Turn compliance into Funding, Points and Skills Development.
Workplace Skills Plan (WSP)
Your WSP sets out your organisation’s training and development plan for the coming financial year, which skills you’ll develop, for which employees, using which programmes.
It must align to:
your business strategy,
your identified skills gaps, and
your relevant Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) priorities.
Annual Training Report (ATR)
Your ATR records all the training you actually implemented in the previous year, measured against the commitments in your WSP.
It shows:
which programmes ran,
who attended,
how much you spent, and
how this aligns to your WSP and SETA requirements.
Together, WSP + ATR form the backbone of South Africa’s demand-led skills system and are a key condition for employers to access skills grants and maintain compliance.
In general, you’re expected to submit WSP/ATR if:
you are registered for Skills Development Levies (SDL), and
your annual payroll exceeds R500,000, meaning you must pay SDL at 1% of payroll.
Submissions are made to your primary SETA, based on your core business activity. Different SETAs have their own online systems, but the legal requirement is the same: submit WSP & ATR by 30 April each year to remain eligible for grants
When properly planned and submitted, WSP & ATR help you:
Unlock mandatory grants (up to 20% of your SDL contributions).
Apply for discretionary grants for learnerships, bursaries and PIVOTAL programmes.
Support B-BBEE Skills Development points through verifiable, structured spend and training records.
Align training to real business needs, not random interventions.
Provide evidence in audits and verifications (SETA, B-BBEE, DHET-related reviews).
If you’re not using WSP & ATR as a strategic lever, you’re leaving money and points on the table.
Our WSP & ATR Support
We combine Skills Development advisory, B-BBEE insight, and hands-on execution. You choose how much support you want us to provide.
WSP and ATR Strategy and Planning
Map SETA and national skills priorities into your WSP
Confirm future training needs and training budgets
Identify priority skills, scarce skills, and high-impact training areas
Map SETA and national skills priorities into your WSP
Validate historical training records for the Annual Training Report (ATR)
Work with HR, line managers, and Skills Development Facilitators to collect accurate training data
Other WSP/ATR Support
Complete WSP and ATR submissions on the relevant SETA online system
Ensure all compulsory fields and structures meet SETA requirements
Manage internal sign-off and submit before deadlines
Prepare and organise supporting evidence for ATR reporting, including attendance registers, invoices, certificates, and proof of expenditure
Align training records to B-BBEE verification requirements
Provide templates and controls to simplify future reporting
Structure your WSP to maximise mandatory grant recovery and access to discretionary funding
Ensure skills development spend supports both compliance and business capability
Our WSP/ATR Process
From Strategy and Compliance to capability building
Okiru Offers Specialised B-Diversity, Inclusion & Disability Awareness Training
Designed for your company needs
FAQs
A WSP outlines your planned training for the coming year; an ATR records the training you actually delivered. Both are mandatory for claiming skills‑levy grants and earning B‑BBEE skills points.
A Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) is a document submitted to your Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) that details the skills development initiatives you intend to undertake in the next financial year. It covers training plans across all occupational categories and should align with scarce and critical skills identified by your SETA. An Annual Training Report (ATR), submitted alongside the WSP, reports on the training completed during the previous year and assesses how it met your plan. Together, these documents demonstrate your commitment to upskilling employees, comply with the Skills Development Act and qualify you for mandatory grant reimbursements. They also provide evidence needed to score points under the Skills Development element of the B‑BBEE scorecard. Without them, you forfeit levy grants, lose compliance benefits and compromise your transformation targets.
Submitting a compliant WSP and ATR earns you mandatory grant refunds and preserves your Skills Development points on the B‑BBEE scorecard.
Under the Skills Development Levies Act, most employers contribute 1 % of their payroll to the National Skills Fund. Up to 20 % of this levy can be reclaimed if you submit a WSP and ATR that meet your SETA’s requirements. In addition, the Skills Development element of the B‑BBEE scorecard assesses your spend on training black employees, learnerships, bursaries and internships. A current, approved WSP and ATR are prerequisites for awarding these points. Failure to submit on time not only forfeits the mandatory grant but also renders your Skills Development spend ineligible for B‑BBEE recognition. For companies pursuing higher B‑BBEE levels or sector charters, compliance with WSP and ATR submission is therefore essential.
The deadline is usually 30 April each year; allow four to six weeks to gather data, consult stakeholders and submit.
All SETAs require employers to file their WSP and ATR annually, typically by 30 April for the period covering 1 April of the previous year to 31 March of the current year. Some SETAs occasionally extend this deadline, but you should plan for end‑April to avoid penalties. Preparing these documents involves collecting training records, payroll data, skills gaps assessments and employment equity breakdowns; consulting line managers and skills development facilitators; prioritising training against SETA scarce skills lists; and capturing all information on your SETA’s online portal. Depending on the size and complexity of your organisation, this process can take anywhere from four to six weeks. Starting early ensures you have time to correct errors, obtain approvals and submit before the portal closes.
You need detailed employee demographics, training records, planned interventions, budgets and supporting evidence such as certificates and invoices.
To compile a WSP and ATR, gather the following:
Employee data: number of employees by race, gender, disability, occupational level and age group; including any new hires and terminations.
Training records: a list of all training conducted in the previous year, including course titles, durations, costs, providers and the names and demographics of participants; supporting documents like attendance registers, invoices and certificates.
Planned training: a schedule of proposed courses, learnerships, bursaries and mentorships for the next year; budgets for each intervention; and alignment with SETA scarce skills and company priorities.
Skills gaps and needs analysis: results of performance reviews, succession plans and skills assessments that justify your training choices.
Employment Equity and B‑BBEE alignment: confirmation that your training plan addresses EE targets and the Skills Development element of your B‑BBEE strategy.
Having a single repository for training data and certifications makes WSP and ATR preparation smoother and reduces the risk of rejection.
You lose access to mandatory grants and may jeopardise discretionary grant applications and B‑BBEE points.
Okiru provides end‑to‑end support—from data collection and analysis to online portal submission—using AI‑enabled tools; fees vary with workforce size and complexity.
Okiru’s WSP and ATR service starts with a skills audit and data review. We collect your employee demographics, training records and budgets; analyse skills gaps against sector priorities; and design a training plan that maximises both regulatory compliance and business impact. We prepare your WSP and ATR in the correct SETA format, capture them on the relevant online portal, respond to SETA queries and provide audit‑ready documentation. Our team aligns your training plan to your B‑BBEE and Employment Equity objectives and ensures you meet mandatory and discretionary grant requirements. Costs depend on the number of employees, the quality of existing records and whether you need additional services such as Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) registration, employment equity reporting or learnership management. Small organisations might spend R15 000–R30 000, while large, multi‑site employers could invest R50 000–R100 000 or more. By partnering with Okiru, you reduce administrative burden, avoid penalties and unlock the full benefits of your training spend.
