5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to consider the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges for a important and feasible alternate for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit to the post-school education and education (PSET) institutions from the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development during the state.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological innovation (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at evaluating the point out of readiness of better education institutions across the country, ahead with the 2025 educational year.
In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to acquire pleasure in attaining artisan expertise as they provide 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 read more 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 other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the recognized 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.
In the get more info course of the visits, the Deputy Minister has become accompanied by critical senior officials from Higher umfolozi tvet college Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy esayidi tvet college 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 troubles faced by the NSFAS was during the spotlight in the Free State leg on the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with more info 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