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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. |
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY |
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: |
Certificate: Accounting Technician |
SAQA QUAL ID | QUALIFICATION TITLE | |||
73710 | Certificate: Accounting Technician | |||
ORIGINATOR | ||||
Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) (previously AETA) | ||||
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY | NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK | |||
FASSET - Financial and Accounting Services SETA | OQSF - Occupational Qualifications Sub-framework | |||
QUALIFICATION TYPE | FIELD | SUBFIELD | ||
National Certificate | Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies | Finance, Economics and Accounting | ||
ABET BAND | MINIMUM CREDITS | PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL | NQF LEVEL | QUAL CLASS |
Undefined | 120 | Level 3 | NQF Level 03 | Regular-Provider-ELOAC |
REGISTRATION STATUS | SAQA DECISION NUMBER | REGISTRATION START DATE | REGISTRATION END DATE | |
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered" |
SAQA 9999/99 | 2018-07-01 | 2023-06-30 | |
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 qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. |
PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION |
Purpose:
The purpose of this qualification is to provide the learner with the skills, competence, knowledge and understanding to become an accounting technician. This enables learners to develop work relevant competence, as an aid to employment and career progression. It also enables learners to progress further, to either the Advanced Certificate or the Diploma. The qualification also allows learners access to lifelong professional development and support, through the opportunity to take up student membership of the AAT, the largest professional body for accounting technicians. The qualification benefits employers as they can have confidence in the ability of trained staff and can recruit or promote accounting technicians, knowing that they have proved ability to do the required work. The qualification makes a positive contribution to South Africa's transformation agenda, by developing skills at Certificate level and providing recognition for those who have developed workplace skills but have not had the opportunity to gain formal qualifications. It is an open access qualification, requiring a good standard of literacy and numeracy, but not requiring the learner to hold formal qualifications, or have any previous work experience in accounts. It benefits the South African economy by ensuring that the people responsible for accounting technicians` work are skilled, competent people. This is essential for organisational success in every sector of the economy, from the public sector to accountancy practice, to industry and commerce. Rationale: Qualified accounting technicians, with an internationally recognised qualification, make a valuable and critical contribution to organisational and national economic success. The Accounting Technician certificate gives learners access to enter the accounting field. This covers all sectors of the South African economy, from the public sector, to accountancy practice, to industry and commerce, including manufacturing, tourism and retail. Every senior accountant needs the support of skilled, competent accounting staff to undertake the more routine and operational work. The importance of technician level training has been recognised by the Eastern, Central and Southern African Federation of Accountants (ECSAFA), by its adoption of occupational standards for accounting technicians. ECSAFA includes South African representation, and this endorsement demonstrates the relevance of the qualification to the South African economy and employment market. Those holding the qualification can work in all sectors of the economy in a number of positions, including accounts clerk, wages clerk, accounts assistant, sales ledger clerk and bookkeeper. Many progress via further qualifications to become more senior in the accounts field and move on to hold positions such as Financial Controller and Accounts Manager. |
LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING |
It is assumed that the learners accessing this qualification are competent in language, literacy, communication and mathematical literacy at NQF Level 2. The qualification is open access and providers should assess the suitability of potential learners in terms of their literacy and numeracy.
Recognition of Prior Learning: The course provider undertakes an initial assessment to determine at which stage of the qualification the learner should start. This involves examining their previous learning and current skills in accounting. Those with no accounts experience would usually start at the Certificate level, and those with some accounts experience might start at the Advanced Certificate level. Rarely, someone very experienced in accounts might start at the final level: Diploma. The AAT provides an online tool to help providers assess the right starting point for each learner. |
RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? |
Y |
QUALIFICATION RULES |
In order to attain this qualification, learners must:
Prove competence in all core outcomes (Exit Level Outcomes 1, 2 & 3). Choose one of the following areas of specialization and prove competence in all the outcomes listed for that specialisation: |
EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES |
1. Demonstrate competence in the processing of sales and/or receipts.
2. Process purchases and/or payments correctly. 3. Monitor and control cash receipts and payments. 4. Process petty cash and reconcile accounts. 5. Present financial data for internal use. 6. Grant credit accurately. 7. Monitor and control the collection of debts. 8. Process documents related to goods and services supplied. 9. Apply general principles and procedures for ethical compliance expected within the public accounting sector. 10. Develop, maintain and apply ethics in employer/employee situations and in public practice. 11. Perform effectively in the workplace within the public sector environment. 12. Use computer systems and software. 13. Process petty cash, reconcile accounts and prepare an initial trial balance. 14. Present financial data for internal and external use. 15. Manage cash balances effectively. Critical Cross Field Outcomes: > Identify and prioritise work tasks taking account of organisational procedures and prepare a work plan. > Monitor and report progress against work plans and deadlines, adapting as necessary. > Communicate courteously with, and support, colleagues in work tasks to build effective working relationships. > Follow organisational procedures to find workable solutions to conflicts or difficulties in working relationships. > Review and evaluate performance and identify and agree training and development needs and objectives taking account of current work tasks and career goals. > Monitor work methods and activities against legislation, regulations and organisational procedures ensuring that emergency procedures are adequate for potential hazards. > Organise and monitor your work area so that conditions promote an effective and efficient working environment. > Plan work activities to make the optimum use of resources and to ensure that work is completed within agreed time scales. > Communicate work methods and schedules to colleagues in ways that help them to understand what is expected of them. > Encourage colleagues to report to you promptly any problems and queries that are beyond their authority or expertise to resolve, and resolve these where they are within your authority and expertise. > Refer problems and queries to the appropriate person where resolution is beyond your authority or expertise. |
ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 10: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 11: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 12: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 13: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 14: Associated Assessment criteria for Exit Level Outcome 15: Assessment criteria associated with Cross Critical Field Outcomes: The Organisation: Integrated Assessment: Assessment of competence, knowledge and understanding is undertaken through a combination of competence based examinations and work based simulations. |
INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY |
The Qualification is comparable with the AAT Accounting Qualification at Foundation level, which is delivered in 16 countries and recognised internationally. The Qualification allows learners entrance into the accountancy profession, so learners can use it to work outside South Africa. Particularly relevant is the recognition of the qualification in Botswana, Swaziland and Zambia. |
ARTICULATION OPTIONS |
The qualification is recognised as being not only a qualification in its own right, but also a well used and highly respected stepping stone to senior or chartered accountancy qualifications and higher education. |
MODERATION OPTIONS |
CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS |
Assessors responsible for assessing the simulations must hold the assessor qualification and must be registered with FASSET. |
REREGISTRATION HISTORY |
As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2012; 2015. |
NOTES |
N/A |
LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: |
NONE |
PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: |
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. |