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 worthwhile and feasible substitute for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking in the course of an oversight visit to your post-school education and training (PSET) establishments while in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development while in the nation.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, plus the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits directed at evaluating the point out of readiness of increased education institutions across the nation, forward of the 2025 academic year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to acquire pride in acquiring artisan techniques as they offer excellent entrepreneurship opportunities.
"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 problems about college student residences as well as other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the identified concerns.
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 orbit tvet college online application University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Over the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to get more info 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 difficulty of funding and tvet colleges open for late applications administrative challenges confronted via the NSFAS was inside the spotlight throughout 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 of wellbeing and dignity," Gondwe said.
Gondwe embarked on the tvet college courses without matric 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 website in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za