauteng, which houses NAMB and is itself a trade test centre. |
| Your SETA | Registers the apprenticeship, pays the grants and funds the training. Which one depends on your trade. |
Which SETA covers your trade
- The merSETA covers manufacturing and engineering through six chambers: metal and engineering, tyre, auto, plastics, motor retail and components manufacturing. That is where fitters and turners, millwrights, boilermakers and welders sit.
- CETA covers construction, and runs the Thapelo Madibeng bursary. Bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers and painters sit there.
- The EWSETA covers energy and water, and funds electrical and plumbing skills on the utility side.
- The MQA funds the same trades where they are practised at a mine, and it takes student applications directly.
Trade pages
Each of these covers its own funders, its own SETA and its own licence or certification:
- Boilermaker bursaries
- Welding bursaries
- Fitter and turner bursaries
- Millwright bursaries
- Electrician bursaries
- Plumbing bursaries
- Bricklaying bursaries
- Carpentry bursaries
- Painting bursaries
See also our engineering bursaries page and construction bursaries.