Accreditation readiness checklist for training providers
Use this page as a practical step-by-step accreditation checklist. It follows the same Form 5 readiness logic used inside the platform so providers can review what is needed, what documentation should exist, and where the real gaps still sit.
Step-by-step accreditation checklist
Work through one card at a time. The sequence below is meant to guide a provider from scope confirmation into evidence control without skipping the important readiness checks in between.
Confirm institution and qualification details
Start by locking the provider, site, qualification, and delivery context before collecting the rest of the pack.
- Record the institution name exactly as it should appear on the application.
- Confirm the main delivery site and whether the route is QCTO, SETA, or mixed.
- Capture the qualification title, SAQA ID, curriculum code, NQF level, and credits.
Complete the self-assessment and registration checks
Use the self-assessment to expose weak areas early instead of discovering them after the pack is almost complete.
- Complete the self-assessment and note unresolved gaps.
- Check the provider's registration type and legal support documents.
- Confirm who owns the application and corrective actions internally.
Validate the site, facilities, and OHS position
A provider should be able to show where delivery happens and how safety is controlled.
- Confirm the physical training site and supporting address evidence.
- Review classrooms, workshops, equipment, or simulated environments for the chosen qualification.
- Check that OHS controls are real, current, and easy to retrieve.
Check learning materials and delivery systems
The application should show how learning will be delivered, not only that the provider exists.
- Verify that learning materials exist for the qualification or are under control.
- Confirm that learner-management records can be captured and retrieved cleanly.
- If the model is blended, capture the LMS name and the connectivity approach.
Prepare people and workplace readiness
Reviewers will test whether the provider has the people and workplace structure to support delivery.
- Identify facilitators and confirm whether their CVs and supporting records are ready.
- Check assessors, moderators, and support roles where the route requires them.
- Map workplace partners or placement assumptions for practical and WBL requirements.
Organise policies, procedures, and evidence folders
The pack should be reviewable, not scattered across email, drives, and disconnected folders.
- Group the pack into institutional, programme, staff, learner, and workplace evidence.
- Make sure version ownership is clear for each document set.
- Check that policies, procedures, and supporting records match the actual delivery model.
How to use this checklist properly
Use this as a working sequence, not as a last-minute admin list.
Use it alongside the QCTO accreditation guide, the SETA accreditation guide, and the programme delivery readiness guide.
When the provider wants a live view instead of a manual checklist, move into the accreditation readiness tool.
The five Form 5 readiness zones this checklist covers
These are the areas that usually decide whether an application is stable or still too weak.
Institution and qualification scope
Start with the legal institution context and the exact qualification the provider wants to deliver.
- Institution name, main delivery site, and registration route are clearly stated.
- Qualification title, SAQA ID, curriculum code, NQF level, and credits are confirmed.
- Delivery mode is decided before the rest of the evidence pack is prepared.
Self-assessment and registration
The provider should know its route, status, and readiness position before submission pressure starts.
- Self-assessment has been completed and the main gaps are already known.
- Registration and legal support documents are current and easy to retrieve.
- The application route matches the real authority context rather than a guessed route.
Facilities and safety
Reviewers need to see that the delivery environment is real, stable, and safe for the qualification scope.
- Training site details are final rather than provisional.
- Basic OHS controls and site-readiness evidence already exist.
- Practical facilities or simulated environments match the qualification demands.
Learning delivery systems
The provider should show how learning will actually run across materials, systems, and learner records.
- Learning materials exist or are in controlled preparation.
- LMIS or learner-record controls are functional enough to support delivery evidence.
- If delivery is blended, the LMS and connectivity model are already defined.
People, workplace and evidence
Accreditation readiness depends on staff readiness, workplace arrangements, and document control working together.
- Facilitators and related staff are identified and their core records can be surfaced quickly.
- Workplace partners or practical placement assumptions are already mapped where relevant.
- Policies, procedures, and evidence folders are organised into one reviewable structure.
Documents and evidence to have ready
Use these document groups as the working pack behind the checklist instead of trying to manage one oversized folder.
Institution and registration pack
These records establish who the provider is and where delivery happens.
Qualification scope pack
Scope errors early in the process weaken every later section of the readiness pack.
Facilities and OHS pack
Reviewers need to trust that the physical delivery environment matches the qualification reality.
Learning delivery pack
These documents show how teaching, learner records, and evidence creation will run in practice.
People and workplace pack
A strong application shows the people and workplace structure behind the delivery model.
Policies and evidence pack
This is what stops the application from becoming a one-off document chase with weak traceability.
What a strong provider can answer quickly
These are the practical questions the checklist should help the provider answer before review.
Try the readiness tool
When the provider wants a live status snapshot instead of a manual page review, move into the accreditation readiness tool.
- Enter institution and qualification details and see a live status snapshot.
- Pull qualification data from the platform catalog to reduce manual setup.
- See which readiness sections are started, incomplete, or still missing.
- Continue into the limited workspace instead of being sent to a contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Use these next if you want to move from checklist thinking into route-specific execution.
Accreditation hub
Start from the wider authority cluster and move into the right guide.
Accreditation readiness tool
Open the starter and continue into the limited readiness workspace.
Programme delivery readiness
Deepen the qualification-specific delivery layer behind this checklist.
QCTO site visit guide
See how the checklist translates into a live QCTO review sequence.