In this episode of the Get Involved and Level Up podcast, we unpack how Services SETA chambers serve as the vital link between industry needs and skills development. We break down what chambers are, how 68 industries are structured into subsectors and chambers, and how these mechanisms ensure that training, qualifications, and funding are shaped by real industry demand.

Nomfezeko Vendle, Senior Manager: Chambers and Qualifications Management at Services SETA, takes us behind the scenes of how skills needs are identified, occupational qualifications are developed and reviewed, and how industry input drives funding priorities and provider accreditation. She also highlights how chambers actively engage small businesses, youth, people living with disabilities, and less active industries to ensure inclusive skills development.

We then focus on the personal care and beauty sector, where Dr Thembani Mentor, Ethics Director at SAAHSP, discusses professional standards, ethical practice, and consumer safety. She unpacks the risks of unregulated treatments and explains how formal qualifications and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) are helping practitioners transition from informal work into recognised, safe, and sustainable careers, including a successful Services SETA–SAAHSP RPL initiative that empowered young women across five provinces.