Learners urged to examine the education choices at TVET colleges
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 important and feasible alternate for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was talking in the course of an oversight visit to the post-school education and teaching (PSET) institutions while in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development from the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, plus the Cape Peninsula {University of Engineering (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at evaluating the condition of readiness of bigger education institutions across the nation, ahead of the 2025 educational year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to take pleasure in getting artisan techniques as they provide fantastic entrepreneurship opportunities.
"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 college student residences and also website other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the determined issues.
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.
In the course of the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by critical senior officials from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated read more Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative issues confronted through the NSFAS was from the spotlight throughout the Free State 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," get more info Gondwe said.
Gondwe embarked on the state of readiness visits following a plan read more of action, announced by Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at tvet college courses 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