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 being a useful and feasible option for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit to the post-school education and training (PSET) establishments during the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development within the state.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological innovation (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward examining the state of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, in advance on the 2025 educational year.
Through the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to just take delight in acquiring artisan capabilities as they supply wonderful entrepreneurship alternatives.
"I'm 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 more info intelligence], and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, college students at CPUT expressed concerns about student residences esayidi tvet college and also other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the discovered troubles.
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 website the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by critical 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 problem of funding and administrative challenges confronted through the NSFAS was during the spotlight in the course of the Free State leg from 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 state of readiness visits following motheo tvet college 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 get more info 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