Learners urged to take a look at the education choices at TVET colleges
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 for a worthwhile and viable alternate for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking throughout an oversight visit to your post-school education and coaching (PSET) institutions from the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development in the region.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at assessing the state of readiness of larger education institutions across the country, forward from the 2025 academic year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to get satisfaction in obtaining artisan expertise as they offer fantastic 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, students at CPUT expressed concerns about college student residences together with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the institution 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 continues to be accompanied by critical 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 website funding and administrative difficulties confronted by the NSFAS was while in the spotlight throughout the Free State leg of your visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its check here act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with no delays. Delays cause more info serious challenges for learners; learners need allowances to eat and to buy hygiene products. This is click here 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 click here 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