Learners urged to discover the research solutions at TVET colleges
5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to take into account the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as being a worthwhile and feasible substitute for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was speaking throughout an oversight visit towards the post-school education and instruction (PSET) establishments during the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development from the region.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as Cape Peninsula {University of Engineering (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at evaluating the state of readiness of better education institutions across the country, forward with the 2025 educational year.
Through the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to take delight in attaining artisan expertise as they supply fantastic entrepreneurship prospects.
"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, students at CPUT expressed worries about college student residences along with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the determined issues.
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 colleges open for applications TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Throughout 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 problem of funding and administrative problems faced by the NSFAS was in the spotlight during the Free State leg of the visits.
"NSFAS needs more info to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with no delays. Delays cause serious challenges for read more 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 read more in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions tvet colleges open being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za