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 for a precious and viable different for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was talking throughout an oversight visit towards the post-school education and education (PSET) establishments in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development within the state.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological innovation (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits directed at assessing the point out of readiness of higher education institutions across the country, forward on the 2025 educational year.
In the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to take satisfaction in acquiring artisan expertise as they provide wonderful 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 western tvet 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 take care of the determined difficulties.
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.
Over the visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been accompanied by key senior officials from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also more info formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative worries faced by the NSFAS was during the spotlight over the Free State website leg more info on 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 check here 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