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beginner ⏱️ 10 min read

Create a Programme

Create a deliverable programme in skillSYMS — from an offering or by manual entry — and capture SAQA ID, NQF level, credits and duration, including custom programmes.

For: Training Providers Administrators

Summary

A programme is the deliverable unit your learners enrol into. skillSYMS lets you create a programme two ways: from an existing offering (recommended, because catalogue metadata pre-fills) or by manual entry. This guide covers both, the fields you need to capture, and what happens when you create a custom programme that is not linked to the official QCTO catalogue.

Who This Guide Is For

  • Training providers setting up the programmes they deliver
  • Administrators standardising programme metadata across cohorts
  • Anyone preparing programmes ahead of enrolments and exports

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • An SDP login with programme-management access
  • The qualification linked in the QCTO Catalogue
  • SAQA ID, NQF level, credits and expected duration to hand

Step 1: Start a New Programme

Navigate to Programmes → Create Programme (/sdp/programmes/new).

At the top you’ll choose a creation mode:

  • From Offering (Recommended) — pick an active offering and the programme pre-fills from its catalogue item
  • Manual Entry — capture every field yourself

Tip: If you haven’t created an offering yet, the page links straight to Create new offering. See Offerings & Intakes.

  1. Select From Offering.
  2. Choose an offering from the Select Active Offering dropdown (only active offerings appear).
  3. Review the offering info card that appears — it confirms the catalogue item, NQF level and credits being carried over.
  4. Adjust any programme-specific details, then save.

This path keeps your programme aligned with the linked catalogue qualification automatically.

Step 3: Create by Manual Entry

If you select Manual Entry, capture:

  1. Programme Name — the official qualification name
  2. SAQA ID — the SAQA qualification ID
  3. NQF Level — select from the dropdown
  4. Credits — total credit value
  5. Duration — expected programme duration

Tip: Copy the SAQA ID, NQF level and credits directly from the catalogue detail page to avoid transcription errors that break exports.

Step 4: Understand Custom Programmes

A programme created by manual entry without linking to an official catalogue item is treated as a custom programme. These are flagged for review.

  • Superadmins see custom programmes under Admin → Custom Programmes (/admin/custom-programmes).
  • From there they can Auto-Link a custom programme to a matching catalogue item or Reject it.
  • The review dashboard tracks Pending Review, Linked to Catalogue, Migrated This Month and Rejected counts.

Tip: Only create custom programmes when no official qualification exists. Linking to the catalogue avoids the review queue and keeps MIS exports clean.

Step 5: Confirm and Open the Programme

After saving, open the programme detail page (/sdp/programmes/<id>). You’ll see:

  • A hero header with status and QCTO export readiness
  • KPI tiles for Enrolled, Capacity, QCTO export and Timeline
  • The curriculum modules panel and a restyled catalogue link/unlink flow

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Manual entry when an offering exists — use From Offering so metadata stays consistent.
  2. Leaving a programme unlinked — unlinked programmes become custom programmes and wait on review.
  3. Wrong NQF level or credits — these must match the catalogue or exports will fail validation.
  4. Skipping the offering — the recommended flow needs at least one active offering first.

Verification Checklist

Before proceeding, verify:

  • The programme has a name, SAQA ID, NQF level, credits and duration
  • The programme is linked to a catalogue item (or intentionally custom)
  • The programme detail page loads with the correct metadata
  • If custom, you know it will appear in the admin review queue

Next Steps

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