3 Simple Ways to find Seta Accredited Online Courses

How to Find Seta Online Accredited Courses in South Africa

These days finding accredited courses online can be as easy as typing a keyword on google or even on any AI tool you love. Then you get results of all courses you think may be accredited. 

What most people don't know is that companies can pose as legitimate training providers either online or even offline. 

There is an incident where a College in Joburg posed as a legitimate institution, providing fake diplomas and degrees to learners—specifically Johannesburg City College was recently flagged by authorities as being unregistered and offering fake qualifications, despite attempts to shut it down.

Which is why we decided to show you simple ways to find SETA Accredited Online Courses and also best ways to spot them if they are truly certified.

What are SETA Accredited Courses?

These are courses that are either provided by a South African training provider, Institution or organisation. Usually offer a NQF qualification at the end with points that match the course criteria based on SAQA standards.

Eg, a skills training provider  like Insimbi offer both online and on-site courses in qualifications like Business, Admin, IT and more. After completion the learner gets a certificate approved and certified by SAQA also any type of SETA depending on the course.

How to Know if an Online Course is Accredited or Not?

You can spot accredited online courses firstly by the training provider accreditation number, also a 

Usually legitimate training providers have a section on their course  page in their website about the accreditation, stating the number and points of the course. 

Making it easy for learners to verify it in either one of the SETA databases. There are many other legal ways to do so, not also forgetting social proof which may not be enough for most people.

You may also have a look at 4 Best Training Courses for Easy Job Opportunities if you are also looking for job opportunities.

List of Ways Find SETA Accredited Online Courses

01. Online Course Directories

Even though in South Africa there are less directories for finding courses, unlike in most countries. You can search in Online Course directories like www.learnfast.co.za here you will find listed courses that are provided by your local organisations or training providers.

When doing so, you have to always check the accreditation number of the organisation before enrolling on the course. Most course providers like Skills Academy or IQ Academy host courses directly on their websites.

So when you're browsing, always check:

• That the course listing shows a SETA provider ID or SAQA ID.

• That the provider is registered with DHET or another recognised government body.

• That you can verify the qualification on the SAQA website by searching the SAQA ID.

If you’re stuck, you can hop onto the SAQA register or the DHET / SETA websites and punch in the provider name or the accreditation number. If nothing shows up, that’s a red flag. Without limiting your knowledge we have covered Courses That are On Demand in South Africa if you are looking for more options.

02. Social Media

Being said, most people nowadays, before making a decision to purchase something online, prefer to head over to social media to verify if an Advertisement of any offer they saw is true. 

This helps, by seeing reviews of what is being said about that offer. So you might also have to consider using Social Media to search for SETA accredited courses and verify based on what people are saying about each course and who offers it.

• Join community Groups of that particular course you want and check what people are saying. 

• You can also follow well trusted influencers to learn more about the course you want or institution they had an experience with.

• Post in groups to ask questions about the SETA accredited course  you want to enrol in, this helps you get different options that can help you make well informed decisions.

03. Media Publications

Media news can come in handy especially if you are searching for stories related to any well known institution, For example, when City Varsity and other Educor colleges were officially deregistered by the Department of Higher Education due to non-compliance, it became breaking news across the country. 

For many students, this story was a wake-up call — some only found out through the media that their qualifications might no longer be recognised. In that way, publications and news outlets played a huge role in spreading awareness, helping learners make informed decisions about where to study next and warning others to avoid falling into the same trap.

So search for stories or media publications about the college or training provider you’re interested in. If it’s legit and well known, you’ll usually find articles, press releases, or even interviews about their programmes. If you don’t find much or the only news is negative, that’s already a sign to dig deeper.

Unfortunately for small institutions this method may not be handy, since they rarely make it into big publications. In those cases, you might have to rely more on Social Media, SETA Websites, or even directly checking the SAQA register to be safe.

3 SETA Accredited Online Courses You Can Apply for 

Here are a few SETA / SETA-accredited / commonly trusted provider courses you might apply for online or blended:

01. Higher Certificate programmes via iQ Academy

iQ Academy has a bunch of Higher Certificate qualifications (NQF Level 5, credit-bearing) in fields like Business Management, Human Resource Management, etc., that are registered with SAQA and approved by the Council on Higher Education. 

02. Online Human Resource Management (NATED N4-N6) via Skills Academy

Skills Academy offers Human Resource Management courses that you can study fully online through distance learning. These NATED courses (levels N4–N6) are well recognised in South Africa and are popular with employers. The course covers useful HR skills like recruitment, dealing with employees, and workplace policies. It’s a good choice if you want to build a career in HR or move into a management role.

03. Business Administration & Management Courses via Speccon Online

Speccon is one of the popular online training providers in South Africa, offering SETA-accredited courses that are flexible and job-focused. Their Business Administration and Management courses are in high demand, as they teach everyday workplace skills like communication, office management, and basic business operations.

By checking SETA databases, social media, course directories, and even media news, you can quickly see which training providers are real and which ones are fake. Stories like Johannesburg City College or City Varsity show why it’s so important to verify before you sign up. 

The good thing is there are many trusted providers in South Africa that offer in-demand online courses people really need. So take your time, do the checks, and you’ll end up with a course that’s both recognised and worth your effort.