In performing the functions contemplated in the Skills Development Act and in this Constitution, the SETA must seek to promote the objectives contemplated in the Act and this Constitution, and must comply with the Skills Development Levies Act, 1999 and to the extent that it is necessary with the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 and the SAQA Act.
The paragraphs lines constitute the general objectives of the ESETA are to—
| 4.1.1 | develop the skills of employees and employers in energy, water and related services; |
| 4.1.2 | improve the quality of life, prospects and labour mobility of employees in energy, water and related services; |
| 4.1.3 | strengthen the institutional capacity of organisations involved in the supply of energy, water and related services in order to improve productivity and the quality of services thereby enhancing the quality of life of the community and the country at large; |
| 4.1.4 | increase the levels of investment in skills development and to improve returns on such investment; |
| 4.1.5 | promote the inclusion of contextual knowledge in respect of issues of local government and governance within learnerships and skills development programmes. |
| 4.1.6 | co-operate and develop relationships with other SETAs and ETQAs to ensure coherence and portability. |
| 4.1.7 | develop and implement integrated and coherent learnership, education and training programs; and sector and company skills plans which allow for maximum coherence within the sectors and maximum portability and mobility of skills and workers within the sectors and with other sectors. |
| 4.1.8 | promote, facilitate and prioritise education and training for the unemployed and workers in SMME's and in the informal sector that meets their needs and assists them in gaining access to formal employment mainly within the sector. |
| 4.1.9 | promote, facilitate and prioritise the eradication of illiteracy and innumeracy in the sector. |
| 4.1.10 | promote the principles of black economic empowerment |
| 4.2 | Objectives in relation to employers |
The objectives of the Authority in relation to employers are to encourage them to—
4.2.1 develop their capacity to manage and provide education and training;
| 4.2.2 | use their workplaces and facilities to create active learning environments; |
| 4.2.3 | develop workplace skills plans in the context of integrated development planning; |
| 4.2.4 | provide new entrants to the labour market with opportunities to learn through exposure to work experience in learnership programmes; |
| 4.2.5 | provide appropriate education and training interventions in relation to job creation or local economic development initiatives; |
| 4.2.6 | provide employment opportunities for persons who might otherwise find it difficult to obtain employment; |
| 4.2.7 | support education and training interventions linked to the objectives and mechanisms of the Employment Equity Act, 1998; and which supports the fulfillment of Bargaining Council agreements; |
| 4.2.8 | develop appropriate partnerships between themselves and other public, private and non-governmental organisations. |
| 4.3 | Objectives in relation to employees |
The objectives of the ESETA in relation to employees are to—
| 4.3.1 | promote and facilitate the development of mechanisms to encourage workers to participate in learnerships and other education and training programmes; |
| 4.3.2 | encourage workers to participate in the governance and evaluation of the programmes they undertake; |
| 4.3.3 | facilitate the ongoing recognition of skills, knowledge and ability of workers |
| 4.4 | Objectives in relation to local communities |
The objectives of the ESETA in relation to the communities served by energy, water and related services are to—
| 4.4.1 | assist work-seekers to gain access to work experience; |
| 4.4.2 | assist retrenched workers to re-enter the labour market; |
| 4.4.3 | promote skills for self-employment |
