5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges like a precious and viable alternate for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking during an oversight visit to your post-school education and teaching (PSET) institutions inside the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as crucial for job creation and youth skills development in the region.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at assessing the state of readiness of higher education institutions across the country, forward from the 2025 academic year.
In the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to consider pleasure in obtaining artisan skills as they provide good entrepreneurship chances.
"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, college students at CPUT expressed fears about student residences as well as website other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student 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 Goldfields TVET College and the Central website University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Over 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 delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative esayidi tvet college issues faced because of the NSFAS was from the spotlight throughout 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 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 here 2025 academic year.
The Deputy Minister's oversight is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West click here higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za