Civil Engineering student of Elangeni TVET college, Thalente Hadebe takes the Deputy Minister Dr Mimmy Gondwe through their work during her visit. Picture: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers
Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has called for corporations to forge partnerships with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to improve employment accessibility especially for rural students.
Gondwe was speaking during a visit at Elangeni TVET College’s Pinetown campus on Thursday.
The deputy minister, who oversees work-based learning programmes in TVET and Community Education and Training (CET) colleges, expressed her belief in the power of TVET institutions to help address South Africa’s unemployment crisis.
Her visit included meetings with faculty, management and students to discuss both the achievements and obstacles faced by the college community.
“I am convinced that TVET colleges are not merely for those who do not qualify for universities. I have seen very smart students at TVET colleges, students who are vested in the challenges that we have as a country and really want to find solutions for those challenges.”
A key focus of Gondwe’s visit was promoting future-oriented programmes, such as artificial intelligence, robotics and coding, which are increasingly offered at TVET institutions.
Highlighting the importance of relevant skills, she said: “I am very passionate about seeing learners get out of the system and get employment.
That is why it is imperative for us as a sector to ensure that the skills that the learners get are demanded by the economy.”
To enhance these opportunities, Gondwe said she aimed to foster closer relationships with private industry leaders to ensure that TVET graduates had access to job prospects within South Africa’s evolving economy.
“Our success, according to me, cannot be measured by the number of enrolments, diploma certificates and degrees that we churn out as a sector, but rather by whether our learners, when they get out of the sector, can be absorbed into the economy,” she said.
Gondwe has already initiated partnerships with prominent corporations like Old Mutual to improve employment accessibility for rural students.
“I already have a partnership with Old Mutual to ensure that learners in rural areas do not need to go to urban areas to access employment information, but that industries can come to them,” she said.
The Deputy Minister is also in talks with a leading ICT company to expand these efforts into future skills training.
“I am also hoping to announce very soon a partnership with one of the leading ICT companies aimed at promoting future skills, mainly AI,” Gondwe added.
During the visit, she highlighted her office's establishment of a help desk in August to address student and college-related concerns.
The help desk, with a resolution rate of 73%, has already handled over 4 000 queries.
“The pressing issue right now is the printing of certificates, especially in the TVET sector,” she said, noting how her office has worked to expedite this process for students waiting for certification.
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