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Staff Reporter
Minister of Higher Education, and Science Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, opened the College of Cape Town Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Skills Centre in the Western Cape last Friday.
“What makes this event so exciting is that it touches on the fundamental reasons for the government’s decision to establish TVET colleges,” said Nzimande.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training refers to the vocational or occupational nature of programmes offered, meaning that it prepares learners for a specific job, several employment possibilities, or self-employment.
Nzimande said TVET colleges mainly train young people to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed in the labour market.
Interestingly, the event took place exactly ten years after the declaration of the Year of the Artisan launched by Nzimande in 2013. It was also the 20th anniversary of the merger of 152 South African public TVET colleges into 50 colleges in 2003.
“Today, I remain gratified because the TVET College of Cape Town has demonstrated and led by example that our TVET sector can collaborate with other spheres of government and the private sector to empower citizens,” Nzimande said. This college has a total of eight delivery sites made up of six campuses offering Ministerial, Artisanal and occupational programmes as well as short skills programmes in collaboration with national and international universities.
Three sites are centres of specialisation for Robotics, Plumbing, Automotive and Mechanical programmes.The College boasts of having Trade Test Centres for Plumbing, Automotive, Chef and Hair and Beauty care. The other two sites are Skills Centres, in which one centre, the Wynberg Skills Centre, offers occupational programmes in Hair Care and Beauty up to NQF Level 5.
“In South Africa, we have about 3,6 million youth between the ages of 15-24 who are neither in education, employment nor training (NEETs). This, therefore, means there is much work for all of us to do to ensure that we create the necessary training and job opportunities,” the Minister said.
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