5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to consider the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to be a important and viable alternative for advancing their professions.

The Deputy Minister was talking all through an oversight visit to your post-school education and education (PSET) establishments in the Western Cape this 7 days.

Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development inside the place.

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 targeted at assessing the state of readiness of increased education institutions across the nation, forward with the 2025 educational year.

In the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to choose delight in acquiring artisan abilities 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 worries about college student residences and other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the determined difficulties.

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

Throughout the visits, check here the Deputy Minister has become accompanied by critical 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 of the delegation, assisting here with all higher education related queries on each visit.

The issue of funding and administrative worries confronted via the NSFAS was in the spotlight over the Free State leg from 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 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 read more 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 esayidi tvet college next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za