In spite of many obstacles to overcome in finalising the registration of a fire occupation in the national framework, the SAQCC Fire is persevering!
One of these obstacles was the appointment by the QCTO(Quality Council for Trades and Occupations) of another facilitator for the same occupation according to the service level agreement(SLA) which was signed with the SAQCC Fire. Only during 2020 did it become apparent that the occupation for a fire alarm technician will be developed under the SLA of the other facilitator and that the firefighting equipment technician(1475) specialization and the Gas technician specialization will be developed under the SLA with the SAQCC Fire. The 1475 working committee is done with its work and is waiting on the Gas working committee to finalise their part qualification as they have been held up due to the uncertainty regarding the fire alarm SLA. The target is to submit both qualifications for the planned review by the QCTO in June 2021. Thereafter it still has to be submitted to the South African Qualifications Authority(SAQA) and an assessment process also needs to be finalized. So a lot of patience and perseverance is required to see the process through, but the SAQCC Fire’s commitment is unwavering.