The Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) is a Sector Education and training Authority (SETA) for the Mining and Minerals Sector (MMS) in terms of the Skills Development Act of 1998. The Mining and Minerals Sector is an important contributor to the GDP, exports and formal employment in South Africa. The educational qualifications of workers in the sector to large extent correspond with the occupational composition of the Sector. The majority of workers (67%) left school at grade 9 or lower or never attended school. A substantial proportion of workers (25%) have no formal schooling. Fourty percent have some formal schooling in the General Education and Training (GET) band. These numbers indicate the extent to which the majority of workers can benefit from ABET programmes to increase the levels of literacy and numeracy in the sector. In an effort to accelerate the pace of access to ABET programmes in the Sector, the MQA has initiated a number of sector interventions to incentivice employers who assist workers attain ABET whilst consciously realising the NSDS targets. In February 2001, the MQA and the German Development Co-operation appointed the Centre for Adult Education, university of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, to conduct a baseline study on ABET in the mining and minerals sector and on the basis of the research findings, develop a policy framework for ABET provision and delivery in the sector. The MQA ABET policy framework is intended to provide clear guidelines to the mining companies on how to implement ABET programmes that will enable the mining sector to reach large numbers of mine workers so that 70% would acquire General Education and Training Certificate or the NQF 1 Qualification. Part of the MQA strategy for ABET provision and delivery is the accreditation of training providers in the sector and the development of learning support materials for the NQF 1 qualification. To date, the MQA has accredited over 30 training providers with ABET in their scope of training. In April 2003, the MQA BOARD approved the creation of the ABET grants from the discretionary grants fund in an effort to incentivice mining companies who assist their employees to register for and complete ABET programmes. In April 2004, the MQA BOARD approved the increased in the ABET grants structure which made provision for the payment of the learner grant. This landmark intervention in the sector was intended to offset some of the perceived barriers to intakes of learners onto ABET programmes. For the first time in the history of the sector, the Sector and Training Authority (SETA) was committing funds payable to individual learners via the employers upon successful completion of ABET programmes. Based on data obtained on the from the MQA Data Net, uptake trends have been noticeable been positive in relation to the numbers of learners registering on ABET programmes and learners who successfully complete their ABET programmes. The MQA is encouraged by the number of learners registered for the NQF 1 / ABET 4 qualification, a success indicator in the NSDS which seem to indicate a marked increase in the uptake of learners since November 2005. The MQA will continue to disburse the ABET grants to the sector, however a new application model will be put in place in the 2006 – 2007 financial year to mitigate against over expenditure on the ABET budget.