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

The Deputy Minister was talking throughout an oversight visit to the post-school education and training (PSET) institutions within the Western Cape this 7 days.

Gondwe described the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development during the state.

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

Gondwe's visits directed at assessing the condition of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, in advance of the 2025 academic year.

Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to consider satisfaction in obtaining artisan expertise as they provide excellent entrepreneurship options.

"I am 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 website CPUT expressed issues about student residences and other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the discovered issues.

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.

Over the visits, the Deputy Minister has become 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 issue of funding and administrative challenges confronted with the NSFAS was inside the spotlight throughout 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 website serious challenges for learners; learners need allowances to eat and to buy esayidi tvet college 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 website academic year.

The Deputy Minister's oversight is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher western tvet college education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za