As a response to the visible and adverse impact of the government’s Covid-19 lockdown and associated restrictions on the economic sector, the Namibia Training Authority has announced relief measures specific to the Employer Training Grant (ETG) scheme of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Levy programme.
The submission deadline for ETG claims is extended from 1 May to 5 June. Furthermore, the NTA has relaxed ETG claim evidence requirements to now only include invoices and proof of payment for training costs.
NTA CEO Jerry Beukes says the measures are applicable to claim submissions for the 2019/20 financial year submission round, only. “This decision is aimed at broadening participation in the ETG scheme. Covid-19 has generated challenges for levy-paying employers, many of whom are unable to access infrastructure and information to allow them to prepare and submit their annual ETG claims,” he said.
“Preparing and soliciting evidence of training to be appended to such claim submissions have also proven somewhat onerous and burdensome for some employers. It is for this reason that we took the decision to also relax our evidence requirements, in this regard.”
Beukes also expresses appreciation to those employers, who in spite of the lockdown restrictions, have already submitted claims. “We appreciate the commitment of our employers. Our online claim submission platform will remain open to such applicants, should they indeed wish to revisit and amend claim applications,” he says.
“We trust that the extension and the relaxation of requirements will aid them in ensuring that they submit their claims timeously,” he added.