Learners encouraged to discover the research selections at TVET colleges
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 like a beneficial and viable choice for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking throughout an oversight visit into the post-school education and schooling (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development within the place.
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, ahead in the 2025 academic year.
In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to get delight in buying artisan techniques as they provide good entrepreneurship alternatives.
"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, website AI [Artificial intelligence], and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed issues about college student residences and other tvet colleges open services. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the identified 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.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister is accompanied by crucial 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 click here of funding and administrative challenges confronted with the NSFAS was inside the spotlight throughout the Free esayidi tvet college 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 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 tvet colleges open for applications is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za