National Education Programme
DANLEP
National courses aim to bring trade unionists together at a national level and are usually run in Gauteng but may at times be delivered in other provinces.
A consistent national programme and one that has featured in the DITSELA programme annually is the DITSELA Advanced National Labour Education Programme (DANLEP). DANLEP, as this suite of courses is commonly known, is a series of longer term advanced courses that is run over a two year cycle. Accredited courses run in partnership with the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Higher Education and Development and the University of the Witwatersrand’s Public and Development Management School. Courses offered within the DANLEP suite are:
- Advanced Educator Development
- Women Leadership Development
- Advanced Organiser Development
- Advanced Labour Law Development
- Leading and Managing Trade Unions
Trade Union Practice Qualification (TUPQ)
The TUPQ is the flagship program of DITSELA which has been hailed as the first Level 4 qualification in trade unionism, and the first of its kind to be offered in South African and Africa. This qualification was always envisaged as a developmental vehicle for DITSELA into the formalisation of trade union education, and into formal qualifications and assessments. Except for the DITSELA Advanced National Labour Education Programme (DANLEP) a Level 5 Diploma currently offered in collaboration with the Universities of Western Cape and Cape Town, the focus was always and continue to be, the delivery of quality non-formal and formal education.
Labour Law Skills Programme
The Skills Development programme for Labour Law and Bargaining formalises the recognition of competencies and will contribute towards developing expertise in both theory and practice in the trade union environment, particularly empowering the shop steward, who carries significant responsibilities at this level in the sector.
This Skills Programme will contribute to education and training in the trade union movement through challenging current industrial relations training by promoting a trade union perspective in line with world-wide trends and standards. It will also enable participants to promote and protect the rights of workers, and advance economic and social justice. Ultimately, the skills programme is aimed at increasing levels of efficiency, effectiveness, coordination and professionalism within the trade union movement.
- The Skills Development Programme will ensure that the participants acquire the applied competencies and skills contained in the Exit Level Outcomes and will form the basis for further learning both within the sector – which is one of the largest sectors in the country – and outside of it. This Skills Development Programme will assist the trade union movement – whose role in the economy of South Africa is critical – to make a more meaningful contribution in terms of redress, transformation, promotion of the culture of learning and emphasising the holistic development of participants. In essence, it will strengthen the trade union movement.