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

The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit for the post-school education and training (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this week.

Gondwe described the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development in the nation.

The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological innovation (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.

Gondwe's visits targeted at evaluating the state of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, in advance of your 2025 educational year.

During the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to just take pride in getting artisan capabilities as they offer fantastic 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, students at CPUT expressed concerns about college student residences and also other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the discovered concerns.

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

Through the visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been accompanied by crucial 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 higher education related queries on each visit.

The problem of funding and administrative check here troubles confronted via the NSFAS was inside the more info spotlight in the course of 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 lephalale tvet college 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 get more info 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