SETAs offer 100,000 study opportunities each year

Each year, the country’s sector education and training authorities (SETAs), offered thousands of study opportunities to young South Africans.

In 2017, the list was made up of 34,469 learnerships, 17,824 bursaries, 5,819 internships, 26,193 skills programmes, 9,486 work-integrated learning and 7,030 apprenticeships.

Learnerships, which made up the lion’s share of study opportunities, were made available for animal production, sports administration community house building, weaving preparation, contact centre operations, and film and media, amongst others.

The second largest category of study opportunities was the skills programmes.

Another popular category is bursaries which almost all SETAs offer.

SETAs are also using these career support options to promote new exciting and little-known careers such as somatologists who wish to work in health and skincare industry.  For example, the HWSETA offered 775 opportunities to candidates who wish to become somatologists, clinical technologists or biomedical technologists.

Those who yet are undecided about a career would do well to familiarise themselves with opportunities to study South Africa’s 15 most-needed trades or apprenticeships.

The list as released by the Department, includes a number of trades which the SETAs support.

The trades are millwrights, toolmakers, boilermakers, fitters and turners, carpenters and joiners, welders, plumbers, motor mechanics, diesel mechanics, instrument technicians, metal fabricators or sheet metalworkers, auto electricians, riggers and electricians.

Another list which prospective students should take cognisance of is the list of top occupations in demand.

The latest 2016 list includes over 300 careers.  These include, a chief information officer, logistics manager, retail manager, geologist, dentist, astronomer, ship’s master, enrolled nurse, water inspector, accounts clerk and child care worker.