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 a worthwhile and viable alternate for advancing their careers.

The Deputy Minister was speaking in the course of an oversight visit on the post-school education and education (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this 7 days.

Gondwe described the TVET colleges as crucial for job creation and youth skills development from the country.

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

Gondwe's visits targeted at evaluating the point out of readiness of larger education institutions across the country, forward of your 2025 academic year.

In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to take satisfaction in attaining artisan capabilities as they offer wonderful entrepreneurship alternatives.

"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 fears about student residences along with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with more info the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the recognized concerns.

The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher click here education institutions in the Free State where she visited Goldfields here TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.

In the course of the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by vital 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 check here higher education related queries on each visit.

The issue of funding and administrative challenges faced by the NSFAS was inside the spotlight throughout the Free State leg on 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 for learners; learners need allowances to eat and to buy hygiene products. This is important for their sense of more info 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