What Counts as Training in Your WSP?
Don’t sell yourself short — here’s what you can (and should) include in your submission.
Most small businesses are doing more training than they think. The problem? They don’t recognise it as training — and that means they leave it off their WSP (Workplace Skills Plan).
That’s lost opportunity. Lost funding. And sometimes, lost credibility with your SETA.
Let’s fix that.
🎯 Why this matters
If you’re submitting a WSP/ATR (Annual Training Report), you’re not just ticking a box — you’re telling the story of how your business is developing people.
When you underreport, you miss out on:
Discretionary grants
SETA support opportunities
Skills levy recovery
And a clear picture of what’s really happening in your business
🔍 First — What is training?
Training is any activity that improves an employee’s knowledge, skill, or behaviour to help them do their job better. It doesn’t need to be formal, expensive, or external.
Let’s break it down.
🎓 Formal Training (Accredited Learning)
This is what most people think “counts” — and yes, it absolutely does.
📘 Learnerships
A structured 12-month programme that includes both classroom (theory) and practical (workplace) learning. It leads to a registered qualification on the NQF.
Example: A Level 4 Business Administration Learnership run through a training provider and linked to a SETA.
📘 Skills Programmes
Shorter programmes that focus on a cluster of unit standards, but don’t form a full qualification. These are SETA-registered and competency-based.
Example: A 5-day Customer Service Skills Programme that’s aligned to the Services SETA.
📘 Short Courses
Any focused learning that builds a specific skill. Can be accredited or not, but if it’s accredited, you’ll need:
A unit standard reference
A provider with a SETA accreditation number
Signed POEs and results
💡 Pro tip: Not all short courses need to be accredited to be valid for WSP reporting. We’ll cover that next.
🧰 Informal Training (Often Overlooked but Absolutely Valid)
This is where most small businesses are already doing well — they just don’t know it can be reported.
👷 On-the-Job Training
When a staff member is shown how to do something by a supervisor, peer, or team lead — in real-time, on the job.
Examples:
A new hire is shown how to use your inventory system
A kitchen assistant learns how to prep a new dish by shadowing the chef
Your receptionist is guided through the company’s CRM software
✅ Counts as training. Just document it.
👀 Job Shadowing
When an employee follows a more experienced colleague to observe their tasks, understand processes, or learn soft skills in action.
Example:
An admin clerk shadows the office manager to learn basic supplier negotiation and stock control.
✅ Include as informal mentoring or learning-by-observation.
🧭 Mentorship
Structured or semi-structured relationships where one person provides knowledge, support, and advice to another — often long-term and focused on development.
Example:
A junior sales team member is mentored by the sales director on client engagement and proposal writing over a 6-month period.
✅ Qualifies as development, especially when documented with goals and feedback notes.
💡 What’s the difference between soft skills and hard skills?
🧠 Soft Skills
These are behavioural and interpersonal skills that influence how someone works.
Communication
Time management
Emotional intelligence
Problem solving
Leadership
Usually taught through experience, reflection, or discussion, but can also be delivered in workshops.
🔧 Hard Skills
These are technical or process-based.
Operating a machine
Using Excel or accounting software
Running payroll
Following compliance procedures
Usually taught through instruction or demonstration, and often easier to measure.
✅ Both soft and hard skills are valid for WSP submissions — if they help your staff perform better, they belong on your report.
🗂️ What SETAs want to see (yes, even for informal training)
Just because training is informal doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be documented. SETAs want evidence that it:
Happened
Was planned or purposeful
Was beneficial
📋 Documentation can include:
Signed attendance registers
Internal training checklists
Meeting minutes
Screenshots of online courses
Training outlines or agendas
Peer or supervisor evaluations
Certificates (if available)
Even a WhatsApp message confirming an internal session is better than leaving it undocumented.
🛑 Common mistakes to avoid
❌ Only reporting formal training
If you exclude on-the-job and informal learning, you’re underreporting. That hurts your chances of discretionary funding.
❌ Not including soft skills development
These are critical for teams — especially in small businesses where one person wears many hats.
❌ No proof
It doesn’t need to be a certificate, but it does need to exist. Always keep basic documentation.
✅ Examples of “Hidden” Training You Might Miss
Weekly team catch-ups that include skill-sharing
Your supervisor explaining how to log health & safety reports
Watching an online demo of your new POS system
Peer-to-peer teaching on how to use a tool or app
Hosting a customer service refresher (even if it’s just 30 minutes)
📌 If someone learned something that made them better at their job — that’s training.
📥 Want to make this easier?
You don’t need to figure this out on your own.
I created the Smart SDF Starter Kit to help small businesses, SDFs, and solo HR managers confidently prepare for WSP/ATR submission — and get credit for the training you’re already doing.
Inside, you’ll find:
A detailed checklist of what counts
Tips on how to document informal training
Common WSP/ATR mistakes to avoid
A step-by-step submission prep list
📎 [Download it for free here]
🧠 Final thoughts
You’re likely doing more training than you think — you just haven’t been counting it.
Let’s change that.
When you start tracking informal learning, internal coaching, and development moments on purpose, you don’t just create a better WSP — you build a better team.
📞 Need a second pair of eyes?
If you’re not sure what to include, or you want support with your next submission:
👉 Book a free 15-minute SDF Skills Call
👉 Check out our Services page for full support
Let’s stop underreporting and start building.
Skills Development isn’t admin — it’s your edge.
