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

The Deputy Minister was talking all through an oversight visit into the post-school education and training (PSET) establishments inside the Western Cape this week.

Gondwe described the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development during the region.

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

Gondwe's visits aimed at evaluating the point out of readiness of increased education institutions across the country, in advance in the 2025 educational year.

Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to choose satisfaction in buying artisan abilities as they provide terrific entrepreneurship options.

"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 residences together with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the recognized troubles.

The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows tvet college courses 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.

Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister check here is 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 click here with all higher education related queries on each visit.

The problem of funding and administrative troubles confronted because of the NSFAS was from the spotlight in the Free State leg of your 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 read more 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 check here is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za