To become a qualified artisan you must pass a trade test at an accredited trade test centre. No course, on its own, makes you an artisan, so this is the first thing to establish before you pay any provider for “artisan courses”.
Access to the trade test depends on a minimum education level, completed practical training and workplace learning, or a recognition-of-prior-learning or work-experience route. The detail below follows the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) notice; requirements are trade-specific and can change as the QCTO sets its own entrance rules.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
- Meet the minimum education level for trade test access (listed in the next section)
- Complete all off-the-job practical training
- Complete at least 12 months of structured workplace learning, verified by a logbook or similar record
- Register for the trade test through your nearest accredited trade test centre
- Pass the trade test. Only then is a trade certificate issued
The QCTO is mandated to issue a trade certificate to anyone who has successfully completed a trade test. See the QCTO learner page for how the process works.
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
Until the QCTO sets its own entrance requirements, the DHET notice on trade testing (Government Gazette 49518) lists the minimum education for trade test access. Any one of the following qualifies:
- An N2 certificate that includes maths, engineering science and a fourth subject required by the trade
- SETA-quality-assured technical trade theory at NQF level 3
- A relevant engineering National Certificate (Vocational) at NQF level 3 (seven subjects)
- Technical Grade 11 with Mathematics, Science, a language and a trade theory subject
- A relevant N6 certificate or National Technical Diploma
On top of the education level, you must have completed all off-the-job practical training and at least 12 months of structured workplace learning that can be verified through a logbook or similar workplace learning record. A different workplace period applies only where it was specified in your contract before the current rules.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
Artisan access is not based on an APS. The routes above name subject content instead: the N2 route names maths and engineering science, and the Technical Grade 11 route names Mathematics and Science alongside a trade theory subject. The notice does not discuss Mathematical Literacy, so ask the trade test centre or your training provider whether it is accepted for your trade.
A National Senior Certificate alone is not listed as the access criterion. Your trade’s curriculum decides which subjects matter.
Documents and Application Requirements
To register, contact your nearest accredited trade test centre. It explains the process and tells you which documents it needs for your trade. Expect to need:
- Proof of identity
- Your N-level, NCV or other qualification results
- Your logbook or workplace learning record showing the 12 months of structured learning
- Proof of off-the-job practical training
After you pass, the trade test centre sends the documents to the SETA within 5 working days, and the SETA forwards them to the National Artisan Moderation Body (NAMB) within 10 working days. NAMB recommends issue to the QCTO. If all documents are submitted on time and correctly, the certificate should be issued within 3 months of the trade test.
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
If you have no formal artisan learning programme but you have relevant work experience, the transitional rules allow trade test access on defined combinations, for example N2 plus 3 years’ experience, or Grade 9 plus 4 years’ experience. These apply until occupational curricula and recognition-of-prior-learning toolkits exist for the trade.
For artisan recognition of prior learning, the minimum knowledge level is a 50% pass in a written knowledge assessment that forms part of a NAMB-approved RPL toolkit.
Ask the accredited trade test centre about fees and how many attempts you get before you apply, and check that any course provider is accredited before you pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements for artisan courses?
A course alone does not make you an artisan. You need the minimum education level, completed off-the-job training and at least 12 months of logbook-verified workplace learning (or an RPL or work-experience route), then a passed trade test.
What makes me a qualified artisan?
Passing a trade test at an accredited trade test centre. The QCTO then issues the trade certificate.
Do I need Mathematics?
Some routes name it: the N2 route requires maths and engineering science, and Technical Grade 11 requires Mathematics and Science. Requirements are trade-specific, so confirm with the trade test centre.
I have worked in a trade for years without papers. Can I qualify?
Possibly. Transitional rules allow trade test access with defined combinations of education and work experience, such as Grade 9 plus 4 years’ relevant experience, and recognition of prior learning uses a written knowledge assessment with a 50% pass.
Is a private course enough?
Only if it forms part of a route that leads to the trade test. Ask the trade test centre whether it will accept the training before you pay.
Confirm trade test requirements with an accredited trade test centre and the QCTO. See admission requirements and browse all education requirements.