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 like a valuable and viable different for advancing their professions.

The Deputy Minister was speaking during an oversight visit on the post-school education and schooling (PSET) establishments within the Western Cape this week.

Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development in the nation.

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

Gondwe's visits aimed at assessing the state of readiness of greater education institutions across the country, ahead in the 2025 academic year.

Through the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to get satisfaction in getting artisan competencies 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 problems about college student residences and also other services. The get more info Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the determined concerns.

The Deputy Minister’s visit read more 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.

Through the visits, the Deputy Minister is accompanied by important 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 more info of the delegation, assisting tvet college courses without matric with all higher education related queries on each visit.

The problem of funding and administrative problems faced via the NSFAS was while in the spotlight through the Free State leg of the visits.

"NSFAS needs tvet colleges open 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, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za