November 2003

In recent months there have been exciting developments on the skills development front. Just to re-cap for Autonews’ readers, two years, SAVRALA launched an association-endorsed Certificate programme in Fleet Management in conjunction with National Private Colleges (NPC), part of the Educor group.

In July this year, NPC were formally accredited as education service providers and, at the same time, notification that the Certificate material had been conditionally approved by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) was received. SAVRALA is now working with NPC on clearing the four conditions by early 2004. With this groundwork in place, it is anticipated that the road to accreditation status for the proposed Diploma course will be smoother.

In a separate but related initiative, SAVRALA president, John Broadway reports that significant progress has been made with the Bank Sector Education Training Authority (SETA) regarding its sponsorship of the development and delivery – through NPC – of a formal Learnership in Fleet Management starting in 2004.

“The Bank SETA found the SAVRALA Certificate materials to be ideal for their purposes and association member, debis Fleet Management, has indicated its willingness to be the ‘lead employer’. We hope that the Bank SETA’s experience of Learnerships, together with the new accredited status of the Certificate, will result in a real increase in interest and skill levels within the fleet management industry.

Currently in the developmental phase is the Diploma in Fleet Management intended for those learners who want to progress their studies to a higher level. A National Qualifications Forum (NQF) Level 6 Curriculum Development workshop was convened earlier this month in order to get to grips with the needs of the Fleet Management industry at this level and to commence the process of developing an appropriate curriculum.

SAVRALA has already committed the necessary funds for the development of study materials in early 2004.

Broadway remains convinced that this initiative will pay dividends in the medium- to long-term through the introduction of many people to the specialist fields of rental and fleet management and through the raising of skills in these industries.