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 worthwhile and feasible option for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking through an oversight visit into the post-school education and schooling (PSET) institutions from the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development within the region.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as the Cape Peninsula {University of Engineering (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at examining the condition of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, ahead in the 2025 educational year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to acquire satisfaction in obtaining artisan capabilities as they provide terrific entrepreneurship chances.
"I am 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 check here visit, college students at CPUT expressed problems about college student residences together with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the determined issues.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, click here follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in umfolozi tvet college the Free State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
In the visits, the Deputy tvet colleges open for late applications Minister continues to be accompanied by crucial senior officials 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 difficulty of funding and administrative worries confronted via the NSFAS was from the spotlight over 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. check here This is important for their sense of wellbeing and dignity," Gondwe said.
Gondwe embarked on the state of readiness 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, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za