South Africa’s official unemployment rate was 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026. That is 8.5 million people who wanted work and were looking for it (Statistics South Africa, 2026). For young people, the rate was 47.4% (SAnews, 2026).
Scammers know these numbers. They sell fake jobs, fake training and fake learnerships to people who are looking for work. This guide shows you how to find real training and check any offer before you pay a cent.
What is a SETA?
SETA stands for Sector Education and Training Authority. It is a government body that supports training in one part of the economy. There are 21 SETAs, and each one covers a group of industries. A SETA checks the quality of training, registers learnership agreements and pays grants to employers, training providers and workers (Career Help, n.d.).
Employers fund this. They pay a skills levy of 1% of the salaries they pay to SARS, the tax office. SARS says the levies are distributed through the SETAs (SARS, n.d.a; SARS, n.d.b).
SETAs also fund bursaries. In January 2026, Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela said more than 15,000 SETA bursaries had been made available to students who do not qualify for the national student aid scheme (EWN, 2026).
Which SETA covers your work?
The letters are short names. You only need the one that matches the work you want.
| Your kind of work | SETA to look at |
|---|---|
| Farming | AgriSETA |
| Banks and small loan businesses | BANKSETA |
| Chemicals | CHIETA |
| Building and construction | CETA |
| Tourism, hotels, arts, culture and sport | CATHSSETA |
| Teaching and training | ETDP SETA |
| Energy and water | EWSETA |
| Fibre processing and manufacturing | FP&M SETA |
| Accounting, financial advice and consulting | FASSET |
| Making food and drink | FoodBev SETA |
| Health and welfare | HWSETA |
| Insurance | INSETA |
| Municipalities (local government) | LGSETA |
| Factories and engineering | merSETA |
| Media, technology and communications | MICT SETA |
| Mining | MQA |
| Government departments | PSETA |
| Police, security and safety | SASSETA |
| Business and personal services | Services SETA |
| Transport | TETA |
| Shops and wholesale | W&RSETA |
Career Help (Khetha) is a government careers website run by the Department of Higher Education and Training. It lists all 21 SETAs with links to their websites. You can call 086 999 0123, SMS 072 204 5056 or email careerhelp@dhet.gov.za (Career Help, n.d.). Ask your network what the call costs before you dial.
What is a learnership, and what does it pay?
A learnership mixes classroom lessons with paid work at a company, government department or small business. It ends with a qualification recognised across the country. You do not pay to join one (merSETA, n.d.).
From 1 March 2026 the lowest legal allowance is R455 a week at the start. That is about R1,970 a month. It rises as you finish more of the course (Department of Employment and Labour, 2026).
The national minimum wage is R30.23 an hour, so a 40-hour week pays R1,209.20 (Vuk’uzenzele, 2026a). At the start, a learner allowance is lower. The Department of Labour’s guide says the allowance is not a salary. It covers costs like travel and meals.
The guide also says most learnerships take about a year, and the employer does not have to offer you a job at the end. With a qualification and work experience, you are in a better position to find work than before (merSETA, n.d.).
How to apply for a learnership
The employer makes the final decision on who joins. The Department of Labour says unemployed people should register with it as work seekers. The labour centre contacts you if you meet an employer’s minimum requirements (merSETA, n.d.).
Registering is free. The Employment Services Act says the Department must offer work seeker registration free of charge (Department of Employment and Labour, 2024).
To register on your phone:
- Open your browser. This is the app you use to visit websites.
- Tap the bar at the top. Type www.essa.labour.gov.za yourself (The Citizen, n.d.).
- Follow the screens to register as an individual work seeker. Keep your ID and email address handy.
- Keep your contact details up to date (merSETA, n.d.).
No phone or data? Go to your nearest labour centre. Staff will help you register (The Citizen, n.d.).
Data costs money, so do online steps where internet is free. Western Cape Government eCentres offer free internet, help to set up an email address and free printing of up to 10 pages a day (Western Cape Government, n.d.). In other provinces, ask your nearest library or Thusong Service Centre what they offer.
Five signs of a fake offer
- They ask for money. The Employment Services Act says no one may charge a work seeker a fee for employment services. In February 2024 the Department of Employment and Labour warned about scammers who used its name to ask for a “refundable” R250 at PEP stores for background checks (Department of Employment and Labour, 2024).
- The offer uses an official logo but sits on social media. In February 2026 the Department warned about fake vacancies that copied its Coat of Arms. It says its vacancies are free on www.labour.gov.za and nobody pays to apply (The Citizen, 2026).
- It makes big promises. In January 2023 the Department warned about a scam called the “Youth Employment Programme” (Department of Employment and Labour, 2023). The Department of Labour’s learnership guide says a learnership comes with no guarantee of a job (merSETA, n.d.).
- It charges you to join a learnership. The guide says people entering a learnership do not pay anything for the programme (merSETA, n.d.).
- The college or training provider cannot prove it is registered. In January 2026 the Department of Higher Education and Training warned about bogus colleges that offer unrecognised qualifications (EWN, 2026).
How to check an offer for free
- Find the offer yourself. Type www.labour.gov.za or the SETA’s own website address into your browser. Do not use links sent on WhatsApp, SMS or Facebook.
- Check the training provider. Ask for its registration details. Look it up on the registers at www.dhet.gov.za (open Resources and look for Registers), on the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations website (www.qcto.org.za) or in the South African Qualifications Authority qualification search (Vuk’uzenzele, 2026b). You can also call the Department of Higher Education and Training on its toll-free number, 0800 87 22 22 (DHET, n.d.).
- Stop if anyone asks for money or personal details. Report them to the Department of Employment and Labour at your nearest labour centre (Department of Employment and Labour, 2024).
Already working? Check your pay
To earn more, start with what the law already says you must be paid. The minimum is R30.23 an hour from 1 March 2026, and it covers domestic workers and farm workers. Transport, food and tips do not count towards it. Public works workers have their own minimum of R16.62 an hour. The Department of Employment and Labour enforces the wage, and disputes go to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (Vuk’uzenzele, 2026a).
Is this information legitimate?
Every fact here comes from a government body, a SETA, or a news report of what a government department said. The full list with website addresses is below. Open the links and check them yourself. The minimum wage is reviewed every year (Vuk’uzenzele, 2026a), so look at www.labour.gov.za for the latest rate.
Your checklist
- ☐ Find your kind of work in the table and note your SETA.
- ☐ Register as a work seeker for free at www.essa.labour.gov.za or at a labour centre.
- ☐ Check every offer on the official website. Type the address yourself.
- ☐ Never pay to apply, to join a learnership or for a “background check”.
- ☐ Check any college or training provider on the DHET registers, the QCTO website or the SAQA search.
- ☐ Read your Learnership Agreement and employment contract before you sign. The allowance must be at least R455 a week at the start.
- ☐ Check your pay against R30.23 an hour.
- ☐ Send this post to one family member or friend who is looking for work.
Share this post with your family and friends on WhatsApp. One forwarded message can stop someone paying a scammer.
AK035 (Abridged Knowledge 035) has free CV tools, career guidance tools and job searching resources for South Africans. Visit AK035.co.za and use the free CV tool to get your CV ready.
Reference list
Career Help (n.d.) SETA. Available at: https://careerhelp.org.za/content/seta (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Department of Employment and Labour (2023) Employment and Labour warns public against scammers, gov.za, 26 January. Available at: https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/employment-and-labour-warns-public-against-scammers-26-jan-2023 (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Department of Employment and Labour (2024) Employment and Labour on payment for job opportunities, gov.za, 5 February. Available at: https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/employment-and-labour-payment-job-opportunities-05-feb-2024 (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Department of Employment and Labour (2026) National Minimum Wage Act, 2018: Amendment of the National Minimum Wage, Government Gazette No. 54075, 3 February. Available at: https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202602/54075rg11941gon7083.pdf (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
DHET (n.d.) Higher Education and Training warns public of a bogus Policing College operating in Sandton, gov.za. Available at: https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/higher-education-and-training-warns-public-bogus-policing-college-operating (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
EWN (2026) Prospective students warned against bogus colleges, 14 January. Available at: https://www.ewn.co.za/2026/01/14/prospective-students-warned-against-bogus-colleges (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
merSETA (n.d.) Learnerships. Available at: https://www.merseta.org.za/skills-development/curriculum-learning-programmes/learnerships/ (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
SAnews (2026) SA official unemployment rate rises to 33.6%, 11 August. Available at: https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/83500 (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
SARS (n.d.a) Skills Development Levy. Available at: https://www.sars.gov.za/employers-and-third-parties/skills-development-levy/ (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
SARS (n.d.b) What is SDL? Available at: https://www.sars.gov.za/?p=1006 (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Statistics South Africa (2026) Quarterly Labour Force Survey Q2:2026 presentation. Available at: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0211/Presentation%20QLFS%20Q2%202026.pdf (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
The Citizen (2026) Scammers misuse official logos in fake job postings, warns Labour Department, 18 February. Available at: https://www.citizen.co.za/germiston-city-news/news-headlines/local-news/2026/02/18/scammers-misuse-official-logos-in-fake-job-postings-warns-labour-department/ (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
The Citizen (n.d.) Eldorado Park jobs roadshow connects unemployed residents to opportunities. Available at: https://www.citizen.co.za/soweto-urban/?p=148077 (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Vuk’uzenzele (2026a) How to understand the impact of the National Minimum Wage, March. Available at: https://www.vukuzenzele.gov.za/how-understand-impact-national-minimum-wage (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Vuk’uzenzele (2026b) Beware bogus colleges, January. Available at: https://www.vukuzenzele.gov.za/beware-bogus-colleges-1 (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Western Cape Government (n.d.) Visit the Thembalethu Thusong WCG eCentre. Available at: https://dxp.westerncape.gov.za/visit-thembalethu-thusong-wcg-ecentre (Accessed: 7 November 2026).
Website list
- www.labour.gov.za (Department of Employment and Labour)
- www.essa.labour.gov.za (Employment Services of South Africa, free work seeker registration)
- careerhelp.org.za (Career Help, Khetha)
- www.dhet.gov.za (Department of Higher Education and Training, college registers)
- www.qcto.org.za (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations)
- allqs.saqa.org.za/search.php?cat=qual (South African Qualifications Authority qualification search)
- www.sars.gov.za (South African Revenue Service)
AK035.co.za (free CV tools, career guidance tools and job searching resources)