Custom Courses Human Resources and Training

Succession Planning Training

SAQA US AATICD-0181 | NQF 5 | Credits 10 | Duration 5 Days
From $1,242 per delegate

Description

This course equips learners with the knowledge and skills to design and implement effective succession planning strategies within an organisation. Participants will learn to identify critical roles, assess talent pipelines, and develop plans to ensure leadership continuity and business resilience.

Learning Outcomes

  • Analyse the strategic importance of succession planning for organisational sustainability.
  • Evaluate current talent pools and identify key positions requiring succession coverage.
  • Design a succession planning framework aligned with organisational goals and values.
  • Implement a structured process for developing and mentoring potential successors.
  • Assess the effectiveness of succession plans and recommend improvements.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for HR professionals, managers, team leaders, and business owners responsible for workforce planning and talent management.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Succession Planning

Objectives:
• Define succession planning and its strategic importance
• Distinguish between replacement planning and succession planning
• Identify key drivers and benefits of effective succession planning
• Understand the legal and regulatory context in South Africa

Topics:
• Overview of succession planning
• Strategic importance for organisational sustainability
• Differences between replacement, succession, and talent planning
• Key drivers: demographics, risk management, talent retention
• Legal and regulatory considerations (Employment Equity Act, BBBEE)
• Roles and responsibilities of HR, management, and board

Day 2: Identifying Critical Roles and Competencies

Objectives:
• Identify which positions are critical for succession planning
• Develop competency models for key roles
• Assess current talent pool and identify gaps
• Apply risk assessment techniques to succession pipelines

Topics:
• Identifying critical and hard-to-fill roles
• Competency modelling for leadership and technical positions
• Performance and potential assessment (9-box grid)
• Talent review processes and calibration
• Risk assessment: readiness and flight risk
• Data collection and analysis for talent mapping

Day 3: Developing Succession Candidates

Objectives:
• Design individual development plans for successors
• Implement mentoring, coaching, and job rotation
• Use stretch assignments and secondments for readiness
• Evaluate progress and adjust plans

Topics:
• Individual development planning (IDP)
• Mentoring and coaching programmes
• Job rotation and shadowing
• Stretch assignments and project leadership
• Formal training and education support
• Tracking development milestones and readiness levels

Day 4: Implementing and Communicating the Plan

Objectives:
• Build a succession planning framework and policy
• Communicate the plan to stakeholders effectively
• Integrate succession planning with performance management
• Manage confidentiality and transparency

Topics:
• Creating a succession planning policy and procedure
• Communication strategies for different audiences
• Integration with performance management and talent reviews
• Managing confidentiality vs. transparency
• Technology and software support (HRIS, talent platforms)
• Change management and buy-in from leadership

Day 5: Evaluation, Sustainability, and Best Practices

Objectives:
• Measure the effectiveness of succession planning
• Use metrics and dashboards to track outcomes
• Identify and overcome common pitfalls
• Plan for continuous improvement and sustainability

Topics:
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) for succession planning
• Metrics: time to fill, readiness percentage, retention of successors
• Dashboard design and reporting
• Common challenges: politics, bias, lack of leadership support
• Legal and ethical considerations
• Case studies and best practices
• Action planning for implementation

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 21 Sep 2026 Fri 25 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 05 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 04 Jan 2027 Fri 08 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Feb 2027 Fri 05 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 21 Jun 2027 Fri 25 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 05 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 20 Sep 2027 Fri 24 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 20 Dec 2027 Fri 24 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 424 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,916 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 17 Aug 2026 Fri 21 Aug 2026 Harare, Zimbabwe Winter 2026 $3,078 Register
Mon 17 Aug 2026 Fri 21 Aug 2026 Shenzhen, China Winter 2026 $7,398 Register
Mon 24 Aug 2026 Fri 28 Aug 2026 Bangkok, Thailand Winter 2026 $6,318 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 12 Oct 2026 Fri 16 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 11 Jan 2027 Fri 15 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Feb 2027 Fri 12 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 28 Jun 2027 Fri 02 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 12 Jul 2027 Fri 16 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Fri 17 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 27 Sep 2027 Fri 01 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 11 Oct 2027 Fri 15 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 10 Jan 2028 Fri 14 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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