QCTO Accredited Occupational Qualification:
Design Thinking Practitioner
Part Qualification | NQF Level 4 | SAQA ID – 118705
Give your teams a structured method for solving complex problems with our Design Thinking Practitioner
Occupational Part-Qualification.
- Duration: 11 - 12 months
- Credits: 100
- Internationally Recognised QCTO Certificate
Understanding the Design Thinking Practitioner Qualification
Design Thinking Practitioner Overview
The Design Thinking Practitioner Occupational Part-Qualification prepares staff to apply design thinking to real organisational problems. Learners immerse themselves in the context of a problem through applied ethnographic research, then analyse, synthesise and make sense of what they find in order to develop solutions that address an actual human need rather than an assumed one.
This is a Part Qualification of 100 credits, not a full qualification. It covers the practitioner’s own application of the method; leading and coaching other teams through it sits in the separate Design Thinking Innovation Lead qualification. Scoped this way it is a practical, contained investment for organisations that want the method embedded in a team rather than a dedicated innovation function.
What individuals will learn
- Human-centred innovation as it applies to design thinking
- The fundamental principles and techniques of the design thinking methodology
- How to build a meaningful collaboration mindset within a team
- Positive psychology principles applied to team, user and stakeholder interaction
- Conducting applied ethnographic research to inform problem identification
- The benefits of design thinking for public entities, private business, communities and education
- Project management concepts applied to design thinking work
- Governance, legislation and ethics affecting design thinking in the workplace
- The impact of 4IR on business and the skills it demands
- Applying computer technology, electronic communication and presentation design to support the process
- Use computer technology, presentation design and data visualisation tools
- Applying design thinking processes and methodologies to create innovative solutions
Details to know
Our occupational qualifications are conducted with maximum use of practical application of the skills acquired. After facilitator led training has taken place via the course material, group work and scenario driven exchanges, learners will have the opportunity to relate the information back to their workplace. We offer a fun and relaxed learning environment, where participants will learn from each other, gain knowledge and acquire skills that will result in improved work performance.
This qualification is designed for any individual who is, or wishes to be, part of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry. It will give students the skills they need to excel in this area of your organisation.
Learners will need competency in the following areas:
- NQF Level 3
After completing a Design Thinking Practitioner Occupational Qualification an individual can work in the following roles:
- Design Thinking Practitioner
- Design Thinking Facilitator
- Design and Innovation Thinking Facilitator
- Design Thinking Champion
- Design Thinking Innovation Specialist
This Occupational Qualification is fully accredited with QCTO. By choosing an Occupational Qualification that is accredited with QCTO, you can ensure you obtain BEE points for your Skills Development efforts and your students receive an education that is of high quality.
Businesses that we have done staff training for:
How to make the most of a Design Thinking Practitioner QCTO Qualification
Why choose this Qualification?
A focused entry point, honestly scoped. At 100 credits over 11 to 12 months this is a Part Qualification, and we say so plainly. It gives an individual a working command of the design thinking method without committing your organisation to the 160-credit Innovation Lead qualification, and it credits toward a recognised NQF Level 4 outcome rather than issuing an attendance certificate.
The methodology itself carries the practical weight. Apply Design Thinking for Innovation Principles and Methodologies is worth 24 of the 38 practical credits, and Creative Innovation Solution Design carries 24 of the 28 workplace credits. Almost everything hands-on in this qualification is spent doing the method on a real problem.
Collaboration and positive psychology are treated as skills, not soft extras. Both appear as dedicated knowledge modules alongside applied ethnographic research. Design thinking fails in organisations where people cannot run an honest, non-defensive conversation about what is not working, and this qualification addresses that directly rather than assuming it.
Cybersecurity Analyst NQF Level 5 Module Breakdown
Qualification Breakdown
KM-01 Human Centred Innovation (Credits 4)
KM-02 Design Thinking Fundamentals (Credits 4)
KM-03 Collaboration (Credits 4)
KM-04 Fundamentals of Positive Psychology for Design Thinking (Credits 4)
KM-05 Research to Inform Design Thinking Processes (Credits 4)
KM-06 Benefits of Design Thinking (Credits 2)
KM-07 Introduction to Project Management for Design Thinking (Credits 4)
KM-08 Introduction to Design Thinking Governance, Legislation and Ethics (Credits 2)
KM-09 4IR and Future Skills (Credits 4)
KM-10 Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Computer Technology and Utilisation (Credits 2)
PM-01 Apply Design Thinking for Innovation Principles and Methodologies (Credits 24)
PM-02 Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Computer Technology and Utilisation (Credits 2)
PM-03 Apply Ethics and Effectiveness in the Workplace (Credits 4)
PM-04 Conduct Applied Ethnographic Research (Credits 8)
WE-01 Applied Ethnographic Research (Credits 4)
WE-02 Creative Innovation Solution Design (Credits 24)
Take a look at the other occupational qualifications we have on offer