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 for a important and viable alternate for advancing their careers.

The Deputy Minister was talking throughout an oversight visit into the post-school education and teaching (PSET) establishments inside the Western Cape this 7 days.

Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development during the country.

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

Gondwe's visits geared toward evaluating the state of readiness of greater education institutions across the country, ahead in the 2025 academic year.

Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to choose delight in getting artisan capabilities as they provide fantastic 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, students at CPUT expressed concerns about college student residences and also other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the identified difficulties.

The Deputy Minister’s visit 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.

In the course of the visits, the Deputy Minister website continues to be accompanied by important 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 challenges faced because of the NSFAS was within the spotlight over the Free State website leg of 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 read more 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 website West higher education institutions being the next tvet colleges open on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za