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 being a important and practical substitute for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was talking through an oversight visit on the post-school education and coaching (PSET) establishments from the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development during the place.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at examining the state of readiness of better education institutions across the country, in advance of the 2025 educational year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to just take pride in acquiring artisan expertise as they provide great entrepreneurship options.
"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 visit, college students at CPUT expressed problems about college student residences along with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council check here (SRC), to speedily resolve the recognized troubles.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the check here 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.
Over the visits, the Deputy Minister has long 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 all higher education related queries on each visit.
The difficulty of funding and administrative troubles confronted with the NSFAS was while in the spotlight in the course of the Free State leg on 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 here 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 following a plan of action, announced by Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the special meeting of orbit tvet college online application 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 umfolozi tvet college higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za