Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Education and Training Authority

Description: The Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) is one of the 21 SETAs established under the Skills Development Act (No 97 of 1998) in 2001. CATHSSETA was formally known as the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority (THETA) until 1 April 2012, when they became the Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority. Their mandate is to facilitate skills development within their sub-sectors through the disbursement of grants for learning programmes and monitoring of education and training as outlined in the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS).

They operate in the following sub-sectors:

• Arts, Culture and Heritage Conservation
• Gaming and Lotteries
• Hospitality
• Sport, Recreation and Fitness
• Travel and Tourism

Their functions and responsibilities, as set out in Chapter 3, section 10 of the Skills Development Act, 1998, are to:

Develop and implement a sector skills plan. The plan describes the trends in each sub-sector as well as the skills that are in demand. In addition, this plan identifies priorities for skills development. Support and administer learning programmes.
Support the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
Conduct quality assurance on learning in line with Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) requirements.
Undertake Quality Assurance.
Disburse levies collected from employers in our sub-sectors. Employers pay 1% of their salary payroll to SARS on a monthly basis. CATHSSETA receives 80% of this contribution, which is allocated to administration costs and grants to be claimed back by companies. The remaining 20% is paid to the National Skills Fund.
Report to the Minister of Higher Education and Training. As a statutory body, CATHSSETA has been established by an Act of Parliament. As such, we are given clear responsibilities that need to be discharged in the public interest and are custodians of public funds. We are therefore required to report to the Director-General of the Department of Higher Education and Training on the efficient and effective use of public funds. We are also governed by the Public Finance Management Act, the provisions of which are designed to ensure that public bodies operate in a manner that is not wasteful or irresponsible. In 2016, we opened six regional offices in order to extend our footprint into previously under-served provinces and outlying rural areas. The regional offices have been operating since 1 April 2016.