5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to look at the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to be a worthwhile and viable alternate for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking in the course of an oversight visit for the post-school education and education (PSET) institutions within the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development from the region.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward examining the state of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, forward of your 2025 academic year.
In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to just take pleasure in obtaining artisan capabilities as they supply terrific 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 motheo tvet college the visit, college 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 take care of the discovered challenges.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to coastal tvet college 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.
During the visits, the Deputy Minister has been accompanied by vital senior officers from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk read more has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on tvet colleges open for late applications each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative challenges confronted with the NSFAS was inside the spotlight throughout 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 read more 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