5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to consider the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as being a valuable and practical different for advancing their professions.

The Deputy Minister was speaking through an oversight visit to the post-school education and coaching (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this week.

Gondwe described the TVET colleges as critical for job creation and youth skills development in the region.

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

Gondwe's visits targeted at evaluating the condition of readiness of greater education institutions across the nation, forward with the 2025 academic year.

Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to consider pleasure in buying artisan abilities as they offer 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 worries about student residences along with other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the recognized issues.

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

During the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by important 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 click here all higher education related queries on each visit.

The difficulty of funding and administrative issues confronted click here because of the NSFAS was during the spotlight in the Free State leg of 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 more info 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 the list.
– SAnews.gov.za