15 September 2023
By: Jasper Raats
The AgriSeta has extended the closing date for discretionary grant applications by a week.
Shortly before the September 15 cut-off date for applications for discretionary grants, AgriSeta CEO Dr Innocent Sirovha announced an extension.
This means the agricultural sector can apply for grants for skills development and training until midnight on September 22.
By law, all farms that have a monthly wage bill of more than R500,000 must contribute 1% of it to the National Skills Fund, and may then apply for a discretionary grant for skills development and staff training.
The Seta can pay out 49.5% of the money collected through skills levies for training purposes. Everyone who is eligible and applies is considered for this grant, but payouts are at the Seta’s discretion and not everyone receives them every year.
Sirovha says the extension of the application period is to allow potential beneficiaries the Seta recently reached during stakeholder engagements enough time to make their applications.
“Whilst the window [for applications] has been open for the prescribed period of eight weeks, we deemed it necessary to allow more time for our stakeholders to make their applications,” he says.
The AgriSeta pays training grants annually to contributing and non-contributing employers, non-government organisations, community institutions, non-profit organisations, co-operatives, colleges, universities and other institutions that provide agricultural training.
