Making Your Training Count
By Henning Lubbe
(Skills Development Specialist, Director on SCASA Board – Specialty Coffee Association of Southern Africa)
In our previous article, we explored why skills development should never be seen as a grudge purchase. In coffee businesses, training is not a luxury — it is what shapes quality, consistency, service, retention, and growth.
Brew a cup of your favourite coffee, get comfortable. Now it is time to go deeper
If your business is paying the Skills Development Levy (SDL), there is a real opportunity not only to recover a portion of that investment through the Mandatory Grant, but also to use the process to build a more capable, confident, and future-ready team.
For many coffee businesses, training already happens every day. A senior barista coaches a junior team member on milk texturing. A manager trains staff on stock control. A roaster runs a quality session on profiling and consistency. A café owner walks the team through hygiene standards and customer service expectations.
The problem is not always a lack of training.
The problem is that training is often not planned, recorded, aligned, or reported properly.
That is where the Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and Annual Training Report (ATR) come in.
For coffee businesses operating under FoodBev SETA or CATHSSETA, understanding these requirements is essential. Done correctly, Mandatory Grant compliance can support both your people development and your operational performance.
Why the Mandatory Grant matters
The Mandatory Grant is not simply an administrative rebate. It forms part of South Africa’s broader skills development framework under the Skills Development Act, Skills Development Levies Act, and the related SETA Grant Regulations.
In practical terms, employers who are registered for and paying the Skills Development Levy may qualify to claim back 20% of the levies paid, provided they submit a compliant WSP and ATR to the correct SETA within the required timeframe.
More importantly, the process encourages employers to move from ad hoc training to deliberate workforce development.
In a coffee business, that means asking:
Those are not just reporting questions. They are business questions.
Which SETA applies to your coffee business?
One of the first and most important steps is confirming which SETA your business falls under.
In broad terms:
The correct SETA is usually determined by your primary registered business activity, not simply by what you sell.
So, for example:
This is an important area to get right. A well-prepared submission sent to the wrong SETA can still be rejected.
If you are unsure, check your:
If needed, get assistance from your payroll provider, accountant, or a qualified Skills Development Facilitator (SDF).
Understanding the two key submission documents
At the centre of the Mandatory Grant process are two documents:
1. Workplace Skills Plan (WSP)
The WSP is your forward-looking training plan. It sets out what training your business intends to implement during the upcoming reporting period.
For a coffee business, this could include training in:
2. Annual Training Report (ATR)
The ATR is your backward-looking report. It reflects the training that was actually completed during the previous reporting period.
It should show:
In simple terms:
Both are required if you want to access the Mandatory Grant.
Step 1: Confirm levy status and grant eligibility
Before you begin, confirm that your business:
Employers that do not pay the levy generally do not access Mandatory Grants in the same way, although there may still be discretionary funding opportunities depending on the SETA and programme.
Step 2: Appoint a Skills Development Facilitator
Every business should have a person responsible for coordinating the skills development process.
This may be:
The role of the SDF typically includes:
In smaller coffee businesses, this responsibility often sits with the owner or admin lead. In larger operations, it may sit with HR or an external advisor.
Step 3: Consult with staff properly
This step is often neglected, but it is a core requirement.
The Workplace Skills Plan should not be completed in isolation. Employers are expected to consult with employees or their representatives on training needs.
Depending on the size and structure of your business, this may involve:
In a smaller café or roastery, consultation may be less formal — but it should still be genuine and documented.
Keep records such as:
If there is no proof of consultation, this can become a problem during verification.
Step 4: Gather the right documents early
Do not wait until the last week of submission season.
Although exact document requirements can differ slightly between SETAs, coffee businesses should generally prepare the following early:
Always use the latest year’s submission guidelines and templates issued by FoodBev SETA or CATHSSETA. Requirements and portal processes can change.
Step 5: Build your ATR from actual training that took place
This is where many coffee businesses under-report.
Owners often assume that if training was informal, internal, or conducted on the job, it does not count. In many cases, that is not true. If training was structured, work-related, and evidenced, it may well form part of your ATR.
Examples may include:
The key issue is evidence.
Useful records include:
If training happened but no one recorded it, it becomes difficult to report and defend.
Step 6: Build your WSP around real business needs
Your Workplace Skills Plan should not be a generic list of nice ideas. It should reflect the actual operational needs of your business.
Start by identifying where the business is experiencing pressure.
Ask:
From there, convert business issues into training priorities.
For example:
|
Business challenge |
Skills response |
|
Inconsistent coffee quality |
Espresso calibration, recipe control, sensory training |
|
High milk wastage |
Milk texturing, beverage workflow, portion control |
|
Slow service |
Shift coordination, station setup, task flow |
|
Customer complaints |
Service recovery, communication, complaint handling |
|
Hygiene failures |
Food safety, cleaning systems, accountability |
|
Stock losses |
Ordering, receiving, counting, stock rotation |
|
Weak shift leadership |
Supervisory development, coaching, planning |
A strong WSP links learning to measurable business outcomes.
Step 7: Align training to roles, not just availability
One of the best ways to make your training plan more effective is to structure it by role.
For example:
Entry-level staff
Focus on:
Baristas
Focus on:
Senior baristas or trainers
Focus on:
Supervisors
Focus on:
Managers
Focus on:
When training is linked to role progression, it becomes more useful to the business and more meaningful to employees.
Step 8: Make sure your workforce data is accurate
Mandatory Grant submissions often require demographic and workforce information, including:
This information should align with your payroll and employment records.
Inaccurate headcount data, missing role categories, or inconsistencies between your ATR and employee records can delay approval or trigger follow-up questions.
Accuracy matters.
Step 9: Ensure proper sign-off and submit on time
Even a well-prepared submission can fail if it is incomplete or unsigned.
Check that:
Many SETAs work on an annual submission deadline, often around 30 April, unless an official extension is published. Always check the current year’s official notice from FoodBev SETA or CATHSSETA rather than relying on previous cycles.
And importantly:
do not assume a saved draft is a submitted application.
Keep your:
Step 10: Keep an audit-ready record file
Once your submission is complete, create a clear record file for future reference and possible verification.
This should include:
This discipline makes future submissions far easier and protects the business if questions arise later.
Real-world coffee business examples
Example 1: Independent café operating under CATHSSETA
A small café with 12 employees assumes it has “never really done training”. But on closer review, the business has provided:
Once these activities are documented properly, the business is able to reflect them in its ATR and build a stronger WSP for the following year.
Result: improved beverage consistency, fewer remakes, better shift discipline.
Example 2: Roastery operating under FoodBev SETA
A roasting business already invests time in:
The training exists, but it has not been structured for reporting. Once attendance records, training topics, and planning are formalised, the business can report accurately and align future training to production quality and operational efficiency.
Result: fewer errors, stronger consistency, more confident staff.
Example 3: Multi-site coffee brand with café and roastery functions
A growing coffee business with multiple sites faces inconsistency. Each location trains differently, and there is little central oversight.
The solution is to:
Result: stronger brand consistency, easier staff mobility, and a clearer talent pipeline.
Common mistakes to avoid
Some of the most frequent problems include:
Avoiding these mistakes can make the difference between a stressful compliance exercise and a valuable business process.
Final thought: use compliance to build capability
The strongest coffee businesses do not treat skills development as a once-a-year reporting task. They use it to build better teams, better systems, and better outcomes.
When your training is planned, documented, and aligned to real operational needs, the benefits go far beyond grant compliance.
You begin to see:
Yes, the Mandatory Grant can help you recover part of your levy spend. But its real value lies in helping you train with purpose.
Invest in your people with structure, and your coffee will taste success — every shift, every cup.
Webinar: Watch this space for our upcoming webinar where we will discuss and unpack the article and have a Q&A.
Watch out for our next article: What is Mentorship and a Personal Development Plan? We’ll look at how intentional guidance and structured development can help unlock the potential of your people.
Specialty Coffee Association of Southern Africa (SCASA) Email: [email protected]
For SDL information and assistance contact Henning Lubbe: [email protected]
