Required Qualifications in South Africa

[skatingsparks]

Hey tracer, more stuff from SAQA web site. Says something about UK equivalents near the bottom

http://regqs.saqa.org.za/showQualification.php?id=72051

Looks like NVQ 3 is pretty much equated to N4

Can't find anything on 2391, 2381.

Still waiting for my NVQ to arrive, think its lost in the postal strike.

[skatingsparks]

Howsit Tracer

Right, hand delivered all my papers to SAQA on the 15th of August. NVQ 3, testing and inspecting, design and verification and new 17th edition wiring regs. They told me 10 working days. I phoned EVERYDAY(every working day anyway), to make sure there wasn't something they needed or if something was missing and was told all was ok everytime. After 12 days of phoning everyday, being assured that i didn't need to pay more, didn't need any further papers i gave up phoning. I'm a calm person, takes a lot to P&%$ me off but I was unable to speak to them in a civil, polite manner anymore. This has been going on for 21 months since i first handed my qualifications in, being told they were not good enough(by the the way they should have been but thats another story), going back to the UK getting the above mentioned qualifications etc etc.
Anyway long story short after I gave up phoning,(seriously have spent a few 1000 rands on phone calls to sort this, seriously!). My girlfriend took over and hassled them non stop. Eventually we found that they had lost my paper that I had handed in on the 15th. They kept asking for a part 3 qualification(the C course which was like the technician course which was stopped in 1998 or 1996... any way you can't get it anymore). Having told them dozens of times it doesn't exists anymore and this was the reason I went back to the UK to get the above mentioned papers because it says on there webs site that the NVQ 3 equates to and NQF 4. After a lot of phone calls it was discovered that SAQA had 2 files for me with the same reference number so when I phoned up they were looking at my old file. My girlfriend started complaint procedures and said she had contacted "Special Assignment"(a TV program) about there incompetence. The managers then got on the case and my file was found again. Last week I was told my papers had been assessed and were ready to be collected. So just over 2 month after i handed them in I managed to collect them. All of the above qualifications equate to an NQF 4. Its the NVQ 3 you need. Now that it equates to a NQF 4 it means that I don't have to do a trade test because NQF 4 is what comes after the trade test. It says on the SAQA certificate that the level of my qualifications are "Gereral Certificate of Education(Ordinary level)(regarded to be at a level below that of the South African Senior Certificate)". I thought that was a bit of a frikin joke. An NQF 4 level can be gained in 40 weeks!!, to get City and guilds 2330 pt 2 and pt3 and all the above qualifications would take at least 3 years serious hard graft.

The next stage is to try and convince the ECA that my Testing and inspecting qualification covers everything needed for the units of credit for testing and inspecting in SA. Which it more than does. If i can get them to write a letter saying so then I can apply for my wiremans. Thats todays little job.

So there ya go. Get the NVQ 3 and you'll be on your way.

Good luck.