5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to evaluate the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as being a precious and practical choice for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking through an oversight visit to the post-school education and training (PSET) establishments from the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development during the place.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and the Cape Peninsula {University of Engineering (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at examining the state of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, ahead with the 2025 academic year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to acquire pride in buying artisan abilities as they provide great 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 get more info of the visit, students at CPUT expressed considerations about college student residences and other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the determined difficulties.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western check here Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in website the Free State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister is accompanied by essential 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 issues faced by the NSFAS was in 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 capricorn tvet college 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 read more in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za