5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as being a valuable and feasible substitute for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was talking throughout an oversight visit on the post-school education and schooling (PSET) institutions inside the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development while in the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the 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 nation, ahead on the 2025 educational year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to get pride in obtaining artisan expertise as they offer good entrepreneurship chances.
"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 concerns about college student residences along with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve 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 College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Over the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by critical 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 click here delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative issues confronted from the NSFAS was while in the spotlight in the Free State leg from the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order website 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 tvet colleges open for applications hygiene products. This is important for their sense of wellbeing and dignity," Gondwe said.
Gondwe embarked on the state of readiness visits following a here 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 check here continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za