So far, I have covered:
In this post, I provide some guidelines on how to complete the Government Certificate of Competency (GCC) factories application documents required during the GCC factories application process.
For your convenience, we have collated templates and useful documents. This should save you time and provide clarity on what is required exactly by the Commission of Examiners.
Document 1 - GCC factories application form
A1 - Ensure you attach a certified copy of your identity document & qualifications. Route 2 and 3 applicants need to include a certified copy of the statement of results. Click here to learn more about the different GCC factories routes. The certification of the documents must not be older than three months.
A2 - Complete your personal information. Make sure you include a valid and correct email address. The Department of Employment and Labour may email you in certain instances.
A3 - Make sure that you complete and sign the declaration. Failure to do so will make your application invalid.
Document 2 - GCC factories letter of sobriety and good standing
B1 - Make use of your company's letterhead. You may consider copying the content of the template into your company's letterhead.
B2 - Include the Department of Employment and Labour's postal or physical address. You can learn more about the Department's address on the GCC factories application process.
B3 - Ensure you include your phone number and email address where a Department's representative may contact you. I recommend you include your cellphone number.
B4 - You are required to apply for either the GCC factories mechanical or electrical. You need to say which certification you are applying for.
B5 - Add the details of your employer. You do not need to obtain a sobriety letter from all your previous employers. You only need one sobriety letter from your latest employer.
NOTE: The letter of sobriety and good conduct needs to be completed by your employer. This template is to help you to make your employer's work easier so that you can get your letter as soon as possible.
B6 - Add your details here. Make sure that you include the mechanical or electrical. You are required to apply for one of the GCC factories. I will talk about how to obtain both GCC factories' electrical and mechanical in a separate post.
B7 - The letter of sobriety and good conduct needs to be signed by your employer. Examples of the persons (employer) who may sign are:
the engineering manager, or
your direct supervisor, or
your line manager, or
any such person that you report to.
NOTE: The person who signs as your employer does not have to have the Certificate of Competency. They need to be persons who you directly report to or a person higher up in your reporting structure (i.e., your bosses' boss, or your bosses' bosses' boss, etc.)
Document 3 - GCC factories record of qualifications and experience
C1 - Add your full names and surname as they appear in your identity document. Add your highest qualification under the 'professional and technical qualification' field.
NOTE: The template provided is in excel. You may choose to complete the form in excel or print and complete it with a pen.
C2 - Add all your qualifications and professional certification (e.g. Pr.Eng, Pr.Tech etc.). You can use the 'remarks' column to communicate additional information e.g. "qualification in progress".
C3 - You need to include different positions you have fulfilled. Make sure you include the employer's name and the period of employment on that specific role. You may have the same employer and different roles (i.e. indicating that you were getting promotions or reassigned to other roles). Mark the experience gained as mechanical ('M' symbol), electrical ('E' symbol), or mechanical & electrical ('M-E' symbol). This is to indicate to the Commission of Examiners the type of experience you have. If, for example, you do not have any drawing experience, then you will leave that field empty.
TIP: You can include only the last five years in detail and bulk the rest of your experience in one row. For example, say you have 20 years of experience. In the first ten years, you had various roles as an artisan. You can simply write 'Artisan' under the designation of the post, add the employer(s), the period and the type of experience gained.
C4 - Add your name and signature.
NOTE: It may be necessary to sign in the presence of your employer or a Commissioner of Oaths.
C5 - Add your details.
C6 - Add your employer's details and get them to sign. Examples of the persons (employer) who may sign are:
the engineering manager, or
your direct supervisor, or
your line manager, or
any such person that you report to.
NOTE: The person who signs as your employer does not have to have the Certificate of Competency. They need to be persons who you directly report to or a person higher up in your reporting structure (i.e. your bosses' boss, or your bosses' bosses' boss, etc.)
NOTE: You may consider making use of a commissioner of oaths where it is impractical to obtain a signature from the employer. For example, it could be because the company closed down, or you run your own business, or the current employer is not comfortable attesting to some of your experience, etc.
Document 4 - GCC factories record of experience letter
D1 - Make use of your company's letterhead. You may consider copying the content of the template into your company's letterhead.
D2 - Include the Department of Employment and Labour's postal or physical address. You can learn more about the Department's address on the GCC factories application process.
D3 - Ensure you include your phone number and email address where a Department's representative may contact you. I recommend you include your cellphone number.
D4 - You are required to apply for either the GCC factories mechanical or electrical. You need to say which certification you are applying for.
D5 - Think of the letter of experience as your mini curriculum vitae (CV). You need to elaborate on the experience you mention on the record of experience. Provide a detailed account of what sort of maintenance & operation activities you completed each period of experience. You do not need to write long paragraphs here, simply write key bullet points of your experience or activities. For example, "I was responsible for weekly inspections on all mechanical equipment in the ash handling plant." OR "I was responsible for drawing up a maintenance plan for replacement of oil on all motors in the boiler draught plant."
D6 - Add your details here.
D7 - The letter of experience needs to be signed by your employer. Examples of the persons (employer) who may sign are:
the engineering manager, or
your direct supervisor, or
your line manager, or
any such person that you report to.
NOTE: The person who signs as your employer does not have to have the Certificate of Competency. They need to be persons who you directly report to or a person higher up in your reporting structure (i.e., your bosses' boss, or your bosses' bosses' boss, etc.)
NOTE: You may have multiple letters of experience if you worked for different employers. Another option may be to use the letter of service from previous employers but it will have to provide enough information to indicate that you gained sufficient maintenance & operation experience in the class of machinery that will make you eligible for the GCC factories mechanical or electrical.
NOTE: You may consider making use of a commissioner of oaths where it is impractical to obtain a signature from the employer. For example, it could be because the company closed down, or you run your own business, or the current employer is not comfortable attesting to some of your experience, etc.
Document 5 - GCC factories application cover letter
E1 - Make use of your company's letterhead. You may consider copying the content of the template into your company's letterhead.
E2 - Include the Department of Employment and Labour's postal or physical address. You can learn more about the Department's address on the GCC factories application process.
E3 - Ensure you include your phone number and email address where a Department's representative may contact you. I recommend you include your cellphone number.
E4 - You are required to apply for either the GCC factories mechanical or electrical. You need to say which certification you are applying for.
E5 - The GCC factories application cover letter is a great way to summarise all the attaching documents you included with your application. This acts as some form of an index. It helps the Commission of Examiners to easily evaluate your application because they know exactly what is included and the sequence of your documents. Use this section of the letter to spell this out.
E6 - This is an optional section in which you may have to present any other document that is not compulsory for submission but may help with justifying some of your submissions or providing more information.
E7 - Add your details and sign your cover letter.
NOTE: The GCC factories' cover letter is not compulsory but it is a good way to demonstrate your professionalism.
Conclusion
You will need to complete five (5) main documents and submit them with your Government Certificate of Competency (GCC) factories application.
I have found that many applicants consume time in completing these documents because they may not be sure what to include. This post has explained in detailed the documents required and provided tips on how to complete them.
The next step is that you need to start
compiling your documents and start getting them signed off by relevant persons,
collating your qualifications and transcripts, and
making copies of these transcripts and get them certified at your nearest South African Police Service (SAPS) station.
Before you get started with the next steps, make sure that you understand: