GREAT BRAK RIVER NEWS - A Great Brak woman has been nominated to a national role in developing SETA-approved training for the image consultancy industry.
Mariska Botha - an image consultant and formerly an advocate - was part of a group of qualified image consultants from around the country and other stakeholders who liaised with the SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) on the subject of standardising training nationwide in image consultancy.
There are a number of image consulting academies in South Africa, who offer training courses. Much of the training is approved by AICI (Association of Image Consultants International), but there is a need for a SETA-approved tertiary qualification, just as there are already ones for hairdressing and beauty therapy.
Botha explained: "It is not a formal role that I have. We are a task team of 17 people working on this and I was nominated to be the administration person and spokesperson, representing the group."
She said: "We were invited by SETA to a Zoom meeting, which took place on 14 and 15 July. In attendance were SETA panellists, image consultants and other stakeholders. During that meeting the group I am now representing was nominated. We will be working on the curriculum documentation as the representatives of our industry, but under SETA's guidance.
"We are in the process of putting on paper, what image consultants do - the profile of an image consultant - and building around that so we can put a curriculum together that will be submitted to the SETA, tabled for comment and go through the whole process of approval and certification."
It was important that the qualification was also recognised overseas, Botha said.
There were four people on the task team who had been through the process with the SETA before.
It was hoped to complete everything in the current financial year, but this was an ambitious target, Botha admitted. "We need to extend a 12-day course to a 300-hour course. Every step in the process must go through a round of comment and approval. The timeline will be driven by SETA."
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