Some institution at some time or another told some prospective client, “We do free training!” And there and then started the mess. Perhaps it meant, “Because we are contracted to the so-and-so SETA, we can do your training and free you of all the admin?” But the clarification was omitted………….It’s laughable that anyone actually believes this. Surely all South Africans involved in Education and Training understand where the SETA funding comes from?
It’s no joke for any of us because the implications are growing increasingly negative. The term “free training” is starting to degrade the perception of training. Many workplaces only want “free training” regardless of whether the learner receives quality training or not. I know of real cases where providers of excellence are currently not delivering their courses because they don’t offer “free” training. Whether this “free” is a case of a lazy tongue, or false advertising, the sad reality is that the person who is losing out the most is the learner. Again.