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Discretionary Grants

Discretionary Grants is grant funding allocated to incentivise or support education, training and skills development, as well as all other related activities that address the skills development needs in the mer-sector.

The merSETA grants funding targets PIVOTAL and NON-PIVOTAL interventions (initiatives) aligned to its strategic priorities, as identified in the Sector Skill Plan (SSP), Strategic Plan (SP), Annual Performance Plan (APP) and National Skills Development Plan (NSDP) 2030 outcomes.

Features

The merSETA Discretionary Grant service has specific attributes, features, and criteria. Here are the key points:

  1. From time to time, the merSETA will open dedicated funding window(s) for the submission of Discretionary Grants (DG) applications. The DG applications, without exception, are subjected to an evaluation, verification and an approval process guided by the Grants Policy, Grants Criteria and Guidelines, and applicable DG notice advertisement with specific focus areas eligible for funding.
  2. DGs are allocated to a number of entity categories, including Public and Private entities within the mer-sector. The full list of eligible entities is referenced in the Grants Criteria and Guidelines documents.
  3. The agreements are managed and monitored for performance by designated merSETA officials based either at Head Office or one of its regional offices.
  4. Approved DG allocations are committed through contracting in the form of a signed agreement, which stipulates the awarded learning/non-learning programmes, and funding values. The signed agreement stipulates expected deliverables, performance targets and delivery timelines.

Service Benefits

The merSETA Discretionary Grant service has specific attributes, features, and criteria. Here are the key points:

  1. From time to time, the merSETA will open dedicated funding window(s) for the submission of Discretionary Grants (DG) applications. The DG applications, without exception, are subjected to an evaluation, verification and an approval process guided by the Grants Policy, Grants Criteria and Guidelines, and applicable DG notice advertisement with specific focus areas eligible for funding.
  2. DGs are allocated to a number of entity categories, including Public and Private entities within the mer-sector. The full list of eligible entities is referenced in the Grants Criteria and Guidelines documents.
  3. The agreements are managed and monitored for performance by designated merSETA officials based either at Head Office or one of its regional offices.
  4. Approved DG allocations are committed through contracting in the form of a signed agreement, which stipulates the awarded learning/non-learning programmes, and funding values. The signed agreement stipulates expected deliverables, performance targets and delivery timelines.

FAQs

All applications must be submitted through the National Skills Development Management System (NSDMS) via the Projects Portal Platform.

The funding window for the merSETA discretionary grants typically opens in December and closes in February of the following year.

The grant supports a wide range of initiatives including skills development programmes, entrepreneurship training for youth, skills development for people with disabilities, community education and training, bursaries for employed and unemployed learners, and more.

Relevant stakeholders including levy-paying and non-levy-paying employers/companies, TVET and Higher Education Institution (HEI) students, trade union memberships, Black Industrialists, retrenched workers from the merSETA member companies, and more are invited to apply.

The grant aims to address national and sector needs through various initiatives such as skills development programmes, candidacy programmes for engineering graduates, skills development for trade union memberships, and more.

The merSETA Discretionary Grants are designed as a launch pad for stakeholders to engage in programs that will shape the future of the sector.