5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to consider the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges being a valuable and viable alternative for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking during an oversight visit for the post-school education and teaching (PSET) establishments inside the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development within the nation.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at assessing the state of readiness of higher education institutions across the country, ahead of your 2025 educational year.
In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to consider satisfaction in obtaining artisan techniques as they provide good entrepreneurship opportunities.
"I'm very encouraged by what I'm seeing at TVET colleges, I believe they are the future of this country. TVETs are producing artisans with much needed skills [and] also offer opportunities for learners to acquire future skills, such as robotics, AI [Artificial intelligence], and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed issues about student residences along with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the identified issues.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in here the Free State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by vital senior officers from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative troubles faced through the NSFAS was during the spotlight throughout the Free State leg from the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with no delays. Delays cause serious challenges for learners; learners need allowances to eat and to buy hygiene products. This is important for their sense of wellbeing and dignity," Gondwe said.
Gondwe embarked get more info on the state of readiness here visits following a plan of action, announced by Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the special meeting of the Post Education and Training sector held in January 2025, to establish the state of readiness for the 2025 academic year.
The Deputy Minister's oversight is expected to continue in other provinces, check here with North West higher education institutions being the next tvet college courses on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za