For weeks, the countdown clock was set. Legacy qualifications, the pre-2009 programmes that have anchored South Africa's skills development system for decades, were due to phase out on 30 June 2026. Learners were anxious. Skills Development Providers were recalculating enrolment plans. HR managers and SDFs were quietly asking the same question in every planning meeting: what happens now? Then, just before the deadline, Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela s

South Africa's skills development landscape is undergoing one of its most significant shifts in decades, and if you haven't yet taken action, the time to do so is now. The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), and the Quality Council For Trades & Occupations (QCTO) have confirmed that enrolments on legacy qualifications officially end on 30 June 2026. After this date, companies will no longer be able to register lea