PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION This qualification is for any individual who is, or wishes to be, involved in the Administration function in any organization or business in any sector, or field as well as in non-commercial organisations such as clubs and charitable organisations. It contains all the competencies, skills and values required by a learner who wishes to access the National Certificate in Business Administration Services at NQF: Level 4. The core component contains competencies in Information Handling, Communications, Enterprise/customer service, Technology, Organisation skills, Self-development, Teamwork and Business policies and procedures. The elective component allows the learner to gain specialist knowledge, skills and insight in the areas of Reception, Executive Administration, Financial Services and Banking, Legal administration and Human Resources. Learners working towards this qualification will find that the acquisition of competence in the unit standards, which make up the qualification, will add value to their work performance. This qualification is intended to enhance the provision of service within the field of Administration within all sectors. Through building day-to-day administration skills, as well as general operational competencies, the qualification ensures progression of learning, enabling the learner to meet standards of service excellence required within the administration field of learning. The qualification will provide the broad knowledge, skills and values needed in the administration field in all sectors and will facilitate access to, and mobility and progression within, education and training for learners who: Were previously disadvantaged or who were unable to complete their schooling and were therefore denied access to Further Education and Training. Have worked in this field for many years, but have no formal qualifications and would like to achieve this qualification through the process of RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) and/or formal study Wish to extend their range of skills and knowledge of administration within their respective industries so that they can extend their competency levels. The qualification has building blocks that can be developed further in qualifications at a higher level. It also focuses on the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes required to progress further. The intention is: To promote the development of knowledge, skills and values that are required for service excellence within the field of administration. To release the potential of people. To provide opportunities for people to move up the value chain. Rationale for the qualification: The National Certificate in Business Administration Services: NQF Level 3 is designed to meet the needs of those learners who are already involved, or wish to become involved, in the field of Administration. It is applicable to employed and unemployed learners. Administration is an essential field of learning as the competences required by people doing administrative tasks are generic in nature and apply to all businesses in all sectors and to many non-business organizations such as sports and cultural clubs and the like. Administrative tasks and administration are done at various levels depending upon the nature and size of the organization and its management structure. People involved in administration are known by such terms as secretaries, administrative assistants, administrators and clerks depending on the organization in which they are employed. There is therefore an on-going need for highly skilled administration personnel and a need for a well developed learning pathway to cater for administrative personnel at the various levels at which they operate. The National Certificate in Business Administration Services at NQF: Level 3 is the second qualification in a learning pathway that starts with the National Certificate in Business Administration level 2 and ends, at present, with the National Certificate in Administration Level 5. It is planned to develop degrees in Administration at levels 6, 7 and 8 as the final steps in the learning pathway. The National Certificate in Business Administration Services at NQF: Level 3 supports the objectives of the NQF in that it gives the learner access to a registered qualification. It will ensure that the quality of education and training in the sub-field is enhanced and of a world-class standard. The qualification will allow learners not only to develop their knowledge and skills in the field of Administration but will also enable them to benchmark their competence against international standards.