5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to take into account the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as a beneficial and viable alternate for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit into the post-school education and education (PSET) establishments while in 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 frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward assessing the condition of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, ahead in the 2025 educational year.
In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to get delight in getting artisan competencies as they offer good entrepreneurship possibilities.
"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 issues about college student residences and read more other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the identified troubles.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in the Free State get more info where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Through 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 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 difficulties faced from the NSFAS was while in the spotlight during the Free State leg from the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are check here paid on time with no delays. Delays cause serious challenges website 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 check here 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