According to subject or field of study:
Colleges offer courses in a very wide range of subjects and aim to equip students with a broad range of skills. You will therefore be able to find college courses in a diverse range of fields such as bookkeeping, administration, accounting, business and management studies, sport and fitness, beauty therapy, writing and communication, hospitality, creative studies, computer studies, child care and technical studies. To find a specific course that you are interested in, you can look at the course lists for various colleges. Not all colleges will offer the same courses, and some colleges will offer courses only in a specific field.
According to accreditation:
A college itself may be either accredited or non-accredited, but it is also possible for some of the courses at a particular college to be accredited while others are not. When deciding which course you want to study and where you want to study it, you need to make sure that your course of choice is properly accredited by the relevant body or bodies. If it isn’t, it may not be recognised by potential employers, professional bodies/associations, or other academic institutions. If you only want to do a course for personal enrichment, however, it may not matter to you whether the course is accredited or not.
Click here to find accredited courses at Skills Academy.
Different courses offered by Skills Academy:
Beauty Therapy Studies
Bookkeeping & Accounting Studies
Business Studies
Child Care Studies
CIMA: Management Accounting Studies
CompTIA Studies
Computer Studies
Creative Studies
Decor & Design Studies
Event Management Studies
Financial Management Studies
Forensic Science Studies
Hospitality Studies
HR Management Studies
Management Studies
Photographic Studies
Policing Studies
Project Management Studies
Secretarial Studies
Short Courses
Tourism Studies
Wedding Planning Studies
According to the nature and purpose of the course:
- Generally speaking, college courses are less theoretically oriented and take a more pragmatic approach than university courses. However, depending on the subject, some college courses can also be theoretically oriented.
- Different kinds of college courses prepare students for different things. Some courses are aimed at preparing students for particular careers, while others are focused on equipping students with specific skills or with providing students with relevant knowledge about specific topics. Other courses aim to give students a general background to a subject, which can be developed by doing further courses. Some courses also require students to gain practical work experience before they can complete their qualifications.
- FET (Further Education and Training) courses were introduced in South Africa to increase access to education and to reduce skills shortages. The aim of most FET courses is to prepare students for entry into the workplace and to equip them with the skills that they need to pursue a particular vocation or occupation. There are different kinds of FET courses, including:
- National Certificate (Vocational)
- NATED
- National Higher Certificate
- Skills Programme