Today’s world of information technology is constantly changing and moving rapidly with almost all industries having large components of their operations becoming digital.

Academically, this National Certificate is intended to be an entry-level qualification at the Higher Education band in Systems Development. The qualification builds on the National Certificate in Information Technology: Systems Development at NQF level 4, and it also facilitates entry into the Systems Development field from other related fields. It aims to enhance readiness for further study in Information Technology and related fields at the Higher Education level and provide for initial employment in the IT industry.

A qualifying learner at this level will be a well-rounded IT professional, building on foundational technical skills acquired at NQF level 4, via the National Certificate in IT Systems Development or equivalent. This qualification is expanding the systems development foundation started at NQF level 4 into specialisation fields within systems development, in one or more of the following disciplines:

• Procedural Programming.
• Object-Oriented Programming.
• Fourth Generation Language Programming.
• Website development.
• Multimedia.
• Electronic Commerce.

The process of Systems Development includes defining, designing, testing, and implementing new software applications or programs. It could include the internal development of customized systems, the creation of database systems or the acquisition of third-party developed software.

This qualification is designed to provide learners with an undergraduate entry into the field of Information Technology and Communication and Computer Sciences, specialising in the introduction to Systems Development.

Learners will have a solid understanding of computer industry concepts and the ability to work in areas of Systems Development with intermediate technical complexity.

Learners will learn how to create software solutions using popular software development tools, technologies, platforms, internet architectures, and databases after the completion of practical work at host companies.

Systems Development has been identified as one of the skills in demand or scarce and critical skills, thereby increasing the chances of employment upon successful completion