Workplace Skills Plans (WSP) submission deadline 2022

Skills development has become a strategic priority for enterprises wishing to attain or retain an acceptable B-BBEE level and also meet the requirements of the Skills Development Act.

The Workplace Skills Plan and Annual Training Report are instrumental in the establishment of a demand-led skills development system which is responsive to the social and economic needs of South Africa.

This blog serves as a reminder that the deadline for submission of Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs), Pivotal Plans and Annual Training Reports (ATRs) to the SETA of the relevant industry is 30 April 2022.

What is the purpose of workplace skills planning?

The purpose of workplace skills planning is to outline how organisations will address their training and skills development requirements.  WSPs support employers in the recognition and implementation of various skills development programmes such as learnerships and internships to deal with skills gaps within a company.

Where businesses require skills development to be recognised on their B-BBEE Scorecard for B-BBEE compliance purposes, the following documents should be submitted to the sector-specific SETA before 30 April 2022:

• A Workplace Skills Plan – A plan to address the training and development needs in the workplace based on the skills needed within an organisation, describing the range of skills interventions that an organisation will address and implement.
• An Annual Training Report – A report on the education and training interventions that were delivered the past year.  
• A Pivotal Training Plan – A Plan to address Professional, Vocational, Technical and Academic learning programmes in the workplace which meet critical needs for economic growth and social development. 
• A Pivotal Training Report – A Report on Professional, Vocational, Technical and Academic learning programmes that were delivered the past year.

What are the benefits of submitting a Workplace Skills Plan?

• An organisation will qualify to recover 20% of their skills spend as a Mandatory Grant allocated from Skills Development Levies already paid to SARS.
• An organisation becomes eligible to apply for Discretionary Grants from the affiliated SETA, provided that a Workplace Skills Plan or WSP has been accepted and approved by the SETA. These grants can assist the organisation to effectively implement skills plans, e.g. Learnerships, Internships or Skills Training Programmes as indicated on submission of the WSP and ATR.

What are the consequences of failing to submit a Workplace Skills plan?

Although it is not compulsory by law for businesses to submit a Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and Pivotal Report, there are certain adverse consequences should a business fail to do so. These consequences include, but are not limited to the following:

• Zero points will be earned for the Skills Development element on the B-BBEE scorecard.
• Forfeiture of Mandatory Grant (20% of your Skills Development levies spent to SARS) and Discretionary Grants (potential refunding of learnerships, internships and other training interventions).
• Unsuccessful tender bids as tenders may be subject to rigorous pre-qualifying criteria such as submission of a WSP.

The Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) is generally compiled by a qualified Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) and then submitted to the sector-specific SETA.  Formulating and submitting these documents can be very time consuming. Companies that wish to earn these points under Skills Development for B-BBEE recognition must ensure that these documents are submitted by or before the end of April each year.

SERR Synergy has a team of experienced Skills Development Facilitators (SDFs) who assist businesses with the completion and submission of these plans and reports by acting as SDFs on your behalf. With only a few months left for submitting the WSPs and Pivotal Plans, we advise companies to submit these sooner rather than later. These plans are submitted online and experience has shown that online submissions are somewhat burdensome because of possible downtime of the system.

About the author: Francina Joubert joined SERR Synergy in 2015 and has been a registered and practising Skills Development Facilitator for the past 12 years. She currently holds the title of National Manager Skills and Employment Equity Planning.

*Please note that this is an updated article from a previously published blog on 15 February 2021.