National Diploma Courses At Skills Academy

Skills Academy is a distance learning college that offers a range of accredited NATED courses. These are courses that are highly regarded by employers and are also internationally recognised. 

The NATED courses available from Skills Academy are:

Click here to view their full course offering

What Is A NATED Course?

National Accredited Technical Education Diploma (NATED) courses are tertiary education courses that qualify you up to the Diploma level, which is just one level below a degree. 

 

Each NATED theory level has an NQF level of 5 except for the N6 Diploma Qualification, which is at NQF level 6. NQF levels are a set of levels that tell you what educational level the course is at. 

 

NATED Courses goes from N level 4 to N level 6. Each NATED course builds on the course before it, so the entry requirement for each course is that you have completed the one before it. 

 

The entry requirements for the first level are that you have your Matric Certificate. In the past, some courses accepted a Matric Equivalent to apply. This is no longer the case. You must have your Matric to study any NATED course.


You can also study NATED courses at Bellview Institute of Distance Learning or at Matric College.

About Each NATED Course

Business Management 

Accredited NATED courses in Business Management are an excellent way to boost your career in the company you work at or to branch out and begin your own company. Business Management gives you everything you need to know about running a successful business.

 

NATED N4 Certificate

The NATED N4 Certificate is a 6-month course that will teach you economics, an introduction to accounting, mercantile law, and much more. Once you have completed your N4 Certificate, you will be able to pursue a career in many areas, such as: 

  • Sales Consultant
  • Retail Store Manager 
  • Sales and Marketing Assistant

NATED N5 Certificate

The NATED N5 Certificate is also a 6-month course and will build on all the subjects you learned in the N4 Certificate, and you will learn about things such as financial accounting, sales management, public relations, and much more. 

Once you have completed your N5 Certificate, you will be able to pursue a variety of careers, such as:

  • Team Leader
  • Workshop Manager
  • Marketing Coordinator

NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma

The NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma are often offered as separate courses, but at Skills Academy, they are combined into a single 24-month course. 

The Certificate is the theoretical side of the final qualification and will build on what you learned in the N5 Certificate, as well as teach you new things such as cost and management accounting, and marketing communication. 

The Diploma is the practical side of the final qualification and is 18 months of work experience. You will be placed with a company to complete your work experience, and your progress will be tracked throughout your work experience. This will then be assessed. 

Once you have completed both sides of the final qualification, you will have an N6 Diploma, and you will be able to pursue many different careers, such as: 

  • Business Manager
  • Supply Chain Manager
  • Business Analyst

Educare 

Studying Educare is an excellent choice for those who love children, and would like to work with children. With a NATED Educare diploma, you can begin your career as a child carer or even a preschool teacher.

 

NATED N4 Certificate

The NATED N4 Certificate is a 6-month course that will teach you child health, daycare personnel development, education, and more. Once you have completed your N4 Certificate, you will be able to pursue careers such as: 

  • Child Care Administration
  • Teaching Assistants
  • Day Care Centre Management

NATED N5 Certificate

The NATED N5 Certificate is a 6-month course that will build on the things you learned in the N4 Certificate, as well as add new subjects such as entrepreneurship and business management, daycare communication, and educational psychology. 

Once you have completed the N5 Certificate, you will be able to pursue many career opportunities, such as: 

  • Au Pair
  • Babysitter 
  • Early Childhood Development Assistant

NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma

The NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma are the theoretical and practical sides of the qualification respectively. The Certificate will build further on your knowledge from the N5 Certificate, and also add new information such as daycare management. 

The Diploma is your work experience, which will prepare you to enter the workplace immediately after qualifying. Your progress throughout your work experience will be tracked, and this will then be submitted for assessment. 

Once you have completed both sides of the qualification, you will be able to pursue a number of careers, including: 

  • Daycare Administrator
  • Daycare Owner/Manager
  • Early Childhood Development Teacher

Financial Management 

Studying NATED Financial Management courses is an excellent way to begin your career in the Finance industry. These courses will prepare you for every aspect of financial management and give you the tools you need to boost your career.

 

NATED N4 Certificate 

The NATED N4 Certificate is a 6-month course in which you will learn things such as financial accounting, management communication, computerised financial systems, and more. 

Once you have completed your N4 Certificate, you will be able to pursue a variety of careers, such as: 

  • Junior Financial Assistant
  • Payroll Administrator
  • Accounting Clerk

NATED N5 Certificate

The NATED N5 Certificate is a 6-month course that will build on the subjects you learned in the N4 Certificate, as well as add new subjects, such as cost and management accounting, economics, mercantile law, and much more. 

Once you have completed your N5 Certificate, you will have many career opportunities, such as: 

  • Internal Auditor clerk 
  • Bookkeeper
  • Insurance Sales Manager

NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma

The NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma are the theoretical and practical sides, respectively, of the final qualification and will take 24 months to complete. The Certificate will build on your knowledge from the N5 Certificate, and you will also learn new things, such as income tax. 

The Diploma is the practical side of the qualification and involves 18 months of work experience in order to prepare you for the workplace. Your progress will be tracked throughout your time with the company you are placed at, and this will be submitted for assessment at the end of your work experience. 

Once you have completed both parts of the N6 Diploma, you will be able to pursue many different careers, including: 

  • Financial Manager
  • Auditor
  • Accountant

Human Resource Management

Human Resource management is a good career choice for those who like working with people, and who are good at resolving conflict. Studying NATED courses in this area is a great way to begin your career.

 

NATED N4 Certificate 

The NATED N4 Certificate is a 6-month course which will teach you business communication, personnel management, economics, and more. Once you have completed your N4 Certificate, you will be able to pursue a variety of careers, including: 

  • Human Resource Manager
  • Human Resource Administrator 
  • Human Resource Consultant

NATED N5 Certificate

The NATED N5 Certificate is a 6-month course that will build on what you learned in the N4 Certificate, as well as add new knowledge, such as labour relations, personnel training, public relations, and much more.

Once you have completed your N5 Certificate, you will be able to pursue a career in many areas, such as: 

  • Labour Relations Officer
  • Human Resources Information Systems Analyst
  • Training and Development Officer

NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma

The NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma are respectively the theoretical and practical sides of the final qualification. The Certificate will build on your knowledge from the N5 Certificate, as well as add new information such as entrepreneurship and business management. 

The Diploma will give you the work experience you need to be workplace ready as soon as you qualify. You will be placed with a company, and your progress will be tracked. This will then be submitted for assessment. 

Once you have completed both sides of the final qualification, you will be able to  pursue many different career opportunities such as: 

  • Human Resource Manager 
  • Recruiter 
  • Human Resource Administrator

Legal Secretary 

If you are interested in getting into the Legal sector, but not as a lawyer, being a legal secretary is an excellent way to do that. Studying NATED Legal Secretary courses will enable you to begin your career.

 

NATED N4 Certificate 

The NATED N4 Certificate is a 6-month course which will teach you information processing, mercantile law, public administration, and much more. Once you complete the N4 Certificate, you will be able to pursue many different careers, such as: 

  • Receptionist
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Filing Clerk

NATED N5 Certificate

The NATED N5 Certificate is a 6-month course that will build on what you learned in the N4 Certificate, as well as add information such as office practice, communication, legal practice, and more. 

Once you have completed the N5 Certificate, you will be able to pursue many different careers, including: 

  • Legal Admin Assistant
  • Legal Typist
  • Managing Assistant

NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma

The NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma are the theoretical and practical sides of the qualification respectively, and will take 24 months. The Certificate will build further on your knowledge from the N5 Certificate. 

The Diploma is the work experience you will need in order to be workplace-ready as soon as you are qualified. You will be placed with a company to do your work experience, and your progress will be tracked. This will then be submitted for assessment. 

Once you have completed both sides of the final qualification, you will be able to pursue a variety of different careers, including: 

  • Legal Secretary
  • Paralegal
  • Office Manager

Marketing Management 

Studying a NATED Marketing Management course is a great way to begin your career in marketing. These courses will give you all the tools you need to successfully manage the marketing team for a company and make the business more successful through exposure.

 

NATED N4 Certificate 

The NATED N4 Certificate is a 6-month course that will teach you introductory accounting, management communication, computer practice, and much more. Once you have completed your N4 Certificate, you will be able to pursue many careers, such as: 

  • Marketing Sales Administrator
  • Marketing Assistant 
  • Marketing Intern

NATED N5 Certificate

The NATED N5 Certificate is a 6-month course that builds on the knowledge you gained from the N4 Certificate, as well as adding new subjects such as labour relations, sales management, public relations, and much more. 

Once you have completed the N5 Certificate, you will be able to pursue several careers, such as: 

  • Sales Consultant 
  • Junior Social Media Specialist 
  • Junior Copywriter

NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma

The NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma are respectively the theoretical and practical sides of the final qualification, which takes 24 months to complete. 

The Certificate will continue to build on your knowledge from the N5 Certificate, as well as add new information such as marketing research, marketing management, marketing communication, and more. 

The Diploma is the work experience you will need in order to be workplace ready once you qualify. You will be placed with a company, and your progress will be tracked. That will then be submitted for assessment. 

Once you have completed both sides of the final qualification, you will be able to pursue many different careers, such as: 

  • Digital Marketer 
  • Market Research Analyst 
  • Copywriter

Management Assistant 

Studying NATED Management Assistant courses is a great way to begin your career in business management, without ever having to take on full responsibility for the company. These courses are for those who would like to help in a management role, but do not have to take full responsibility for the team.

 

NATED N4 Certificate 

The NATED N4 Certificate is a 6-month course that will teach you communication, office practice, computer practice, and more. Once you have completed your N4 Certificate, you will be able to pursue careers such as: 

  • Receptionist
  • Secretary
  • Typist

NATED N5 Certificate

The NATED N5 Certificate is a 6-month course that will build on what you learned in the N4 Certificate, as well as add new information such as financial accounting, municipal administration, public administration, and much more. 

Once you have completed the N5 Certificate, you will be able to pursue many careers, including: 

  • Administrative Assistant
  • Data Capturer
  • Office Administrator

NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma

The NATED N6 Certificate and Diploma are the theoretical and practical sides of the final qualification. The Certificate will build on the knowledge from the N5 Certificate, as well as add new information. 

The Diploma will equip you with the work experience you need to enter the workplace immediately after qualifying by placing you with a company. Your work experience progress will be tracked, and this will then be submitted for assessment. 

Once you have completed both sides of the final assessment, you will be able to pursue a variety of careers, such as: 

  • Personal Assistant
  • Management Assistant
  • Administrative Clerk

Can I Study For A NATED Diploma Without Matric?

No, you cannot study a NATED course without Matric. In the past, some NATED courses accepted Matric Equivalent Certificates instead, but this is no longer the case. You must have Matric to study any NATED course. There are other courses you can apply to without Matric, such as ICB courses, CIMA courses, or short courses

 

ICB courses are offered at many other reputable distance learning institutions, such as:

 

ICB Courses At Bellview Institute Of Distance Learning

ICB Courses At Matric College

Both Bellview Institute of Distance Learning and Matric College also offer an ICB course in Office Administration, however, you must have Matric in order to apply for this course.

Can I Get My Matric If I Want To Study A NATED Course?

Yes, there are options available to get your Matric if you want to study a NATED course. You can study Matric online through distance learning. You can also apply to any of the following reputable distance learning colleges: 

 

These colleges offer a variety of Matric Programmes. The options are:

 

  • Matric Rewrite
  • Matric Upgrade
  • Adult Matric 

Matric Rewrite 

Matric Rewrite is one of the available options for those still under the age of 21 who would like to improve their Matric marks. You can rewrite a maximum of two subjects. These must be subjects you wrote for your Matric final exams, you cannot change subjects for the rewrite. 

 

Note that if you failed Matric, you will only be allowed to rewrite if improving the marks of two subjects will bring your overall results up from a fail to a pass. If your overall result will not improve from a fail to a pass, you will not be allowed to rewrite. 

 

You may rewrite Matric as many times as you choose as long as you are still under the age of 21. To apply for a Matric Rewrite, you will need: 

 

  • A copy of your Statement of Results
  • A certified copy of your ID

Matric Upgrade

Matric Upgrade is one of the options available to those over the age of 21 who would still like to improve their Matric marks. You may upgrade as many subjects as you like. You may also choose to change any or all of your elective subjects. 

 

You may apply for a Matric Upgrade as early as 19, but you must be older than 21 to write the exams because you will write the Adult Matric exams. You may upgrade your Matric as many times as you like. To apply for a Matric Upgrade, you will need: 

 

  • A copy of your Statement of Results
  • A certified copy of your ID

Adult Matric 

Adult Matric is available to anyone over the age of 21 who did not get the opportunity to complete their high school education. Once you have successfully completed your Adult Matric, you will be awarded your Senior Certificate. This works exactly the same way as a National Senior Certificate/Matric Certificate. 

 

To apply for Adult Matric, you will need: 

 

  • A copy of your Grade 9 report or equivalent
  • A certified copy of your ID

What Have We Learned?

Skills Academy offers all seven streams of study available in NATED courses. There are many job opportunities available after every level of each study stream. NATED courses go up to the Diploma level. You must have your Matric to apply for a NATED qualification. You can still get your Matric if you want to study a NATED course.

Author: Chloe Bydawell
Editor: Amy Venter
Date Published: May 19, 2022