Maccauvlei Learning Academy

01/09/2026

What happens when the world of Learning & Development moves faster than your skills?

That’s the part nobody really talks about.

L&D is no longer just about organising training and making sure people attend. Today, organisations need professionals who can design learning interventions, develop meaningful learning materials, manage workplace-based learning and lead projects that make a difference.

And if you’re already working in L&D, you know how quickly the role can evolve.

The question is: will your skills evolve with it?

Our Advanced Occupational Certificate: Learning & Development Professional – NQF 6 is designed for existing and aspiring L&D practitioners who are ready to take their capabilities to the next level.

&D

31/08/2026

“Zama, you’re so bold. All of a sudden, you’ve got these big opinions.”
That’s what my mom said to me, laughing, during one of our phone calls the other day.

We were talking about something personal and I told her what I genuinely thought she should do. She didn’t necessarily agree with me, but I didn’t back away from what I thought either.
Apparently, that’s something she’s noticed about me lately.
I think I have too.

When I started this internship, one of the things I struggled with was speaking up at work.

I have a diploma in accounting, so being placed with the funding team made sense. But after a while, I felt I could be contributing more.
The problem was that I was the new intern. I worried that if I said too much, it would sound like I was telling people more senior than me what to do.

Then we started looking at conflict management during one of the qualifications we were studying towards, the Higher Certificate in Management Development.

The activities were personal. You had to be honest about yourself, how you respond to situations and where you could improve.
That’s when I realised something about my own conflict: It’s within, if I could put it like that.

It wasn’t about arguing with somebody. A lot of the time I already knew what I wanted to say, I just didn’t know if I should say it or not.
I’m much better at that now.

I’ve learned that I don’t need to know somebody personally before I can have an honest work conversation with them. And somebody being more experienced than me doesn’t mean I have nothing to contribute.

That confidence has followed me into facilitation too.

Recently, I facilitated a four-day Finance for Non-Financial Managers course on my own.
A year ago, I was still wondering how my accounting background and becoming a facilitator were ever going to fit together.

Now I want the chance to focus on it.
I’m a facilitator. I facilitate, I assess, I moderate.
Maybe my mom is right.
Apparently, I do have some big opinions now.

27/08/2026

You can be good at what you do and still feel like you could be better.

Maybe you’ve been training people in the workplace for years.

You know your subject. You know the job. You know how to get the work done.

But when it comes to how people learn, how to adapt your training to different learners, or how to evaluate whether the training actually worked… you may sometimes wonder if there’s more you should know.

That’s exactly where professional development matters.

The Occupational Certificate: Occupational Trainer (NQF Level 4) is designed for potential and existing technical or occupational trainers responsible for delivering workplace learning. It combines knowledge, practical skills and workplace experience.

If becoming a more confident, capable and professional occupational trainer is something you’ve been putting off, this is your sign to stop waiting.

25/08/2026

I never thought I’d be the person walking around my room, reading a book out loud to myself.

I’m Phomelelo Rabothata, and I’m part of Maccauvlei’s 18-month internship programme, where I’m kicking off my career in facilitation.
I know it’s an unusual career choice for someone who has always tried to keep conversations as short as possible.

One of my colleagues once told me that when she first met me, she thought I was cold because I would answer her with one word. I wasn’t being rude. I’ve just always been quiet and shy.

I remember sitting in a Maccauvlei classroom for the first time about a year ago, watching the facilitator speak so confidently in front of everyone. I knew I wanted to become a facilitator too, but I couldn’t imagine myself doing what she was doing.

A few weeks ago, I had my first facilitation practical. It was an Excel session and I knew my content. But afterwards, I was told I didn’t seem confident.
I already knew that was going to be the thing I would need to work on the most.

I’ve been trying to read more this year, and I thought, why not read out loud?
So now, you might find me sitting with a book, standing in front of the mirror or walking around my room while I read.

Hearing myself speak helps me notice when I’m rushing and make myself slow down. I can practise words that don’t come easily and finish a sentence properly instead of racing through it.

And I’m noticing it in ordinary conversations too.

I answer questions with more than one word now. I stay in conversations a little longer and say a little more.

21/08/2026

As we celebrate Women’s Month, we proudly congratulate the 2025 graduates of the ARM Eastern Limb Women Development Programme.

What an inspiring morning spent celebrating their achievements, growth and incredible journey. We are proud of each graduate and look forward to seeing the impact they will continue to make.

20/08/2026

There is a big difference between simply presenting training and being able to design, facilitate and evaluate learning that meets real workplace needs.

The Occupational Certificate: Training and Development Practitioner – NQF Level 5 develops practical skills across the learning and development process.

📚 NQF Level 5
⏳ 18 months
📖 6 study blocks

Next intake: 7 September

Whether you're already working in training or looking to move into the field, this qualification can help you build a stronger professional foundation.

19/08/2026

What happens when learning moves from the classroom into the workplace?

That's where work-based learning comes in.

The Work-Based Learning & Development Practitioner programme helps professionals develop the skills to support, facilitate and evaluate learning where it matters most, in the real world of work.

Ideal for professionals involved in:

• Workplace training
• Coaching and mentoring
• Learnerships and internships
• Learning & Development
• Skills Development

Build workplace learning that improves capability and performance.

18/08/2026

Can you confidently determine whether someone is truly competent?

Good assessment isn't simply about ticking boxes.

It involves gathering appropriate evidence, applying fair assessment principles and making consistent decisions about learner competence.

The Assessment Practitioner programme is designed to help you develop those practical skills.

Next intake: 19 October 2026

If you're involved in training, facilitation, workplace learning or learner development, this could be a valuable addition to your professional toolkit.

Learn more: https://maccauvlei.pulse.ly/4gdfdfnmvf

17/08/2026

My face went hot.

That’s what I remember most when I got my first social media graphic back from my manager. She had basically changed the whole thing and all I could think was, “Yoh. I really got this wrong.”

I was embarrassed. Not angry about the feedback, but embarrassed that I hadn’t known better.

Then I tried something that sounds almost too simple. I imagined that I was my manager.

If I had an intern working for me one day, and I could see something she didn’t know yet, would I keep quiet because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings? Of course not. I would explain it because I wanted her to get better.

We had been learning about the best ways to give feedback as part of the Higher Certificate in Management Development qualification, and suddenly I could see what we were learning playing out at work.
Not long after that, my manager asked me to sit next to her while she worked on a graphic.

This time I didn’t sit there feeling awkward about every change. I asked questions.
Why did you change that colour? Why did you move that to that side of the image? What made you choose this font instead?

I still get self-conscious sometimes when my work comes back with changes. But once I get out of my head for a second and stop making every correction about me, I think about the person giving me the advice.

If I’m managing an intern one day, I think I’ll remember my face getting hot.

I’m Lebogang Sibiya, one of four young women completing Maccauvlei’s 18-month internship programme, learning to become the next generation of leaders and teachers.

12/08/2026