PPECB Agri Export Technologist Programme (AETP)

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The Agri Export Technologist Programme (AETP) is a 12-month paid training year run by the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) for unemployed graduates in agricultural sciences, food technology or environmental health. Trainees work at PPECB inspection points under the mentorship of PPECB specialists, learning how export fruit and other perishables are checked. They also complete an accredited qualification, the National Certificate: Perishable Product Technology (SAQA ID 5834, NQF Level 5). PPECB describes the programme as aimed at high-potential, disadvantaged graduates.

Applications open on 1 October and close on 1 December every year, and the new group starts on 1 April. The next window therefore runs from 1 October to 1 December 2026, for the intake that begins on 1 April 2027.

What the PPECB does and where trainees fit

The PPECB, established in 1926, is a national public entity under the Perishable Products Export Control Act of 1983. It provides cold chain management services, and it carries out export inspections and food safety work for the Department of Agriculture under the Agricultural Product Standards Act. Its inspections carry weight abroad. The European Commission recognises South Africa’s inspection system as equivalent to its own, so South African produce faces fewer checks when it arrives at EU ports.

AETP trainees are placed at inspection points in different regions and work on specific products, with citrus and grapes named as examples. Much of the year is spent learning the quality assurance practices applied to that produce before it can be certified for export.

Seven subjects in the classroom component

Alongside the on-site work, accredited facilitators teach the theory for the Perishable Product Technology certificate. The PPECB lists these topics:

• export legislation and certification
• factors that influence export
• food safety
• product knowledge
• cold chain management
• total quality management systems and viability
• recent innovations in the field

The qualifications PPECB accepts

You need at least a completed three-year national qualification, such as a diploma or degree, in agricultural sciences, food technology or environmental health. You must be unemployed when you apply. PPECB also looks for a strong academic record, strong interpersonal skills and competence in English. A two-year certificate or an unfinished qualification does not meet the minimum.

The PPECB pays trainees a stipend, which it calls “a nominal amount” to help with costs, and it does not publish the figure. It tries to place trainees close to where they live. Because the export season moves around the country, it warns that some trainees may be placed elsewhere, so be ready to relocate for part of the year.

From the October application to the April start

You apply through the PPECB’s online careers portal, which is linked from the AETP page and also lists the organisation’s other vacancies. Late applications are not discarded: the PPECB holds applications received after 1 December for the following year’s intake.

After the 12 months

The PPECB says plainly that finishing the AETP does not guarantee a job. It points to the value of the on-the-job exposure and the NQF 5 certificate when applying for posts at the PPECB itself or with exporters, packhouses and others in the industry. Graduates in marketing, finance or human resources should look at the PPECB’s separate 12-month internships, which place interns in head-office departments instead of inspection points.

If you are still studying towards an agricultural or food qualification, bursaries can carry you to the point where the AETP becomes an option. See the Department of Agriculture bursary, the AgriSETA profile and the SAAFoST Foundation bursary for food science students.

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