Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA)

The Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA) is one of South Africa’s 21 SETAs. Services SETA covers skills development across an unusually broad range of services industries, including business management, human resources, marketing, public administration, real estate, cleaning, hospitality-related services and personal care such as hairdressing and beauty, according to a provider record checked in August 2026.

Registered name

Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA)

Type

Sector Education and Training Authority (public entity)

Fields funded

Services-sector qualifications at NQF 5 and above, from business and HR to hospitality and personal care

Website

serviceseta.org.za

Why the services sector is hard to serve

The services economy employs millions of South Africans, from consultants in corporate offices to owners of small salons and cleaning businesses. Many workers are in small or informal businesses that rarely train staff formally. Services SETA collects skills levies from employers in its sector and uses the money for learnerships, skills programmes, internships and bursaries.

Because the sector is so wide, Services SETA does not run one fixed national bursary the way a narrower SETA might. Instead, it channels funding through partner public universities and colleges each cycle.

How the bursaries work

Services SETA bursaries fund NQF level 5 and higher qualifications in services-sector fields, with full or partial tuition and, for unemployed students, accommodation and meals. Each partner institution sets its own deadline and conditions. For 2026, one partner closed on 15 September 2025 and another on 3 April 2026, showing how widely dates vary.

There is no single national work-back requirement, since terms depend on the host institution and funding cycle.

What we could not verify

Services SETA’s website address did not resolve when BursariesAfrica checked on 15 September 2026, so this profile relies on the provider record and BursariesAfrica’s earlier guide. Treat dates copied onto unofficial websites with caution, because partner institutions change from year to year.

How to find Services SETA funding

Ask your university’s or TVET college’s financial aid office whether it holds a Services SETA allocation for 2027, and which courses qualify. Search for Services SETA’s official website and social media for learnership and bursary notices. For hairdressing, beauty and other trades, ask accredited training providers whether they offer Services SETA-funded learnerships.

Check any training provider’s accreditation before enrolling, and never pay to be placed on a learnership.

Compare SETAs on our SETA bursary guide.