The SETA real estate training programme is creating new job pathways as over 500 graduates enter South Africa’s growing property sector, an industry now valued at more than R8.8 trillion.
A total of 537 young people graduated as certified real estate practitioners at the Durban International Convention Centre after completing the KwaZulu-Natal Real Estate Training and Placement Programme, a partnership involving the Services SETA, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority, and industry partners.
The programme comes at a time when the property sector is attracting more attention as both an employment space and an economic growth area. With residential property alone valued at roughly R6.9 trillion, officials say the industry can no longer be treated as a side sector when it comes to job creation and skills planning.
Training Programme Moves Youth Into Regulated Property Work
Over the past 12 months, participants completed structured training, workplace exposure, and industry examinations before receiving certificates from the PPRA, South Africa’s statutory property regulator.
That certification marks more than the end of a training programme. It gives graduates formal entry into a regulated profession, allowing them to begin their journey as candidate property practitioners with mentorship and industry guidance.
For many of the graduates, this is not just a qualification. It is a first step into an industry that has often been seen as difficult to enter without connections, experience, or prior exposure.
More Than 80 Percent of Enrolled Learners Completed the Programme – Sibusiso Dhladhla
Services SETA Acting Chief Executive Officer Sibusiso Dhladhla said more than 530 young people graduated out of the 700 who enrolled, giving the programme a completion rate of over 80 percent.
He also highlighted the strong exam performance achieved by many participants, saying 454 graduates recorded a 99 percent pass rate in PPRA examinations and are now recognised as professional real estate agents.
That outcome gives the programme weight beyond ceremony. It shows that large-scale, structured training linked to workplace experience can produce high pass rates and create a viable pipeline into the real estate profession.
Officials Want Real Estate Seen as a Serious Economic Sector
Speaking at the graduation, Dhladhla said investment in programmes like this could help change how the industry is viewed.
He argued that real estate should no longer be treated as a light or secondary industry, especially as public and private property activity continues to shape economic life in South Africa.
Government departments, municipalities, and private developers all rely on property systems, transactions, and professional services. That, in turn, creates demand for trained practitioners who understand the legal, commercial, and practical sides of the sector.
Transformation Push Gains Momentum
PPRA Board Chairperson Queendy Gungubele said the graduation represented more than the completion of coursework.
She described it as part of a broader shift toward opening the property sector to talent that has historically been excluded from it, particularly black youth.
That transformation angle remains central to the programme. The initiative is not only about numbers. It is also about changing who gets to participate in a sector that shapes wealth, ownership, and business opportunity.
Graduates See Real Estate as More Than a Side Career
One of the graduates, Anathi Gasa, said the programme gave him practical exposure and helped build his confidence as an entrepreneur.
He reflected on his early interest in selling while still in school and said the programme offered a more realistic and practical route into a career than many young people expect after matric.
His comments point to one of the biggest shifts behind the story. Real estate is increasingly being seen not as a fallback option, but as a field with room for entrepreneurship, personal growth, and long-term income generation.
Pressure Builds to Expand Similar Programmes Nationally
KwaZulu-Natal economic development officials said programmes of this kind give young people market-relevant skills, real workplace exposure, and a better chance of sustainable employment.
There is now likely to be growing pressure for similar models to be expanded beyond KwaZulu-Natal, especially as youth unemployment remains high and sectors linked to property, infrastructure, and local development continue to need trained professionals.
For this group of 537 graduates, the training phase is over. The bigger test now begins in the market itself, where they will try to turn certification into careers in one of South Africa’s largest economic sectors.
