5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges for a valuable and viable alternative for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit towards the post-school education and training (PSET) institutions during the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as crucial for job creation and youth skills development from the state.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits geared toward evaluating the state of readiness of greater education institutions across the country, in advance in the 2025 academic year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to acquire satisfaction in getting artisan competencies as they supply great entrepreneurship prospects.
"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 check here of the visit, college students at CPUT expressed issues about student residences and other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the recognized problems.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in 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 has been accompanied by key 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 tvet college courses without matric all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative difficulties confronted via the NSFAS was from the spotlight throughout the Free State leg with 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 on the state of readiness visits here 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 capricorn tvet college oversight is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher get more info education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za