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

The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit towards the post-school education and instruction (PSET) institutions inside the Western Cape this 7 days.

Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development from the place.

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

Gondwe's visits aimed toward evaluating the state of readiness of higher education institutions across the nation, forward in the 2025 academic year.

In the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to get pride in attaining artisan techniques as they provide great entrepreneurship alternatives.

"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 CPUT expressed problems about student residences and various services. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the discovered troubles.

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.

Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been accompanied by important senior officials from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme thekwini tvet college (NSFAS).

The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher thekwini tvet college education related queries on each visit.

The difficulty of lephalale tvet college funding and administrative difficulties confronted by the NSFAS was inside the spotlight in the Free State leg of read more 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 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 tvet college courses without matric West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za