A trade test is the assessment you must pass at an accredited trade test centre to qualify as an artisan. Section 26D of the Skills Development Act says who may apply: someone who completed a relevant learnership, satisfied the requirements of an apprenticeship, or whose prior learning an accredited trade test centre has certified as sufficient. If you pass, the QCTO issues your trade certificate.
Which route applies to you decides what you must prove, so start there. You apply at an accredited trade test centre, and the centre tells you the cost in its written notice.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
- A completed learnership or apprenticeship, or certified prior learning (recognition of prior learning, RPL), or one of the transitional experience routes set out below
- Proof of the QCTO entrance requirement for the trade, proof of the curriculum components you completed, and proof of any medical or legal requirement
- A NAMB-format application form submitted to an accredited trade test centre
- A preliminary evaluation if the centre requires one, and a pre-trade-test evaluation if you finished your programme three years or more before applying
Trade tests cover the trades the QCTO has accredited for the National Artisan Development Support Centre (INDLELA) to test. The INDLELA trade test application page explains how to apply at an accredited trade test centre.
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
Under section 26D, a trade test centre may ask you to complete a preliminary evaluation to check that you have enough experience and knowledge before you sit the test. Two routes are common:
- Learnership or apprenticeship. You complete a structured programme, including at least 12 months of workplace learning verified by a logbook and the off-the-job practical training, and then apply for the test.
- Section 26D experience route. If you learned the trade at work without a formal apprenticeship, the centre assesses your prior learning. Until occupational curricula or RPL toolkits exist for your trade, Gazette 49518 of 20 October 2023 sets interim access routes (below).
Gazette 49518 lists these transitional routes for people without a formal artisan programme: N2 including trade theory plus three years of relevant work experience; SETA-quality-assured NQF 3 trade theory plus three years; Engineering NCV NQF 3 plus three years; Technical Grade 12 with Mathematics, Science and trade theory plus three years; Grade 9 plus four years; or an N6 or National Technical Diploma plus 18 months. Confirm with the centre which of these it applies to your trade.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
There is no APS for a trade test, because it is not a university admission. What counts is your qualification and experience. Until the QCTO sets entrance requirements for each trade, the minimum education for access is one of the following: an N2 certificate including Mathematics, engineering science and a fourth subject the trade requires; SETA-assured technical trade theory at NQF level 3; an Engineering NCV at NQF level 3; Technical Grade 11; or a relevant N6 or National Technical Diploma.
The NATED N1-N3 programmes were phased out from 1 January 2024 (last enrolment 31 December 2023), but access based on N2 or equivalents continues on a transitional basis. Ask the centre what applies to your trade before you enrol in theory.
No minimum age appears in section 26D, the Trade Test Regulations or the 2023 gazette. Ask the centre if your age is a concern.
Documents and Application Requirements
Under the Trade Test Regulations (2015), you apply to an accredited trade test centre and submit:
- An application form in the format determined by the National Artisan Moderation Body (NAMB)
- Proof that you meet the QCTO entrance requirement
- Proof of all curriculum components you completed
- Proof of any medical or legal requirement for the trade
- If you completed RPL, an approved NAMB portfolio of evidence in place of the curriculum proof
Within five working days of receiving a conforming application, the centre must give you a signed written notice showing the serial number, date, trade, venue, time, duration and cost in rand. NAMB determines trade test fees, so the centre quotes the amount in that notice and this page does not state one.
If your artisan learning programme or portfolio of evidence was completed three years or more before you apply, you must first undergo a pre-trade-test evaluation at an accredited trade test centre. The RPL knowledge standard is a 50% pass in a written assessment from a NAMB-approved RPL toolkit.
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
People on a learning programme agreement get three trade test attempts during the agreement. After three not-yet-competent results they must be referred for RPL. Under the transitional rules, a candidate who is not yet competent keeps recognition for the tasks passed, for a maximum of three attempts or 18 months, provided they were competent in at least 50% of the tasks.
You may appeal a trade test result within 21 working days of receiving it. Appeals are lodged with NAMB.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I do a trade test without an apprenticeship?
Yes, through section 26D: an accredited trade test centre can certify that your prior learning is sufficient, and the 2023 gazette sets the interim experience routes, for example N2 plus three years or Grade 9 plus four years of relevant work experience.
What is a trade test certificate, and how long does it take?
The QCTO issues the national trade certificate to a person who passes the trade test. The regulations require it to be distributed within 21 working days after verification. It is often called a red seal.
What is the section 26D trade test?
It is the provision of the Skills Development Act that sets who may apply for a trade test (learnership, apprenticeship or certified prior learning), allows a preliminary evaluation, and has the QCTO issue the certificate.
How do I apply for a trade certificate in South Africa?
Apply to an accredited trade test centre with the documents listed above, pass the trade test, and the QCTO issues the certificate. See the INDLELA trade test application page for how to apply.
What if I lose my trade test certificate?
Apply for a replacement through your trade test centre or INDLELA, or through the SETA. The QCTO learners page lists an application form, proof of payment, a detailed affidavit, a copy of the lost certificate if you have one, a certified ID or passport copy and the trade test report if you have it. For certificates a SETA or Training Board issued before October 2013, apply at the SETA; it should take no more than six weeks.
What if I fail the trade test?
Candidates on a learning programme agreement get three attempts, then are referred for RPL. The centre sets out the cost of each attempt in its notice, so ask before you rebook.
Confirm your route, entrance requirement and fees with an accredited trade test centre, INDLELA, NAMB or the QCTO. See admission requirements and browse all education requirements.