Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA)

The Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA) is one of 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) in South Africa. LGSETA’s job is to make sure the people who run municipalities have the skills to deliver services, and to train unemployed South Africans who could fill the gaps.

Registered name

Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA)

Type

Sector Education and Training Authority (public entity)

Fields funded

Engineering, environmental health, finance, IT, public administration, supply chain and town planning

Website

lgseta.org.za

Email

bursaryapp@lgseta.org.za

Phone

011 456 8579

Who LGSETA trains

LGSETA designs and implements skills development interventions for local government employees, unemployed people and others who work within local government structures, such as ward councillors and traditional leaders. LGSETA falls under the Department of Higher Education and Training and is funded mainly through the skills development levy that municipalities and other employers in the sector pay.

LGSETA argues that a skilled, capable workforce helps municipalities meet their constitutional mandate and improves the lives of South Africans. LGSETA works closely with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), and the two main municipal unions, IMATU and SAMWU.

Why LGSETA funds bursaries

Municipalities across South Africa struggle to recruit qualified professionals in scarce-skill areas, and many small municipalities have few qualified engineers or town planners. LGSETA treats education as a more sustainable fix than municipalities competing for the same small pool of professionals, according to a provider record checked in August 2026. LGSETA publishes lists of approved bursary qualifications linked to its strategic focus areas.

The LGSETA bursary

LGSETA’s bursary is one of the larger SETA schemes, with about 230 awards in the last round. The 2026 call funded civil engineering (N4 to N6), electrical engineering, engineering management, environmental health, finance and accounting, information technology, public administration, supply chain management and town and regional planning. The bursary covers tuition and related costs for one academic year, so bursars reapply each year, and applicants must be unemployed.

The 2026 round closed at midnight on 28 November 2025 on LGSETA’s Pulse portal. BursariesAfrica expects the 2027 round to open in early November 2026.

How to research LGSETA

Download LGSETA’s current list of approved bursary qualifications before choosing a course, because a qualification missing from the list will not be funded. Ask the skills development facilitator at your local municipality whether LGSETA-funded learnerships or internships run there too, since each municipality nominates a facilitator to plan training with LGSETA.

Compare LGSETA with other SETAs on our SETA bursary guide.