On the B-BBEE scorecard, Skills Development is one of the elements where steady, well-recorded training makes a real difference. It is also a priority element, which means falling short can cost you more than just those points.
How Skills Development is measured
Under the Generic Codes, the main measure is how much you spend on learning programmes for black people, compared with a target of 6% of your leviable amount (the same payroll figure your Skills Development Levy is based on). There are further sub-measures, for example for black people with disabilities, and for learnerships, internships and apprenticeships.
Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSEs) have their own, lower targets, and Exempted Micro Enterprises are treated differently again, so check which codes apply to you.
Why “priority element” matters: if you don’t reach the sub-minimum for a priority element (generally 40% of the available points), your overall B-BBEE level is discounted by one level.
What counts as Skills Development spend
Spend on recognised learning programmes, which can include:
- Formal qualifications, learnerships, internships and apprenticeships.
- Accredited and non-accredited courses and skills programmes, including online learning.
- Bursaries for black students.
- Related costs such as course fees and, in some cases, learner stipends.
Training for employees and, in some programmes, unemployed people can count. The detail matters, so confirm specifics with your verification agency.
The evidence your verifier will want
- Who was trained, with their race, gender and disability status.
- What the training was and when it took place.
- Proof of spend: invoices, proof of payment and, for subscriptions, how the cost relates to the learners.
- Proof of completion, such as certificates or attendance registers.
- Your WSP and ATR, which verifiers often ask for.
The same records do double duty
The training records you keep for your SETA (your WSP and ATR) are largely the same records your B-BBEE verifier needs. Keep them once, properly, and they work for both: your mandatory grant and your scorecard.
How ROI Consultants helps
Your ROI dashboard keeps employee demographics, course completions and certificates together, tracks your training spend against the 6% target, and lets you export what your verifier needs. See our plans, including the B-BBEE Scorecard add-on.
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and deadlines can differ between SETAs and change over time, so confirm details with your SETA, SDF or B-BBEE verification agency.