5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to take into account the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to be a beneficial and viable alternative for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was talking for the duration of an oversight visit on the post-school education and teaching (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development from the place.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at assessing the state of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, in advance from the 2025 academic year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to choose pride in buying artisan abilities as they provide terrific entrepreneurship possibilities.
"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 concerns about college student residences along with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to click here speedily solve the determined difficulties.
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.
In the visits, the here Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by essential senior officials from Higher Education and Training, and get more info 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 orbit tvet college online application each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative issues faced from the NSFAS was in the spotlight during the Free State leg of 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 click here 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 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 next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za