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 as being a worthwhile and feasible alternate for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking during an oversight visit to the post-school education and coaching (PSET) establishments inside the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development within the state.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Technology (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at examining the state of readiness of better education institutions across the country, forward of your 2025 educational year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to choose satisfaction in getting artisan expertise as they supply wonderful entrepreneurship alternatives.
"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 worries about college student residences together with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment here to operate with the Student website Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the discovered 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.
During the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by essential 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 website issue of funding and administrative issues faced because of the NSFAS was from the spotlight through the Free State leg in 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 more info 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 read more is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za