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 to be a precious and practical alternative for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit to the post-school education and instruction (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development within the nation.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward assessing the state of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, forward of the 2025 educational year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to take delight in obtaining artisan abilities as they provide fantastic entrepreneurship prospects.
"I am 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, students at CPUT website expressed fears about college student residences along with other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the recognized troubles.
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 check here (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
During 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 issue of funding and administrative troubles confronted because of the NSFAS was during 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 paid on time with no delays. Delays cause serious challenges for learners; learners need allowances to eat and to buy more info 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 check here 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 check here institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za