All 21 SETAs Explained: Which One Funds Your Field

A SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) is a body that manages skills development for one slice of the South African economy. SETAs are funded by the skills development levy that employers pay, and they use that money to fund learnerships, internships, apprenticeships and bursaries in their sector. There are 21 of them, and knowing which SETA covers your field helps you find the right programmes faster.

Why SETAs matter to you

When a learnership is described as "SETA-accredited," it means the qualification is registered and quality-assured, and the training provider has been vetted. That's your signal it's legitimate and that completing it earns a recognised NQF qualification — not just a certificate of attendance.

The full list of 21 SETAs (2026)

• AgriSETA — Agriculture, farming, horticulture, agri-processing
• BANKSETA — Banking and micro-finance
• CATHSSETA — Culture, arts, tourism, hospitality and sport
• CETA — Construction and the built environment
• CHIETA — Chemical industries
• ETDP SETA — Education, training and development
• EWSETA — Energy and water
• FASSET — Finance, accounting, management consulting and auditing
• FoodBev SETA — Food and beverage manufacturing
• FP&M SETA — Fibre, processing and manufacturing (clothing, textiles, paper, print, packaging)
• HWSETA — Health and welfare
• INSETA — Insurance
• LGSETA — Local government (municipalities)
• merSETA — Manufacturing, engineering and related services
• MICT SETA — Media, information and communication technologies (IT, coding, media)
• MQA — Mining Qualifications Authority (mining and minerals)
• PSETA — Public service (national and provincial government administration)
• SASSETA — Safety and security (policing, law, corrections)
• Services SETA — The services sector (marketing, HR, cleaning, real estate, hairdressing and more)
• TETA — Transport (road, rail, aviation, maritime, freight)
• W&RSETA — Wholesale and retail

How to pick the right SETA

Start from what you want to do, not the SETA name. Want to code or work in IT? That's MICT SETA. Interested in accounting or a bank? FASSET or BANKSETA. Trades like welding, fitting or electrical? merSETA. Nursing or community health? HWSETA. Hospitality or tourism? CATHSSETA. Retail or a shop-floor role? W&RSETA.

On SetaJobs you don't have to memorise this — listings are already tagged by sector and SETA, so you can browse learnerships and filter by field and province.

What a SETA does — and doesn't do

SETAs fund and quality-assure training; they generally don't hire you directly or take your application. You apply to the employer or training provider running a specific programme, following the instructions in that advert. The SETA sits behind the scenes making sure the qualification counts.

Common questions

Do I apply to the SETA? Usually no — you apply to the company or provider offering the learnership. The SETA accredits it.

Are SETA learnerships free? Yes — you don't pay to join a legitimate learnership. In fact, you're usually paid a stipend. Anyone asking you to pay a "registration fee" is a red flag — see How to Spot Job Scams.

How do I register with a SETA? For most opportunities you register on the employer's or provider's platform when you apply. Some SETAs also run their own portals for specific intakes.

Where SETA money comes from

SETAs are funded by the skills development levy (SDL) — a levy equal to 1% of payroll that employers with an annual payroll above the threshold pay to SARS. SARS passes that money to the SETAs, which use it to fund learnerships, apprenticeships, internships and bursaries, and to pay grants back to employers who train their staff. This is why a legitimate learnership is free to you: it's already paid for by the levy system. It's also why "registration fees" are such a clear red flag — the funding flows to your training, never from your pocket.

Learnership, apprenticeship or internship — which does your SETA fund?

Most SETAs fund all three, but the emphasis differs by sector. merSETA and the MQA are strongly associated with apprenticeships (the artisan trades). FASSET, BANKSETA and INSETA lean toward learnerships and internships that feed professional qualifications in finance and insurance. MICT SETA funds a growing pool of IT and digital learnerships. Whatever the label, check which NQF level the programme sits at — that tells you the depth of the training and roughly what stipend to expect.

Matching yourself to a SETA: quick examples

• Finished matric and love working with people in a shop? Look at W&RSETA (retail) and Services SETA.
• Strong in Maths and want a trade? merSETA (engineering) or CETA (construction).
• Interested in computers or coding? MICT SETA.
• Caring, community-minded? HWSETA (health and welfare) or ETDP SETA (education).
• Good with numbers and detail? FASSET (accounting) or BANKSETA (banking).

Frequently asked questions

How many SETAs are there? There are 21 SETAs in South Africa, each covering a defined sector of the economy.

Which SETA is the biggest? Services SETA is one of the largest by the breadth of sectors it covers, from marketing and HR to cleaning and real estate.

Do SETAs expire? SETAs are re-licensed by government in cycles, but the 21-SETA structure and their sectors have been stable — the qualifications they register remain recognised regardless.

Can one job fall under two SETAs? Occasionally a role straddles sectors, but each accredited programme is registered under one SETA, which is the one that quality-assures your qualification.

Ready to look? Browse learnerships by sector →