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 like a beneficial and feasible alternative for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was talking all through an oversight visit into the post-school education and coaching (PSET) establishments inside the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development during the country.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as Cape Peninsula {University of Engineering (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at evaluating the condition of readiness of larger education institutions across the country, forward with the 2025 educational year.
In the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to choose delight in acquiring artisan competencies 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, college students at CPUT expressed considerations about college student residences as well as other services. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the discovered issues.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the click here 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 been accompanied by key senior officers 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 get more info each visit.
The difficulty of funding and administrative challenges faced because of the NSFAS was from the spotlight throughout the Free State leg of 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 more info 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 click here by Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the special meeting of the Post Education and get more info 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