Learners encouraged to examine the education options at TVET colleges
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 being a important and viable different for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was talking in the course of an oversight visit for the post-school education and training (PSET) institutions within the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development during the region.
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 aimed at assessing the condition of readiness of larger education institutions across the nation, forward on the 2025 educational year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to get pride in attaining artisan techniques as they offer excellent entrepreneurship chances.
"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 issues about student residences along with other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the determined problems.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit read more to higher education institutions in the Free State where esayidi tvet college 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 crucial senior officers from Higher Education and Training, and 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 read more related queries on each visit.
The difficulty of funding and administrative problems faced with the NSFAS was inside the spotlight over the Free State leg with the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in letaba tvet college 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 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