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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED UNIT STANDARD THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: 

Establish and manage a test/calibration laboratory 
SAQA US ID UNIT STANDARD TITLE
119242  Establish and manage a test/calibration laboratory 
ORIGINATOR
SGB Engineering 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY
-  
FIELD SUBFIELD
Field 06 - Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology Engineering and Related Design 
ABET BAND UNIT STANDARD TYPE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL CREDITS
Undefined  Regular  Level 5  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5  7 
REGISTRATION STATUS REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE SAQA DECISION NUMBER
Passed the End Date -
Status was "Reregistered" 		 2018-07-01  2023-06-30  SAQA 06120/18 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2026-06-30   2029-06-30  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This unit standard does not replace any other unit standard and is not replaced by any other unit standard. 

PURPOSE OF THE UNIT STANDARD 
This unit standard will be useful to people who are actively involved in test and calibration laboratories to equip them with strategic, business and financial planning skills. Persons credited with this unit standard are able to
  • Define, clarify and explain the concepts of strategic management, financial management and business planning.
  • Generate a business plan for the successful establishment of a selected test/calibration laboratory.
  • Evaluate the feasibility of the business plan for the successful establishment of a selected test/calibration laboratory. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    Literacy and numeracy at NQF 04 or equivalent.

    Exposure to the following:
  • The role, functions and operation of the international measurement system.
  • The ISO document "Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement" to estimate the uncertainty of measurement.
  • Calibration and test methods and procedures.
  • Reporting of measurement results.
  • Implementation of quality system to ensure technically valid measurement results in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD RANGE 
    N/A 

    Specific Outcomes and Assessment Criteria: 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 1 
    Define, clarify and explain the concepts of strategic management, financial management and business planning. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    The concepts of strategic management are defined and explained in terms of acceptable business practice. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Needs, Technology and SWOT analysis, Laboratory vision and mission, values.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    The concepts of financial management are defined and explained in terms of acceptable financial practice. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Financial statements, planning, cash flow, costing, break-even analysis.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    The concepts of business planning are defined and explained in terms of good business practice. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Marketing, sales, human resource management, technology, facilities, equipment, customer services.
     

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 2 
    Generate a business plan for the successful establishment of a selected test/calibration laboratory. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    A business idea is conceptualized and evaluated in terms of its feasibility. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    A business plan is generated to implement the business idea containing key business elements. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3 
    Evaluate the feasibility of the business plan for the successful establishment of a selected test/calibration laboratory. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    A business plan is evaluated in terms of sustainability, profitability and quality of service. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    An evaluation report, including conclusions and recommendations for implementation, is generated. 


    UNIT STANDARD ACCREDITATION AND MODERATION OPTIONS 
    Anyone assessing a learner against this unit standard must be a registered SANAS Technical Assessor and registered as an assessor with the relevant ETQA.

    Any institution offering learning that will enable achievement of this unit standard must be accredited as a provider through the relevant ETQA by SAQA.

    Moderation of assessment will be overseen by the relevant ETQA according to the moderation guidelines and the agreed ETQA procedures. 

    UNIT STANDARD ESSENTIAL EMBEDDED KNOWLEDGE 
    Essential embedded knowledge will be assessed through assessment of the specific outcomes in terms of the stipulated assessment criteria. Candidates are unlikely to achieve all the specific outcomes, to the standards described in the assessment criteria, without knowledge of the listed embedded knowledge. This means that for the most part, the possession or lack of the knowledge can be directly inferred from the quality of the candidate's performance. Where direct assessment of knowledge is required, assessment criteria have been included in the body of the unit standard.

    The following embedded knowledge is addressed in an integrated way in the unit standard:
  • Strategic management:
    Needs, Technology and SWOT analysis, Laboratory vision and mission, values.
  • Financial management:
    Financial statements, planning, cash flow, costing, break-even analysis.
  • Resources Management and Marketing:
    Marketing, sales, human resource management, technology, facilities, equipment, customer services. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME 
    N/A 

    UNIT STANDARD LINKAGES 
    N/A 


    Critical Cross-field Outcomes (CCFO): 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO IDENTIFYING 
    Identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and creative thinking.
    Note: The ability of the candidate to conceptualise a business idea, create and evaluate a business plan, and taken appropriate action - specific outcome 2 and 3. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO WORKING 
    Work effectively with others as members of a team, group, organisation or community.
    Note: Not applicable in this unit standard. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO ORGANISING 
    Organise and manage themselves and their activities responsibly and effectively.
    Note: The ability of the candidate to create and evaluate a business plan - specific outcome 2 and 3. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COLLECTING 
    Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information.
    Note: The ability of the candidate to create and evaluate a business plan - specific outcome 2 and 3. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COMMUNICATING 
    Communicate effectively, using visual, mathematical and / or language skills in the modes of oral and / or written presentations.
    Note: The ability of the candidate to create and evaluate a business plan - specific outcome 2 and 3. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO SCIENCE 
    Use science and technology effectively and critically showing responsibility towards the environment and health of others.
    Note: Not applicable in this unit standard. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO DEMONSTRATING 
    Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation.
    Note: The ability of the candidate to create a business plan - specific outcome 2. 

    UNIT STANDARD ASSESSOR CRITERIA 
    N/A 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this unit standard was Reregistered in 2012; 2015. 

    UNIT STANDARD NOTES 
    Notes to assessors

    Assessors should keep the following principles in mind when designing and conducting assessments against this unit standard:
  • Focus the assessment activities on gathering evidence in terms of the main outcome expressed in the title to ensure assessment is integrated rather than fragmented. Remember we want to declare the person competent in terms of the title. Where assessment at title level is unmanageable, then focus assessment around each specific outcome, or groups of specific outcomes.
  • Make sure evidence is gathered across the entire range, wherever it applies. Assessment activities should be as close to the real performance as possible, and where simulations or role-plays are used, there should be supporting evidence to show the candidate is able to perform in the real situation.
  • Do not focus the assessment activities on each assessment criterion. Rather make sure the assessment activities focus on outcomes and are sufficient to enable evidence to be gathered around all the assessment criteria.
  • The assessment criteria provide the specifications against which assessment judgements should be made. In most cases, knowledge can be inferred from the quality of the performances, but in other cases, knowledge and understanding will have to be tested through questioning techniques. Where this is required, there will be assessment criteria to specify the standard required.
  • The task of the assessor is to gather sufficient evidence, of the prescribed type and quality, as specified in this unit standard, that the candidate can achieve the outcomes again and again and again. This means assessors will have to judge how many repeat performances are required before they believe the performance is reproducible.
  • All assessments should be conducted in line with the following well documented principles of assessment: appropriateness, fairness, manageability, integration into work or learning, validity, direct, authentic, sufficient, systematic, open and consistent

    Unit standard justification

    1. Level

    Attribute-Level
    Applied competence-5
    Autonomy of learning-5

    Actual Level Assigned: 5

    2. Credits

    Total hours required by the learner to achieve the required outcome:

    Activity-Hours
    Classroom Teaching-30
    On-The-Job Training-30
    Mentoring required-10
    Other (Specify)-
    Total-70

    Credits Assigned: 7 
    		•

    QUALIFICATIONS UTILISING THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
      ID QUALIFICATION TITLE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL STATUS END DATE PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QA FUNCTIONARY
    Core  57228   National Certificate: Metrology  Level 5  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5  Passed the End Date -
    Status was "Reregistered"     		 2023-06-30  EWSETA 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    NONE 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.