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RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING WORKSHOPS UNDERWAY FOR GAUTENG CHILD AND YOUTH CARE WORKERS

September 14, 2025

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DSD Reporter.

Child and youth care workers play a significant role in the country’s child protection system, particularly in caring for the most vulnerable in society.
However, some of the child and youth care practitioners lack a formal qualification recognising their experience and prior learning.
Workshops are being held to help the caregivers achieve and NQF4 qualification based on their prior learning.

The Department of Social Development, will in partnership with the Health and Services Sector Education and Training Authority, will be conducting a series of workshops across the City of Tshwane for child and youth care workers, recognising their prior learning.

The workshops, on from 15 September to 20 September 2025, will ensure the care workers achieve a NQF 4 qualification in child and youth care work, based on their prior learning.

The workshops will take place in Mamelodi, Atteridgeville, Soshanguve, Ga-rankuwa and Bronkhorstspruit.

Child and youth care workers play a significant role in the country’s child protection system, which promotes the well-being of children, especially those orphaned because of the HIV/Aids pandemic. Such children are considered vulnerable and are usually living in child and youth headed households.

In the current financial year (2025/26), the Department of Social Development has enrolled 1 280 community caregivers from three provinces, Gauteng, Limpopo and North-West, for training.

The department is embarking on providing top-up training for the learners in these three provinces to bridge standard workplace skills gaps such as statistical compilation and mathematical literacy that the learners might not have been exposed to. Statistical compilation and mathematical literacy are prerequisites in attaining the Child and Youth Care Work NQF 4 qualification.

The learners went through a rigorous process of selection, induction, and evidence-gathering, and have all submitted the evidence required to demonstrate that they have the required experience and skills for the qualification.

The 1995 White Paper on Education and Training states that learning and skills acquired through experience, on-site training or self-education could be formally assessed and credited towards a formal NQF level.

Recognition of prior learning is a process that acknowledges and assesses an individual’s previous learning and experience for the purpose of gaining credits or qualifications in an educational programme.

The Department of Social Development is funding non-profit organisations to assist in addressing social ills such as HIV/Aids, child abuse, gender-based violence and femicide, substance abuse and poverty.

However, the implementers in these organisations do not have the appropriate qualifications although they have attained the requisite skills and experiences in providing such work.

The recognition of prior learning will ensure that the work provided by the funded non-profit organisations is professionalised and in line with the requirements as stipulated by Health and Services Sector Education and Training Authority.