The Payments Association of SA (PASA) and Bankseta have launched a course designed by players in the payments industry, aimed at offering the first formal avenue to gain foundational knowledge of the South African National Payment System.
“Payments form the bedrock of our country's economy and the lack of interventions, together with continuous exiting of payments talent from the industry, has become a serious concern for business leaders and regulators alike,” says PASA.
Fully funded by the Bankseta, the National Payment System Foundational Course looks to overcome the problem of “on the job training” and learning through informal interactions among payment practitioners. The course is targeted at any payments practitioner who wants to gain a foundational knowledge of the industry.
The course consists of eight modules, a period of self-study, case studies, individual and group assignments and two e-assessments. Those who meet the minimum requirements will be awarded a PASA Certificate in Foundational Payments.
Areas of focus within the programme are payment concepts, governance, regulation, risk and innovation. The course is hosted at the Gijima Training Institute in Samrand, Johannesburg, and PASA says it will be offered in Cape Town in due course.
Bankseta board member, Professor Shirley Zinn, said at the launch event hosted in Sandton yesterday, that the impact of the course is going to be “huge” and should not be underestimated. “This is an important milestone in the industry and in SA, when skills development is critical for the sector to continue to be as sound and effective as it is.”
Also speaking at the launch, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank, Daniel Mminele, said while SA's payment system compares favourably with the rest of the world, the development of human capital needs to be a priority looking ahead.
“Payments are often perceived as being secondary to the core business. But on closer inspection one realises that they are in fact 'mission-critical'.”
“Formal courses on payments are very limited and there is no tertiary qualification for the development of payments experts. Without a properly structured approach, the growth path will seem unclear as we will continue to see personnel moving out of the industry,” said Mminele, adding that he is confident the new course will initiate and equip new talent in the National Payments System.
For more information on the National Payment System Foundational Course and commencement dates, contact Esther Visser on Esther.Visser@gijima.co.za.
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