5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to look at the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges being a beneficial and feasible alternate for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking during an oversight visit on the post-school education and schooling (PSET) institutions inside the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development within the nation.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, plus the Cape Peninsula {University of Engineering (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward evaluating the condition of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, in advance of your 2025 educational year.
In the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to take pride in acquiring artisan skills as they offer great entrepreneurship opportunities.
"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, college students at CPUT expressed considerations about student residences along with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the recognized concerns.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to orbit tvet college 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 continues to be accompanied by crucial senior officers from Higher Education and Training, get more info and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy get more info Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related here queries on each visit.
The difficulty of funding and administrative worries confronted from the NSFAS was in the spotlight over the Free State leg of your visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time here 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 is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za