
5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to take into account the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges like a beneficial and practical different for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking through an oversight visit into the post-school education and schooling (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development during the nation.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at assessing the point out of readiness of bigger education institutions across the nation, in advance of the 2025 educational year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to take pleasure in buying artisan competencies as they supply good entrepreneurship prospects.
"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 concerns about college get more info student residences and also other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the identified 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), thekwini tvet college at the Welkom campus.
Through the visits, the Deputy Minister has become accompanied by crucial 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 orbit tvet college online application delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative problems confronted from the NSFAS was in the spotlight during 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 state of readiness visits following a plan of action, announced by get more info Higher get more info 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