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 to be a important and feasible different for advancing their careers.

The Deputy Minister was speaking during an oversight visit to your post-school education and training (PSET) institutions from the Western Cape this week.

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

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

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

In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to consider pride in attaining artisan competencies 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 here at CPUT expressed fears about student residences as well as other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the discovered troubles.

The Deputy Minister’s sedibeng tvet college 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 vital 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 troubles confronted by the check here NSFAS was inside the spotlight over the Free State leg from tvet college courses 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, tvet colleges open for applications 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 the list.
– SAnews.gov.za