FP&M SETA Bursaries for Scarce and Critical Skills

Key facts

Status: Check with the provider
Provider: Fibre Processing and Manufacturing SETA (FP&M SETA)
Study level: Undergraduate, Postgraduate
Last checked: September 2026

FP&M SETA publishes no student bursary round; its bursaries are funded through discretionary grants to organisations, and the 2026-27 grant window closed on 15 March 2026.

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The Fibre Processing and Manufacturing SETA (FP&M SETA) covers 13 sub-sectors: clothing, footwear, forestry, furniture, general goods, leather, packaging, print media, printing, publishing, pulp and paper, textiles and wood products. Bursaries are one of the learning interventions it funds, but FP&M SETA does not run an open bursary round for individual students on its website. The funding process it publishes is its discretionary grant, which organisations such as employers, universities and colleges apply for.

The rules FP&M SETA sets for a funded bursary

FP&M SETA’s Learning Interventions page sets three conditions for bursaries:

The bursaries are awarded mainly for study programmes that fall within FP&M SETA’s scarce and critical skills.
The programme must be at NQF level 5 or higher.
The student must be registered at a higher education institution accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE).

FP&M SETA does not publish a bursary amount, a list of costs covered, a minimum mark or a work-back condition for bursary holders.

Occupations the sector is short of

The SETA’s career portal lists sectoral priority occupations for each sub-sector. Examples it gives include clothing and leather technologists, performance improvement technologists and technicians, CNC machining for furniture makers, electrical and mechanical artisans for pulp and paper mills, publishers, commissioning editors and writers for publishing, and saw doctors for wood products. The portal notes that some critical skills are met through short courses that the SETA does not accredit, so not every priority occupation leads to an NQF level 5 qualification that a bursary could fund.

Why students cannot apply to the SETA directly

FP&M SETA describes its discretionary grants as funding for skills development, training and capacity building. The grant presentation for 2026-27 says any registered organisation can apply, including levy payers that have submitted their Workplace Skills Plan and Annual Training Report. The SETA’s stakeholder page lists non-levy payers such as universities, TVET colleges, NGOs, cooperatives, small businesses and government entities. Applicants must be tax compliant, hold valid accreditation, and offer training linked to FP&M sectors. The SETA says it prioritises youth, women, learners with disabilities, and organisations that absorb learners after training.

The 2026-27 discretionary grant window closed at midnight on 15 March 2026. After that come evaluation, approval, activation and a contract, according to the same presentation. The SETA publishes its grant manual, appointment letters and advert on its LMIS system, which is for registered organisations rather than individual learners.

FP&M SETA’s pages describe no separate process for an individual student to apply for a bursary, and the SETA does not publish a list of the organisations it has funded.

Registering on the career portal

FP&M SETA runs a career portal with information on qualifications, critical skills and the sub-sectors. Its linked applicant system lets job seekers upload a CV and create a profile so that they can be found when a suitable opportunity comes up. When checked in September 2026 it listed no bursary adverts. Queries about learning interventions go to the SETA’s help desk at helpdesk@fpmseta.org.za or 011 403 1700.

Students in these industries can apply directly to several other funders. The fashion and textile bursaries list covers clothing and textile study, and the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa profile covers pulp and paper. Bursaries that other SETAs offer to students directly are gathered in the SETA bursary guide.

FAQs

1. Where is the FP&M SETA bursary application form? +

FP&M SETA does not publish one for individual students. The funding process it publishes is the discretionary grant, which organisations apply for, and its pages describe no application route for individual students.

2. When did the last FP&M SETA funding window close? +

The 2026-27 discretionary grant window for organisations closed at midnight on 15 March 2026. FP&M SETA has not published the dates of the next window.

3. Can a TVET student get an FP&M SETA bursary? +

The SETA says bursary programmes must be at NQF level 5 or above at a CHE-accredited higher education institution. TVET students may instead fit its learnership, apprenticeship or work-integrated learning interventions, which have their own rules.

4. Which qualifications does FP&M SETA prioritise? +

Those that fall within its scarce and critical skills. The career portal’s priority occupations include clothing and leather technologists, CNC machining for furniture, artisans for pulp and paper mills, and editors and writers for publishing.

5. Is uploading a CV to the FP&M SETA career portal an application? +

No. The portal lets you create a profile so that you can be found when a suitable opportunity comes up. It is not a bursary application, and no bursaries were advertised there in September 2026.

Update note (checked September 2026): FP&M SETA publishes no student bursary round. Its bursaries are funded through discretionary grants to organisations, and the 2026-27 grant window closed on 15 March 2026, according to the SETA’s own grant presentation.