After years of preparing for tertiary education in the health and wellness sector, it’s exciting when it comes time to decide which course or qualification to pursue. With seemingly endless career opportunities in South Africa’s health sector, there are hundreds of programmes, courses and institutions to choose from. However, the Health and Wellness Sector Education Training Authority (HWSETA) encourages prospective students to make sure that the institute they select – and the programme – are accredited by the HWSETA. Every year, the HWSETA uncovers unscrupulous institutions that lure unsuspecting students to register with them, under false pretences and without the legally required accreditation to operate.
Why it matters
The HWSETA is an important building block of South Africa’s education system. We make sure that the education and training opportunities in the HW sector are top quality. This includes ensuring that the qualification you ultimately achieve is useful and relevant to the needs of the sector. This is done through our accreditation process, which any institute offering a HW qualification must follow every five years.
If you were to enrol in a course that’s not accredited by HWSETA, you’d be working towards a qualification that isn’t recognised by prospective employers or further education institutes. In other words, it is the difference between achieving a qualification that is recognised by other institutions and employers, or a qualification that is meaningless beyond the walls of the unaccredited institution.
The risk to students is that you’d be wasting a huge amount of time and money, only to make no progress on your career goals. Luckily, the HWSETA has created a fast and convenient way to help you avoid this dreaded situation.
What to look for
The HWSETA has made it easy for you to check that you’re enrolling in an accredited, quality course. Thanks to our online career portal, students can look up all accredited institutions and courses in no time at all. Simply type the institute or course name into the search bar and click ‘search’. If you don’t see any results, it’s likely not an accredited entity.
If you want to double-check, students can also request an institute to provide proof of accreditation. When checking, also take note of the accreditation expiry date. Accreditation expires every five years and must be reapplied for. The proof of accreditation must also list all the programmes an entity is accredited for. Just because an institution is accredited, this does not automatically mean that all their courses are covered.
Students are also advised to be aware of institutes and courses which are advertised as ‘pending accreditation’. This does not guarantee that accreditation will be granted, and is often used as a way to trick prospective students into enrolling. If the course you want to follow is pending accreditation, do not enrol until accreditation is confirmed. Bear in mind that this might take several years, so it’s always best to have a few options open.
It’s up to you
It’s important for prospective students to take responsibility and check that their chosen course is accredited – before any enrolments take place! All too often, students reach the end of their ‘qualification’ only to learn that it is not accepted by the industry. Remember that it’s your future and your responsibility to ensure you are following an accredited pathway.
If you come across a course or institute that is not accredited, report it immediately. Fraudulent entities can be reported anonymously by emailing hwseta@tip-offs.com , visiting www.tip-offs.com or calling 0800 864 478.
