• SA ministers visit Ingwe TVET to address training infrastructure gaps

• Inadequate equipment, water issues hinder technical skill development

• Reforms aim to align TVET training with labor market demands

South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Technical Training, Mimmy Gondwe, and Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Sello Seitlholo, visited Ingwe TVET College on Friday, Oct. 10. The visit aimed to assess water supply challenges across the college’s five campuses and underscored the importance of infrastructure for effective technical training.

Ingwe TVET College serves nearly 8,000 students across its Maluti, Sithetho, Mount Frere, Ngqungqushe, and Mt Fletcher campuses. According to the ministry, inadequate equipment and teaching resources, especially in engineering and applied technology, are constraining hands-on training. South Africa’s 50 TVET colleges, spread across more than 250 campuses, enrolled over 518,000 students in 2023.

Beyond infrastructure, matching graduates’ skills to labor market needs remains a challenge. Success rates from 2022 show that 73.4% of students completed the N3 level, 55.8% the N6 level, and 61.3% the NC(V) Level 4, suggesting that some students are not acquiring the skills most in demand, particularly in fast-growing fields such as renewable energy and digital technologies.

Regional and continental initiatives are helping African countries strengthen technical training. Through its Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2026-2035 (CESA 2026-2035), the African Union promotes modernizing education infrastructure, continuous teacher training, and curricula tailored to economic priorities. The strategy also emphasizes teaching innovation and teacher development to improve education system performance.

At the national level, African countries must raise an additional $77 billion a year to meet education-related Sustainable Development Goals, according to the 2023 Education Finance Watch report. In 2023, the Ramaphosa administration invested about 600 million rand (roughly $34.5 million) to support TVET colleges, upgrade infrastructure, and fund practical programs designed to narrow the technical skills gap.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou