Training and Development SOP
Training and Development SOP
Training and Development SOP
[NAME OF INSTITUTION]
INSTRUCTIONS / POLICIES
AND
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
Issued in terms of section of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act 1 of 1999)
[PFMA] and Treasury Regulations 2016
1. Purpose 3
2. Scope 3
5. Capacity development 7
7 Annexures 9
8 Delegations of authority 9
9 Non-compliance 10
11 Conclusion 10
12 Contact person 10
13 Approval 10
1.1 The purpose of these Instructions / Policies and Standard Operating Procedures
is to foster a culture of responsibility and accountability in the management and
use of training and development expenditure in <Insert name of Institution>.
1.3 It also serves as a reference tool for educational and training purposes.
2. Scope
2.1 These Institutional Instructions / Policies and Standard Operating Procedures are
applicable to all employees of the <Insert name of Institution> including the
Accounting Officer / Accounting Authority [delete what is not applicable].
3.1 The comprehensive list of Abbreviations and Definitions are covered in detail in
General Concepts, Definitions and Principles, and should be read in conjunction
with these Instructions / Policies and Standard Operating Procedures.
3.2 The abbreviations and definitions that are pertinent to these Instructions / Policies
and Standard Operating Procedures are described below:
WSP Workplace Skills Plan
SCOA Standard Chart of Accounts
SETA Sector Education Training Authority
The terms "training" and "development" are used together to describe the overall
improvement and education of the Institutions employees through a variety of
educational methods and programs. Training programs have very specific and
quantifiable goals, for example, operating a particular piece of machinery, understanding
a specific process, or performing certain procedures with great precision. Developmental
programs, on the other hand, concentrate on broader skills that are applicable to a wider
variety of situations, such as decision making, leadership skills, and goal setting.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
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A brief description of the payments for the various goods/ services as reflected on the
SCOA follows:
The following items relating to training and development are not included in the definition.
They are treated separately in the SCOA and are as follows:
4.1 Legislation
4.2.4 The Modified Cash Standard (MCS) is "GRAP" for departments and any
other entity that claims compliance with the modified cash basis of
accounting. The MCS, as prescribed by the National Treasury: Office of the
Accountant-General, sets out the principles for the recognition, recording,
measurement, presentation and disclosure of information required in terms
of formats prescribed by the National Treasury.
It is important to note that although Institutions adhere to different reporting frameworks, i.e.
the Standards of GRAP and the MCS, these Instructions/Policies and SOPs serves as a
foundation of good practices to aid in compliance with either framework.
[Entity to complete this section for their own reference(s), if any GRAP standard(s), are to
be noted here]
4.3 Other Instructions / Policies and SOPs to be read with this SOP
5. Capacity development
6.1.1 Ensure that training and development expenditure forms part of goods and
services envisaged to be procured over the 5 year period linked to the
Institutions strategic plan.
6.1.2 Include provision for such expenditure in the Annual operational plan that is
developed and implemented by the CFO (delegated to by the Accounting
Officer / Accounting Authority) of the Institution for the Supply Chain
Management unit.
6.1.3 Submit the procurement plan for the financial year to the relevant treasury
by 30 April of each year containing all planned procurement in a format and
according to threshold values as may be prescribed by National Treasury
Instruction.
6.1.4 Ensure that training and development expenditure is allocated as per the
appropriation in the budget and the correct items are used.
6.1.5 Ensure that the delegation of authority specify the responsibilities and
authorities responsible for the authorisation and management of this type
of expenditure.
6.1.6 Ensure that the delegation of authority and specimen signatures regarding
Training and development expenditure is communicated throughout the
Institution.
6.1.7 The Training and development budget for the institution is captured on its
financial system as per the Standard Chart of Accounts (SCOA). The
financial system must be configured to be able to display the available
budget for each line item of expenditure to assist in the decision-making
process of delegated officials when considering the purchase of Training
and development items. The system must be designed to block the
approval of a payment should there be insufficient budget available for an
item of expenditure.
6.2.2 Ensure that the job descriptions and measurable outputs of the
performance contracts of all relevant delegated officials are aligned to the
processes of this SOP.
6.2.3 Ensure that requisitions for training and development and approval of
orders are only approved by delegated officials if the items have been
included in the annual procurement plan.
6.2.4 Ensure that the acquisition processes for training and development follows
the Supply Chain Management Process (refer to SCM Policy)
7 Annexures
7.3 Annexure 3: Internal control checklist for Goods and services: Training and
development
8 Delegations of authority
8.2 Role-players involved in training and development should strictly adhere to the
Institutional delegations of authority.
9.1 Departure from the provisions of these Instructions / Policies and SOPs, without
prior written authorisation by the AO / AA, will be treated as financial misconduct
and will result in appropriate disciplinary or criminal procedures being considered
and instituted against the relevant person where deemed necessary. Refer to the
SOP on Financial Misconduct for additional information.
10.1 To ensure these Instructions / Policies and SOPs operate efficiently, users must
report any required changes to their superiors. Whenever something changes in
the payments processing areas and / or environment, it should be reviewed for
appropriateness. These Instructions / Policies and SOPs must be reviewed
periodically as set out in General Concepts, Definitions and Principles.
11 Conclusion
11.1 The content of these Instructions / Policies and SOPs must be brought to the
attention of all officials within the Institution.
11.2 These Instructions / Policies and SOPs are effective from [insert date].
12 Contact person
12.1 For any queries related to these Instructions and Standard Operating Procedures,
contact [Persons name].
13 Approval
________________ _____________
Services rendered/Goods
received - Invoice Received
and Certification by Prog
manager
Demand Management process - Identification of the need for Training and development expenditure
1. The budget division of the institution must collate and consolidate the needs of all the
Budget office
operational divisions of the Institution that would require Training and development. and
To give effect to the provisions of the Constitution, Act No 108 of 1996, Institutional Instruction Programme
Managers
and legislation regulating Human Resources Development, the Institution must create
opportunities for all employees to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the CFO
duties assigned to them and improve their career prospects. The mandate of this Institutional
SCM
Instruction is derived from the following:
o Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act No. 75 of 1997);
To derive maximum benefits from all the skills development interventions, an assessment must
be conducted to determine competencies (skills and knowledge) that employees and the
Institution would need. It should be determined, at the same time, if the competencies the
Institution needs are scarce, abundant or less critical.
An assortment of training interventions must be planned and implemented annually to fill the
identified gaps. To manage the effectiveness of training, it should be evaluated against the
targets set in the National Skills Development Strategy of the Department of Higher Education
and Training, Human Resource Development Strategy Vision 2015 of the Public Service and
the Human Resource Development Strategy of the Institution. Training interventions include
ABET/GET, FET, HET, learnerships, short courses and conferences.
All employees, including those appointed on a fixed term contract subject to the terms and
conditions thereof, must have equal access to appropriate and relevant training opportunities
and effective career development.
The Institution must in terms of Government Gazette No 20865 of 7 February 2000, develop
and submit Workplace Skills Plans (WSP) annually. The WSP will document all planned
training and development interventions for a financial year. The WSP will include the
o Identify the training and development needs of the Institution and compiling training plans to
address training priorities;
o Align needs-directed training programmes with the strategic objectives of the institution;
o Ensure that sufficient funds are available for the training of the institutions employees at all
levels;
o Ensure that funds are available for developmental programmes.
The Internal Training and Development Committee (ITDC) must oversee the quality of training
interventions implemented in the Institution and recommend the approval of the human
resources development policies, reports and strategies to the EXCO of the Institution.
o Keep a database of employees and records of training courses arranged for them;
o Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of training programmes, and assist respective line
managers with the selection of service providers and co-ordination of training courses
o Ensure that all employees have fair access to training opportunities.
Management must provide resources for training or skills development equally and fairly to all
employees. They must also manage the performance of their employees by nominating them
for courses that are relevant to improve their performance and career prospects.
The primary responsibility for an individuals training and development lies with the employee
her/himself. The employee will recognize her/his role in self-improvement through continued
training and development. Employees must accept the responsibility to utilize all measures and
channels available to them to address their training and developmental needs including taking
initiatives in self-study and training whilst in the employment of the institution.
Employees (bursars) receiving financial assistance in terms of the bursary scheme for
attendance of short courses must enter into a contractual agreement with the Department.
The Skills Development Facilitator must:
o Develop the WSP which complies with the guidelines provided by the applicable SETA.
o Identify strategic opportunities for learnership, and the promotion of national skills
development priorities.
o Develop structures and systems for effective skills planning.
Training and development must form part of the Supply Chain Management strategy for the
current year and the medium term expenditure period.
Training and development must then form part of the Annual Operational plan of the Institution
which includes the method, timelines, estimated value, funding and responsible office to
execute the procurement.
The spend for Training and development must be specified in the annual procurement plan in a
format and according to threshold values which will determine the procurement strategy.
The budget for Training and development expenditure must be allocated and captured on the
accounting system to the correct, fund, objective, responsibility and item as appropriated in the
appropriation act.
The delegation of authority and specimen signatures of the delegated officials that may
approve Training and development expenditure must be communicated throughout the
Institution.
Note: The system should be configured with the appropriate levels of approval for all delegated
The system must be configured to block the approval of a payment should there be insufficient
budget available for an item of expenditure.
The job descriptions and measurable outputs of the performance contracts of all relevant
delegated officials must be aligned to the processes of this SOP. For example, payments to
suppliers must be effected within 30 days of receipt of the invoice to prevent non-compliance
with TR 81 from occurring. Therefore the performance contracts of all delegated officials
involved in the payment process must reflect that the requirement that the delegated officials
must prevent non-compliance with TR81 from occurring when performing their respective
responsibilities. The job descriptions must also reflect that officials are required to prevent
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Action Template Responsibility
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non-compliance with treasury regulations.
To ensure effective and efficient management of Training and development expenditure
Programme Managers need to discharge the following responsibilities:
o Take responsibility to manage and control funds allocated to them relating to Training
and development expenditure;
o Use funds allocated to them in line with the institutions policies and the relevant
prescripts;
o Compare on a monthly basis their budgeted amount as per the procurement plan to
actual expenditure and report any discrepancies to the CFO; and
o Supply motivations or information as may be required by the CFO relating to Training
and development.
The Programme manager must ensure that a need for the goods/ service exists and a budget
is available before incurring Training and development expenditure. Programme
manager
The relevant Programme Manager verifies that the expenditure is relevant and checks
supporting documents to ensure that SCM processes and other prescripts are adhered to
(necessary approvals have been obtained from the applicable Departmental Committee). SCM
The relevant Programme manager must also check against system reports if funds are
available at SCOA item description level before approving the requisition.
Acquisition Management would now occur - SCM involved in sourcing of Goods/ services
this is dependent on the value of the spending in line with the annual procurement plan.
Please refer to SCM SOP.
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Action Template Responsibility
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The processes relating to the acquisition of Goods and Services are addressed in the Supply
Chain Management and Sourcing Strategy SOP.
4. Approval of order
Delegated
No goods/ services may be procured without the issuing of an official order Official
The system prints the following when the order is authorised at the Acquisition stage End user /
Budget
o The order (this is sent to the external supplier) manager
o The receipt (this is signed by the end user when the goods and services are received)
The receipt must be processed daily on the system to update the accounting records.
The simultaneous receipt is filed in the receipt voucher file in numerical sequence.
Alternatively - a copy of the order with the original invoice is sent to the financial section after
the official at the stores has captured the information electronically
When specialised goods are delivered directly to the end user, the end user must inform
stores, and the goods receiving clerk/ transit official from stores must be present when such
o Obtain delivery note from delivery personnel of supplier and compare it to purchase order;
o Check the quantity and descriptions of goods delivered against purchase order and
o Reject all incorrect goods and identify and mark rejections on both copies delivery note
and purchase order;
o Make list of goods accepted and rejected;
o Ensure that suppliers personnel sign both copies of the delivery note including
amendments;
o Sign delivery note of supplier.
Note: Non-compliance to procedure may lead to Fruitless and wasteful expenditure being
incurred by institution
7. Receipt of services
Delegated
When services are rendered, the end user/ Programme manager must perform an Official/
assessment of the services rendered by the supplier and rate the following: Programme
o Whether the services rendered are in accordance with the contractual terms of the Manager
agreement.
o The level of co-operation received from the supplier
o The delivery of the service in accordance with the specified time frames
The delegated official must record the invoice in the invoice register (electronic/ manual
register) upon receipt of the invoice.
The delegated official must as a minimum check the invoice to ensure that:
o That it is a valid tax invoice not copy tax invoice/ pro forma invoice not accepted if
service has been rendered
o The date of the invoice
The documents must be stamped as Received on the date of receipt of the invoice, name
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Action Template Responsibility
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and signature documented
The delegated SCM official must take the invoice and the manual register to the end user.
The end user must sign the register and date the register with the date the invoice was given
to them.
The delegated SCM official must update the electronic register (if applicable) with the date the
invoice was handed to the end user.
The delegated SCM official will make regular enquiries on invoices that have not been
returned by the end user.
The Invoice register must also indicate the authorised signatory for the cost code and amount.
The SCM delegated official must route the invoice through to the delegated programme/
budget manager for authorisation as per delegation.
The authorising signature on the invoice must correspond with the authorised signature
appearing on the specimen register, as per the delegation for the certification of invoices.
The delegated SCM official must increase the frequency of the enquiries if the 30 days period
is drawing close and the invoice has not been returned by the end user.
When the invoice is returned to SCM, the delegated official must check each invoice versus
covering advice and register and confirm that all the invoices are received.
If the invoice is incorrect for any reason, the delegated SCM official may via email inform the
supplier. The delegated SCM official must cancel the invoice from the invoice register, state
the reason on the register and keep the email to the supplier as evidence.
The delegated SCM official must take the invoices with the supporting documents to the
Finance unit.
The delegated SCM official must update the electronic register with the relevant information.
o Invoice agrees to the order or the signed contractual agreement (where applicable),
purchase order, and goods received voucher/note;
o The goods or services have been received /delivered.
o Where the end users good were received by the institutions receiving staff, the end
user must obtain a copy of the GRN and ensure that the correct goods were received
and they were received in good condition.
o The order number is included in the invoice and agrees to the original order number;
o It is for the goods and/or services actually ordered and received (item description);
o The amount of the invoice agrees to the amount per the purchase order and/or
quotation, and goods received voucher/note; and
Risk - if not performed correctly could lead to Fruitless and Wasteful expenditure
The end user must attach the documents relating to the transaction (requisition, quotations,
purchase order(s), contracts where applicable)
The invoice must be signed/stamped by the end user as an indication that it has been
correctly verified, or;
Risk if performed incorrectly it becomes the catalyst for incurring unauthorised expenditure
The end user may prepare the payment advice. The end user must include all required
payment details and in the case of an Institution the SCOA codes.
The end user then gives the invoice with supporting documents to the Programme/Budget
Manager for authorisation.
The Programme/Budget Manager must ensure that the amount of the invoice is within the
amount they are delegated to approve per the financial delegations.
All discrepancies leading to payments being declined must be sent back to the relevant
division for correction, reviewed and new authorisation must be obtained after corrections
were made.
All discrepancies must be followed up with service provider until they are resolved before
invoices are paid time frames
The Programme/Budget Manager must after verifying the invoices, approve the payment if the
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amount is within their financial delegations
Where the amount is outside their delegated amount, the payment must be referred to the
relevant delegated official for approval.
The approval should be indicated by evidence of a signature on the invoice; or if a payment
advice has been prepared then the payment advice should be signed.
Programme/Budget managers should ensure that budget is available before acquisitions of
goods and services and must declare the availability of funds on the payment.
Payments should always be made to the correct allocations and not to another item where
budget is available.
The approved invoice must be returned to the end user.
The end user returns the approved invoice with the supporting documents to the delegated
SCM official to be forwarded to the Finance section for payment.
Monitoring
8. CFO
Transaction checklists must be implemented to record all actions to be performed from the
initiation of a request for Training and development to the final authorisation for payment.
Monitoring
36. Have transaction checklists been implemented as Finance officials
prescribed by Treasury instruction which records all
actions to be performed from the initiation of a request
for Training and development to the final authorisation
of a payment?
* For the purposes of this Table, the following abbreviations have the following meanings:
TYPE OF CONTROL MEASURE
TYPE OF RISK PROBABILTY
Acc = Access
Accu = Accuracy Pro = Procedural
Auth = Authorisation L = Low Rep = Reporting
Com = Completeness M = Medium Seg = Segregation of Duties
Val = Validity H = High Tr = Training
RISK CONTROL MEASURES
NO.
DESCRIPTION TYPE IMPACT PROB TYPE DESCRIPTION
Unauthorised
1 H Monitoring by Programme Manager and CFO
expenditure
Allocation of item to incorrect program
Unauthorised
2 Exceeding allocated budget of program H Budget blocking on system
expenditure
Receipt of goods and services that do not meet Fruitless or
3 specifications or substandard goods/ services wasteful H Monitoring by SCM
rendered expenditure
Fruitless or
wasteful
expenditure/ H
Service level agreement and penalties
5 Non-performance by Service Provider Service
Monitoring by The Directorate
delivery
objectives not
met.