New Venture Creation Course (NQF 2) in South Africa
The New Venture Creation course (SP-210401) gives you the knowledge and skills to set up and run a small new business. You test your own business idea, learn how marketing and customer service keep a business alive, work out costs, prices and daily bookkeeping, and finish by writing and presenting a basic business plan that covers your market, location, equipment, people and finances.
It is a QCTO skills programme at NQF Level 2 with 32 credits (19 knowledge, 13 practical) and no work experience module, so you can complete it without being employed. Entry requires an NQF Level 1 qualification, the Services SETA is the assessment quality partner, and this start a business course is delivered from Wheelset Academy's Pretoria and Kempton Park branches.
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What the New Venture Creation course covers
The 32-credit skills programme is built from five knowledge modules (19 credits) and three practical skill modules (13 credits). There is no work experience module.
Knowledge modules · 19 credits
Understand the business before you start it
- Introduction to entrepreneurship (3 credits): being an entrepreneur, knowing yourself and knowing your industry
- Developing a new business idea (5 credits): innovation, business planning and SMART goals
- Marketing and customer services (4 credits): the business plan, market opportunities, customer service and marketing
- Basic financial management (5 credits): cash flow, financial statements and the pricing of goods and services
- Ethical communication and negotiation (2 credits): ethical behaviour in business, negotiation and conflict resolution
Practical skill modules · 13 credits
Do the start-up work yourself
- Explore opportunity for a new business (4 credits): a self-assessment, then a business concept with pros and cons for each idea
- Determine costing, pricing and conduct basic bookkeeping (5 credits): final cost, selling price, profit and loss, daily entries and a trial balance
- Prepare a basic business plan (4 credits): choose an idea, pick the area, outline the offering, write up the plan and present it
What you take away
A viable idea and a plan to test it
- A self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and how they shape the venture you choose
- A costed and priced offering with a simple set of books
- A written and presented basic business plan covering profile, marketing strategy, SWOT analysis, location and equipment, personnel, customers and finances
Learners who complete the modules and pass the final integrated assessment (FISA) receive a QCTO skills programme certificate. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can be used for access, for exemption from modules, or for awarding credits, and the provider must confirm every module outcome before the FISA.
You start with yourself, then the business
The curriculum opens with a self-assessment and a practice session on overcoming your weaknesses before it asks for a single rand figure. That order matters, because the business you choose has to suit the person who will run it.
Know yourself first
You list your strengths and weaknesses, decide how they affect the type of new venture you can run, and rehearse skills to close the gaps in a role play.
Know your industry
You look at barriers to entry, compliance and legal requirements, and your competitors, so the idea you pick has a real place in the market.
Numbers you can use
You calculate cost and price, reflect income and expenditure, log transactions to the right ledger and prepare a trial balance for your own business.
Self-assessment, costing, bookkeeping and a business plan in practice
- Complete a self-assessment and identify your own strengths and weaknesses
- Practise skills to overcome weaknesses in a role-play situation
- Identify possible business ideas and weigh up the pros and cons of each
- Match each idea to your strengths, your area and your industry
- Calculate the final cost of a product or service and set the price to charge
- Reflect income and expenditure and work out profit and loss
- Determine the right category for each entry and log it to the correct ledger
- Prepare a trial balance
- Select a specific business idea and the geographical area for it
- Outline the business offering and write up the business plan
- Present the business plan
- Compile a plan with a SWOT analysis, location, equipment, personnel, customers and financial requirements
New venture creation course duration, entry requirements, cost and certificate
The questions people ask most before enrolling in a new venture creation course, answered from the curriculum.
Course duration
The curriculum sets 32 credits, which at the standard 10 notional hours per credit is about 320 hours, or roughly 40 eight-hour learning days. It states contract times for each module, such as at least 3,75 days for the 3-credit entrepreneurship module and 6,25 days for the 5-credit business idea module. Wheelset Academy will confirm its intake schedule with admissions.
Entry requirements
The curriculum asks for an NQF Level 1 qualification. If you do not meet this, the curriculum allows the provider to run an RPL assessment for access. Ask admissions which documents we need and whether an access assessment applies to you.
Course cost
Our current fee is on the fees page. Compare what any price includes, such as learning material, assessment and the FISA, before you decide.
Certificate
When you meet the internal criteria for every module, the provider issues a statement of results and you can sit the final integrated assessment (FISA). On success the QCTO issues a skills programme certificate.
How to start a small business in South Africa
There is no single route, but these are the steps the curriculum builds in. This course covers the first four and prepares you for the rest.
1. Test the idea
Be honest about your strengths, weaknesses and goals, and compare more than one business idea before you commit.
2. Learn the industry
Understand your competitors, the barriers to entry and the compliance and legal requirements that apply.
3. Work out the numbers
Cost your product or service, set a price that earns a profit and keep daily records from the first sale.
4. Write the plan
Pull the idea, market, location, people and finances into a basic business plan you can present.
5. Register and open accounts
Choose a business type, register the business and open a business bank account, as the business planning module explains.
6. Keep growing
Move on to the Workplace Essential Skills course or related business and computing courses to widen your skills.
Who should take the New Venture Creation course
Is this programme right for you?
- You want to start a small business or side business and need a clear first step
- You already trade informally and want to understand costing, pricing and bookkeeping properly
- You hold an NQF Level 1 qualification, or can show equivalent ability through RPL
- You are an employee, jobseeker or school leaver looking at self-employment
- You are an employer or HR manager supporting staff, interns or community members who want to start enterprises
By the end you will be able to
- Explain what an entrepreneur does and test your own fit for it
- Develop and compare new business ideas using SMART goals
- Describe marketing, customer service and the elements of a business plan
- Cost and price products and services and read basic financial statements
- Keep basic books and prepare a trial balance
- Write and present a basic business plan
Training methodology: how the course is delivered, assessed and certified
The programme mixes classroom learning with practical tasks built around your own business idea.
Delivery
The curriculum allows face-to-face or blended delivery, with a facilitator-to-learner ratio of at most 1:30. The knowledge modules come first, then the practical modules turn the theory into your own idea, costing and plan.
Assessment
You are assessed against internal criteria for each module, including a self-assessment, costing and bookkeeping exercises and a presented business plan. All modular competencies must be confirmed before the FISA.
Certificate
The provider confirms your results in a statement of results. After the FISA the QCTO issues the skills programme certificate. Learners with prior learning can ask about RPL for exemption.
Why back staff and community members who want to start a business
Employers, municipalities and enterprise development teams often support people who want to start small businesses. This skills programme gives each participant defined, assessed outcomes in entrepreneurship, costing, bookkeeping and business planning, and a statement of results to record against your skills development or enterprise development spend. Group intakes can be arranged by contacting admissions.
Benefits of the QCTO New Venture Creation programme
Recognised and credit-bearing
A QCTO skills programme at NQF Level 2 with 32 credits, rather than a certificate of attendance.
Low barrier to entry
It asks for an NQF Level 1 qualification and has no work experience module, so you do not need an employer to complete it.
A usable plan, not just theory
You finish with your own costed idea and a basic business plan you can take to a funder, mentor or bank.
QCTO New Venture Creation skills programme vs the older New Venture Creation certificate
Two different products carry the same name in South Africa. Use this to see how they differ.
| Consideration | New Venture Creation Skills Programme (SP-210401) | National Certificate: New Venture Creation (SMME), SAQA ID 49648 |
|---|---|---|
| Formal recognition | QCTO skills programme, NQF Level 2, 32 credits, with a final integrated assessment (FISA) | SAQA-registered National Certificate, NQF Level 2, 138 credits, with an end date of 30 June 2023 and a last enrolment date of 30 June 2028 |
| Size | 32 credits, about 40 learning days | 138 credits, which is far larger |
| Workplace requirement | No work experience module | Assessed within the learner's own new venture |
| Entry | NQF Level 1 qualification | Check the SAQA record and the provider |
| Focus | Start-up skills: self-assessment, idea, costing, bookkeeping and a basic business plan | A fuller programme to help people start and grow sustainable businesses, including tendering |
| Best suited to | Someone who wants a short, recognised first step into running a business | Someone who needs the longer qualification, for example for a learnership |
If you're not sure which fits your situation, contact admissions before applying — see the contact details below.
Verify this programme yourself
Page information reviewed: 25 October 2026.
New Venture Creation Skills Programme
This is a QCTO skills programme, listed as SP-210401 for this project, with curriculum code 900026-000-01-00 and OFO occupation 134903 (Small Business Manager). Skills programmes are not given a SAQA qualification ID, so be cautious of any provider that quotes SAQA ID 49648 for this course, because that ID belongs to the older, 138-credit National Certificate. Confirm the programme code, credit value and accreditation scope in writing before you pay.
Facilitators must hold an NQF Level 5 qualification with at least five years of experience in business start-up processes, and the provider must be a CIPC-registered entity with a SARS tax compliance pin, a current health and safety audit report and a POPIA policy.
Check QCTO accreditation · SAQA · Wheelset Academy accreditations page
New venture creation career opportunities
The curriculum names self-employment as a small business owner as the work opportunity, and the associated occupation is Small Business Manager. The programme suits people who want to move into roles such as:
- Small Business Owner
- Entrepreneur
- Owner-Manager
- Informal Trader moving to formal trade
- Spaza or Retail Shop Owner
- Service Provider
- Co-operative Member
- Enterprise Development Participant
For further learning, the curriculum points to the entrepreneur pathway. Related Wheelset Academy courses include the Workplace Essential Skills course and the Computer Literacy course. Confirm progression options with admissions.
Job titles vary by employer and experience. A skills programme supports career preparation but does not guarantee a specific title, salary or appointment.
New Venture Creation course FAQs
What is the New Venture Creation course?
It is a QCTO skills programme at NQF Level 2 with 32 credits. It gives you the knowledge and skills to set up and run a small new business, from testing your idea to writing a basic business plan.
What is the programme code for the New Venture Creation course?
We list it as SP-210401, with curriculum code 900026-000-01-00. Skills programmes do not carry a SAQA qualification ID. The curriculum document prints a different SP number, so ask admissions which code appears on your certificate.
What are the entry requirements?
You need an NQF Level 1 qualification. If you do not have one, the provider can run an RPL assessment for access. Admissions will tell you what to submit.
How many credits does the programme carry, and how long does it take?
32 credits in total: 19 knowledge and 13 practical. At the standard 10 notional hours per credit that is about 320 hours, or roughly 40 learning days. Wheelset Academy has not published a fixed duration yet, so confirm the intake structure with admissions.
How much does the course cost?
Wheelset Academy's current fees are on the fees page. Ask what the price includes, such as materials, assessment and the FISA.
How do I start a small business in South Africa?
Test your idea against your strengths, understand your industry and its legal requirements, cost and price what you sell, keep daily records and write a business plan. This course teaches each of those steps.
Is there a work experience requirement?
No. The structure has five knowledge modules and three practical skill modules only.
What does the knowledge component cover?
Entrepreneurship, developing a business idea, marketing and customer service, basic financial management, and ethical communication and negotiation.
What practical skills will I practise?
A self-assessment, developing a business concept, costing and pricing, calculating profit and loss, daily bookkeeping entries, a trial balance, and writing and presenting a basic business plan.
Do I need to write a business plan?
Yes. The last practical module asks you to select an idea, identify the area, outline the offering, write up the plan and present it.
Is this the same as the National Certificate: New Venture Creation?
No. The National Certificate (SAQA ID 49648) is a much larger 138-credit qualification. This skills programme is 32 credits and is a shorter first step.
What certificate will I receive?
The provider issues a statement of results when you meet the internal criteria. After the final integrated assessment (FISA) the QCTO issues a skills programme certificate.
Is part of the course online?
The curriculum allows face-to-face or blended delivery. Confirm with admissions how Wheelset Academy will deliver each module.
Will this course get me funding or a loan?
No. The programme teaches you to prepare a business plan and records, but it does not guarantee funding. Funders set their own requirements.
Can I use RPL if I already run a business?
The curriculum allows RPL for access, for exemption from modules and for awarding credits, but the provider must confirm all modular competencies before the FISA. Ask admissions to assess your evidence.
Who quality-assures this programme?
The curriculum names the Services SETA (SSETA) as the assessment quality partner. Confirm Wheelset Academy's accreditation scope with admissions or the QCTO before enrolling.
How do I apply?
Review the current fees and intake information, then submit your application through Wheelset Academy's online application page. Admissions can confirm the programme duration, check your documents and confirm accreditation scope before registration is finalised.
Ready to turn your business idea into a plan?
Apply for the New Venture Creation course, or read about the Workplace Essential Skills course first.
Programme information reviewed: 25 October 2026. The programme identifier, curriculum code, NQF level, credit values and entry requirement above reflect the QCTO curriculum document, except that the SP number follows the project's programme list because the curriculum document prints a different one. No SAQA ID is shown for the programme because skills programmes do not carry one. The duration is not yet confirmed. Fees, intakes, delivery mode and accreditation scope can change and should be confirmed with Wheelset Academy before enrolment.