Contact Centre Agent qualification programmes (QCTO)
Customer service, sales or debt collection: programmes built to the QCTO Contact Centre Agent occupational qualification, from short courses to the full occupational certificate. Learn it, practise it on our call simulator, then prove it on a real contact-centre floor, with Naledi coaching you all the way. Agents ready for the floor from their first call.
Full qualification
Built to the QCTO Contact Centre Agent occupational certificate. QCTO credits and the national certificate are awarded only through accredited delivery; ask us about accredited intakes.
Contact Centre Agent: Occupational Certificate
The full programme across customer service, sales and debt collection: every knowledge, practical and workplace module, ending in the external exam.
About 12 months · 29 modules · 1850 hours
Part-qualifications
Built to a QCTO part-qualification. QCTO credits are awarded only through accredited delivery; ask us about accredited intakes.
Customer Service Agent
Inbound service on voice, WhatsApp, chat and email: resolving queries and complaints first time, within the law.
6 to 9 months · 16 modules · 960 hours
Sales Agent
Inbound and outbound sales: finding the need, presenting the right product, handling objections and closing compliantly.
6 to 9 months · 15 modules · 840 hours
Debt Collection Agent
Collections calls that recover money fairly: right-party contact, affordable arrangements, disputes and hardship, within the NCA and the Debt Collectors Act.
6 to 9 months · 14 modules · 810 hours
ShiftMate skills programmes
Not accreditedShiftMate Academy's own focused programmes, built from the same modules. Not QCTO-accredited and no credits; you receive a ShiftMate Academy certificate.
Contact Centre Foundations
The five foundation modules every agent needs, plus the job-readiness standards: typing, spoken clarity and a full simulated shift.
6 to 8 weeks · 6 modules · 180 hours
Complaints and Service Recovery
Turn unhappy customers around: complaint handling, de-escalation, vulnerable customers and retention, practised on the call simulator.
3 to 4 weeks · 4 modules · 130 hours
Compliant Selling
Outbound and inbound selling that converts and stands up to QA: the sales process, sales law, and objection handling through to a compliant close.
5 to 6 weeks · 8 modules · 255 hours
Collections Compliance
Collect fairly and legally: the collections cycle, the NCA and the Debt Collectors Act, and compliant right-party contact.
4 to 5 weeks · 6 modules · 185 hours
ShiftMate short courses
Not accreditedShiftMate Academy's own short courses. Not accredited and no credits; built to get you job-ready fast.
Call Centre Prep
Voice practice that gets you ready for your first week of contact-centre induction training.
About 2 weeks
Job-Readiness Check
Prove you're ready for the floor: typing and data capture, spoken clarity, and a full simulated shift. For people with some experience who want to be placed fast.
1 to 2 weeks · 1 module · 30 hours
How every module works
Learn it
Short lessons Naledi reads to you, quick quizzes, a recap and a module test. Then written scenarios your assessor marks.
Practise it
How-to lessons, then call and chat drills on the ShiftMate Training Simulator, scored like a real QA scorecard.
Prove it at work
Real calls in a real contact centre, logged in your workbook and signed off by your team leader.
Every programme is built from the same modules, so anything you pass with ShiftMate Academy carries over if you move up to a bigger ShiftMate programme. QCTO credits require accredited delivery.
Questions about the contact centre programmes
What is the QCTO Contact Centre Agent qualification?
It is the occupational qualification for contact centre agents registered with the QCTO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations). It covers knowledge, practical skills and workplace experience.
Are these programmes accredited?
Our programmes are built to the QCTO Contact Centre Agent qualification. QCTO credits require accredited delivery, so skills programmes and short courses are marked "Not accredited". Each programme card says what it covers.
Is this a call centre learnership?
A learnership combines structured learning with real workplace experience. Our fuller programmes include a workplace stage on a real contact-centre floor. Whether a specific intake runs as a funded learnership depends on the employer or sponsor, and we tell you when you apply.
Do I need experience or matric to apply?
You don't need contact-centre experience. Entry requirements can differ per programme, and the application asks the questions that matter for the one you choose.
Can I start with something free first?
Yes. Call Centre Prep is a free 10-day course on your phone. It is a good way to see if contact-centre work suits you before you apply for a longer programme.
How do I apply?
Choose a programme below and tap Apply. You create a free ShiftMate profile with your phone number, then fill in a short application.
New to contact-centre work? Try Call Centre Prep, free, or read about call centre agent skills. Back to all Academy programmes.
You won't just read about contact-centre work. You'll do it: real calls, real scorecards, real feedback.