5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to look at the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as a beneficial and feasible option for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was talking in the course of an oversight visit for the post-school education and coaching (PSET) establishments within the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development from the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological innovation (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at assessing the state of readiness of better education institutions across the country, forward of the 2025 academic year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to acquire pride in getting artisan competencies as they offer wonderful entrepreneurship alternatives.
"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 website of the visit, students at CPUT expressed concerns about student residences together with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the read more determined challenges.
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 is 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 issue of funding and administrative problems faced from the NSFAS was within the spotlight over the Free State leg with the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances check here 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 more info 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 website next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za