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 as a valuable and practical substitute for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was speaking through an oversight visit for the post-school education and training (PSET) institutions while in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development in the nation.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits geared toward assessing the state of readiness of larger education institutions across the nation, in advance of your 2025 academic year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to consider pride in buying artisan skills as they supply terrific entrepreneurship opportunities.
"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 students at CPUT expressed issues about student residences together with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the discovered website 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 tvet colleges open and the Central click here University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Over the visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been 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 difficulty of funding and administrative challenges confronted from the NSFAS was inside the spotlight throughout the Free website State leg of your 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 is expected to continue in other provinces, website with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za