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 like a beneficial and feasible alternate for advancing their careers.

The Deputy Minister was speaking during an oversight visit on the post-school education and schooling (PSET) institutions within the Western Cape this 7 days.

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

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

Gondwe's visits geared toward assessing the state of readiness of larger education institutions across the country, forward in the 2025 academic year.

In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to just take satisfaction in getting artisan capabilities as they provide excellent entrepreneurship chances.

"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 issues about student residences as well as other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the identified 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.

Through the visits, the Deputy Minister has become accompanied by essential 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 with all higher education related queries on each visit.

The website issue of funding and administrative problems confronted through the NSFAS was read more within the spotlight during the Free State leg with 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 check here 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 read more 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 tvet colleges open for late applications is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za