5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to take into account the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to be a valuable and practical choice for advancing their occupations.

The Deputy Minister was speaking throughout an oversight visit towards the post-school education and training (PSET) establishments inside the Western Cape this 7 days.

Gondwe described the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development within the state.

The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.

Gondwe's visits directed at assessing the point out of readiness of greater education institutions across the nation, in advance on the 2025 academic year.

Through the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to consider delight in attaining artisan expertise as they provide terrific entrepreneurship possibilities.

"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 concerns about student orbit tvet college residences read more and also other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the determined 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 and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.

During the visits, the Deputy Minister is accompanied by essential senior officials from Higher Education and read more Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of tvet college courses the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.

The problem of funding and administrative issues faced through the NSFAS was inside the spotlight through 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 tvet colleges open for late applications 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