Delays in issuing certificates to graduates of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges will soon become a thing of the past, as the Department of Higher Education and Training rolls out digitised systems to accelerate certification and workplace placements.
This assurance was given by Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube, during Esayidi TVET College graduation ceremony, held at the Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre on Thursday.
Delivering the keynote address, Dube-Ncube acknowledged the frustration experienced by many TVET graduates, who have had to wait extended periods to receive their certificates and secure workplace-based learning opportunities.
“I know this and the department knows this. I want to say to you today, that must be and is becoming a thing of the past.
"We are actively developing and rolling out digitised, fast-tracked systems for both certification and placement -- systems designed to close the gap between the day you complete your final assessment and the day that certificate is in your hand, and a workplace opportunity is within your reach,” Dube-Ncube said.
She said the reforms form part of a programme to modernise administrative systems within the department and improve the transition from college to employment.
"A delayed certificate is a delayed livelihood, and a delayed placement is a delayed future. Young people cannot be asked to wait indefinitely for a system to catch up with their qualifications. We are fixing that because our graduates deserve nothing less."
She said quicker certification will not only improve graduates' access to employment, but also enable aspiring entrepreneurs to register businesses, apply for funding and participate in procurement opportunities without unnecessary administrative delays.
She encouraged graduates to view their qualifications as "start-up capital" that could be used to establish businesses in sectors such as electrical contracting, welding, bakery, agriculture and construction.
Dube-Ncube reaffirmed government's commitment to strengthening the TVET sector, describing colleges as central to South Africa's economic growth agenda.
"There is no credible pathway to inclusive economic growth in South Africa that does not run directly through colleges like Esayidi," she said.
She noted that South Africa continues to face shortages of artisans, technicians and other mid-level technical skills needed to build infrastructure, support industrialisation and expand economic opportunities.
Calling for stronger partnerships between colleges and industry, Dube-Ncube said employers should play a greater role in shaping curricula, providing workplace-based learning opportunities and ensuring graduates possess skills that respond to current and future labour market demands.
At the same time, she challenged TVET colleges to become centres of applied innovation rather than institutions that merely respond to industry needs.
" A TVET college that only follows industry will always be one step behind. A TVET college that also leads on applied research and problem-solving becomes a genuine partner in South Africa’s innovation economy. That is the standard I am setting for our colleges going forward," Dube-Ncube said.
The Deputy Minister urged graduates to embrace lifelong learning, saying artificial intelligence, automation and digital technologies are reshaping virtually every occupation.
"The qualification you receive today is a strong foundation — it is not a finish line. The world of work is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, big data and advanced automated technologies at a pace none of us can fully predict.”
Dube-Ncube also rejected perceptions that rural TVET colleges produce graduates with limited opportunities.
She said institutions such as Esayidi TVET College are producing highly skilled graduates whose qualifications carry the same national recognition as those obtained anywhere else in the country.
“Rural does not mean limited. It means resourceful. It means graduates who understand community, who know how to make a plan, who carry the discipline of this region into whatever workplace or enterprise they enter. Do not let geography shrink your ambition," she told graduates. – SAnews.gov.za
