The sole objective of the Authority will be to:
| 5.1 | develop a sector skills plan within the framework of the national skills development strategy for the Authority; |
| 5.2 | implement the skills sector plan by: |
| 5.2.1 | approving workplace skills plans; |
| 5.2.2 | establishing learnerships; |
| 5.2.3 | allocating grants in the prescribed manner to employers, education and training providers and workers; and |
| 5.2.4 | monitoring education and training in the sector; |
| 5.3 | promote learnerships by: |
| 5.3.1 | identifying workplaces for practical work experience; |
| 5.3.2 | supporting the development of learning materials; |
| 5.3.3 | improving the facilitation of learning; and |
| 5.3.4 | assisting in the conclusion of learnership agreements; |
| 5.4 | register learnership agreements; |
| 5.5 | be accredited as a body contemplated in section 5(1)(a)(ii)(bb) of the South African Qualifications Authority Act and to act as such; |
| 5.6 | collect and disburse the skills development levies in the banking sector in terms of the Act and the Skills Development Levies Act; |
| 5.7 | liaise with the National Skills Authority as well as other SETAs on inter alia: |
| 5.7.1 | national skills development strategy; |
| 5.7.2 | national skills development policy; |
| 5.7.3 | its own sector skills plan; |
| 5.8 | report to the Director - General on the implementing of its sector skills plan and any budgets, reports and financial statements on its income and expenditure in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No. 1 of 1999); |
| 5.9 | liaise with employment services of the Department of Labour and any educational body established in terms of educational laws of South Africa to improve the quality of information : |
| 5.9.1 | about employment opportunities; and |
| 5.9.2 | between education and training providers and the labour market; |
| 5.10 | appoint office bearers and staff necessary for the performance of its functions; |
| 5.11 | facilitate the involvement of the relevant government departments in the activities of the Authority; to: |
| 5.11.1 | address the competency requirements for social delivery; |
| 5.11.2 | address the learning needs of the most vulnerable segments of the sector; |
| 5.11.3 | promote training of SMEs to enable them to qualify for public contract; |
| 5.12 | perform any other duties imposed by the Act or any other function not specifically mentioned, in order to fullfil the objectives of the Authority and the Act; |
| 5.13 | notwithstanding the above functions and objectives, the Authority must at all times give affect to the purposes of the Act, being: |
| 5.13.1 | to develop the skills of the South African workforce; |
| 5.13.2 | to increase the levels of investment in education and training in the labour market and to improve the return on that investment; |
| 5.13.3 | to encourage employers: |
| 5.13.3.1 | to use the workplace as an active learning environment; |
| 5.13.3.2 | to provide employees with opportunities to acquire new skills; |
| 5.13.3.3 | to provide opportunities for new entrants to the labour market to gain work experience; and |
| 5.13.3.4 | to employ persons who find it difficult to be employed; |
| 5.13.4 | to encourage workers to participate in learnerships and other training programmes; |
| 5.13.5 | to improve the employment prospects of persons previously disadvantaged by unfair discrimination and to redress those |
| 5.13.6 | advantages through training and education; |
| 5.13.7 | to ensure the quality of education and training in and for the workplace; |
| 5.13.8.1 | work-seekers to find work: |
| 5.13.8.2 | retrenched workers to re-enter the labour market; |
| 5.13.8.3 | employers to find qualified employees; |
| 5.13.9 | to provide and regulate employment services; |
| 5.14 | in applying this constitution, the Authority must interpret its provisions to give effect to: |
| 5.14.1 | its functions and objectives as set out herein; |
| 5.14.2 | the objectives of the Act, the Skills Development Levies Act, the South African Qualifications Authority Act, Regulations regarding the establishment of SETAs No. 20442 of 1999 and the Regulations for Education and Training Quality Assurance No. 19231 of 1998. |
