https://bellview.edu.za/course/educare-nated-n6-national-diploma/What is a certificate?

 An academic institution will issue students with a certificate as proof of the successful completion of a certificate course. As you might have seen, some courses are certificate courses, while others are diploma courses. The hierarchy is first school, then a certificate, then diploma and then a degree as the top qualification. Certificates are therefore just below a diploma qualification, but above a high school education.

Who is eligible to enrol for a certificate course?  

The entry qualifications for a certificate course may vary between institutions. While some course providers may ask for a grade 12 certificate, others will let students in with grade 10 as their highest qualification, like Skills Academy. You need to look at each education provider’s own rules and enrolment requirements. 

Certificate courses are usually shorter courses, in comparison to diplomas and degrees, which run over a one-year period. More advanced courses will be two years leading to a diploma qualification. Certificates are full qualifications, as seen in comparison to short courses, which only run over a three to six month period, and does not provide students with a full qualification. Short courses are an introduction to a full qualification, while a certificate course is providing you with a full qualification.

What certificate courses are available?

The variety of different certificate courses is so wide and there is a huge amount of different and exciting courses to choose from. Without trying to give an exhausted list, we will try to divide the different courses in the different study categories. While this list is in no way a complete list, it will provide some insight into the exciting variety of certificate courses available to prospective students.

IT and Computer Courses

This is one of the fastest growing industries with an enormous variety of courses to choose from. If you have a technical brain and like to work with computers and would like to learn more, you can choose from any of the following certificate courses in this field:

Business and Financial Accounting Certificate Courses

These certificate courses include a variety of courses, some with accreditation from certain business institutes.

ICB (Institute of Certified Bookkeepers) accredited courses.

The ICB courses offer a wide variety of subject fields such as financial management, bookkeeping, Business management and office management. 

Having this certificate will also open a wide variety of career doors for you. Careers such as Bookkeeper, Financial Manager, Accountant etc.  Click here to learn more about these careers 

CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accounting) courses. 

CIMA courses offer a certificate in business management on the operational, managerial and strategic level.

Management certificates. This can be either business management, human resources, production or operational management. 

These courses will see you follow a career path in either project management, business management, sales management etc.  Have a look here at all the career paths you could take with Management certificates.

Tourism certificates.

Certificates in tourism and marketing can open up an exciting career, both national and international in the field of tourism and hospitality. Find the career opportunities in this field here. 

Management Courses

Project management certificates.

Study this certificate course at a basic level or on a more professional level. Project management can relate to any type of business and the management of various types of projects. 

Project managers have training in a specific field such as IT, engineers, designers etc who need additional training to assist them to fulfil the role as a manager of a big project. More information about a career as a Project Manager can be found here

Business Management Course

Lead any business or a team to success with the skills and the qualification you will earn from Skills Academy’s Business Management Course. Find more information here about how to be a Business Manager or here if you would like to be a Sales Manager.

Creative Courses

Photography courses.

Another exciting certificate course is one in photography. Such a course can assist you with your hobby or if you want to become a professional photographer. Combine this with a small business course and you are well on your way to start your own photography business. 

More information about careers in photography here

Events / wedding planning courses.

Combine this course with project management and you are well equipped to plan the most enjoyable event, creating wonderful memories for your clients. 

Want to make a career out of this? Learn more here about careers in this field.

Interior design courses.

This creative course will give you a certificate to confirm that you know how to put beautiful things together in a practical and beautiful way. 

These certificate courses can lead to a career in interior design where you can work closely together with architects and designers or land a job at a lifestyle magazine if you combine it with a writing course. Here are some of the careers you could get into with Interior Design Courses.

Interested in Diploma Courses.

Check out the following NATED/National Diploma