The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) is one of South Africa's three Quality Councils under the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). It was established in terms of Chapter 6C of the Skills Development Act 97 of 1998, as amended, and is accountable to the Minister of Higher Education and Training.

The QCTO manages the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF). Within that sub-framework it oversees the quality of occupational qualifications across their full life cycle: their design and development, their registration on the NQF via SAQA, the accreditation of providers and assessment bodies, the external assessment of learners, and certification.

The QCTO does not fund learners (that is NSFAS and the SETAs), does not employ staff, does not guarantee jobs or workplace placements, and does not regulate every qualification a TVET college offers. NATED (Report 191) programmes fall under Umalusi and higher education programmes under the Council on Higher Education.

Use this hub to understand what the QCTO does, how occupational qualifications work, what Taletso must manage internally, and where to find the authoritative documents behind each explanation.