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 for a beneficial and feasible alternative for advancing their professions.

The Deputy Minister was speaking through an oversight visit on the post-school education and education (PSET) establishments within the Western Cape this week.

Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as crucial for job creation and youth skills development from the state.

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

Gondwe's visits aimed toward examining the point out of readiness of larger education institutions across the nation, in advance from the 2025 academic year.

Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to acquire satisfaction in attaining artisan expertise as they offer terrific entrepreneurship options.

"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 considerations about college student residences and also other services. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the discovered problems.

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

During the visits, the Deputy Minister has become accompanied by key 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 click here with all higher education related queries on each visit.

The difficulty of funding and administrative worries confronted from the NSFAS was inside the spotlight during the Free State leg in 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 umfolozi tvet college 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 West higher education institutions being the next on here the list.
– SAnews.gov.za