5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges like a worthwhile and practical option for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was talking all through an oversight visit for the post-school education and training (PSET) institutions from the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development during the region.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits geared toward examining the point out of readiness of larger education institutions across the nation, in advance from the 2025 academic year.
In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to consider pride in getting artisan competencies as they supply great 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, college students at CPUT expressed concerns about college student residences and other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution western tvet college to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the identified concerns.
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.
During the visits, the Deputy Minister is 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 more info the delegation, assisting with all higher read more education related queries on each visit.
The difficulty of funding and administrative issues faced from the NSFAS was within the spotlight throughout the Free State leg in the visits.
"NSFAS needs get more info 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, get more info 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