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 for a useful and viable option for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking in the course of an oversight visit into the post-school education and coaching (PSET) establishments in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development while in the region.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at examining the condition of readiness of greater education institutions across the nation, forward of the 2025 educational year.
In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to choose satisfaction in acquiring artisan techniques as they offer good entrepreneurship options.
"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 intelligence], and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed problems about college student residences along with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student get more info Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the determined challenges.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in the Free State where she visited more info Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Through the visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been accompanied by key senior officials from Higher check here Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has get more info also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative problems faced through the NSFAS was while in the spotlight over the Free State get more info leg with 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 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