Mandatory Grants

What is a Mandatory Grant?

The Mandatory Grant Report consists of a WSP and ATR. The report is due on or before 30 April annually and must be submitted on the BANKSETA Management Information System (BANKSETA MIS) by each registered stakeholder organisation’s SDF. BANKSETA hosts annual Information Sessions to capacitate SDFs before submission takes place.

All new Skills Development Facilitators are required to register online and link and their respective organisations to SDF profiles before accessing the WSP/ATR and WSS forms. The system can be accessed through MIS System. The SDFs will be only be able to access the forms once their SDF application has been approved by BANKSETA.

Extension for Mandatory Grant Submissions

Extended Deadline – Mandatory Grant Submissions Now Due 31 May 2025

In line with the Government Gazette No.52698 of issued on 19th May 2025 by Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, The BANKSETA has extended the 2025/26 Mandatory Grant application deadline from 30 April to 31 May 2025. This extension applies to all levy paying employers in terms of regulation 4(1) of the Seta Grant Regulation, 2012 as prescribed in sub regulation (3) as set out in the Schedule.

The extension willt ensures all employers are given a fair opportunity to complete their applications.

New Deadline: 31 May 2025

If you have already submitted, no action is needed.

For assistance, please email: sifisom@bankseta.org.za.

WSP/ATR Process

BANKSETA encourages registered employers to submit a Workplace Skills Plan as per the Skills Development Act and the Skills Development Levies Act, in order to qualify for Mandatory and Discretionary Grants. The submission of the Workplace Skills Plan must include:

The training programmes that an organisation plans to implement for the year ahead.
An implementation report for the actual skills development that took place in the year prior.
NOTE: Guidelines on how to complete the WSP / ATR are sent to registered employers yearly and for further information in this area please feel free to contact the Skills Development Team.

Provision is made within the Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and Annual Training Report (ATR) templates to plan for and report against PIVOTAL programmes. PIVOTAL programmes are professional, vocational, technical and academic learning programmes, which meet critical needs for economic growth and social development. These programmes generally combine coursework at universities, universities of technology or colleges with structured learning at work through, among other things, professional placements, work integrated learning, apprenticeships, learnerships and internships.

If a company does not submit a WSP by the due date of 30 April, it will forfeit its Mandatory Grant and this money will be swept into the Discretionary Fund for use in the BANKSETA strategic focus areas. Companies that do not submit their WSP documents by 30 April will not be able to apply for discretionary funds.

All submissions are made online through the BANKSETA system and are consolidated into a sector profile, which enables BANKSETA to keep track of the trends in the industry as well as update its records accordingly. In the years following a company’s first submission to BANKSETA, an ATR is required with the WSP. This report indicates the extent to which the plan from the previous year was implemented.

Templates for both the plan and the report are provided by BANKSETA together with a guide to assist SDFs with documentation completion. A manual is available to assist SDFs to navigate the BANKSETA system.

BANKSETA will enable and support your company with all the necessary information and documentation, to ensure that you receive the maximum benefit from the skills development process and all BANKSETA skills development initiatives.

Step 1

Register your organisation with the BANKSETA if you have not done so already. If your organisation is levy paying, then please submit your SARS registration documents. If your organisation is non-levy paying, then please submit your Company Registration Documents.

This also requires your organisations’ SIC code. SIC stands for Standard Industrial Classification code. In simpler terms, SIC is the code that reflects the main business activity or your organisation:

Step 2

Appoint a SDF from within your business. This person acts as liaison between the BANKSETA and your organisation. They ensure that the WSP/ATR is developed and implemented. The BANKSETA will build skills development capacity within your organisation to enable your company to meet the minimum skills development requirements.

Step 3

The SDF will register on the BANKSETA MIS. This is done online. Please visit https://sims.bankseta.org.za/.

Step 4

The SDF should access the BANKSETA system and make sure all information is completed or updated. The system can be accessed through this website. The banner will display the Stakeholder Relations. Click on the banner and follow the process under the Stakeholder Log In banne

Step 5

The next step is compiling a WSP / ATR. This is completed annually by levy paying and non-levy paying organisations. This process should be inclusive, with the employer consulting with all employees or employee representatives, irrespective of the level or rank in the company.

SIC Code	Qualification
81110	Monetary Intermediation
81121	Discount Houses and Commercial and Other Banking
81122	Building Society Activities
81900	Other Financial Intermediation (Not elsewhere captured)
81910	Lease Financing
83101	Security Dealing
83101	Activities Ancillary to Financial Mediation
90002	Microfinance