By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Minister of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Buti Manamela highlighted the importance of skills development and industry partnerships at the launch of the Boilermaker Centre of Specialisation at the Northlink College Bellville Campus.
In his keynote address, Manamela said the department must move quickly “to ensure that training is linked to employment” so that every TVET student can secure either a work opportunity or an entrepreneurial opportunity after their studies.
He acknowledged the collaboration between the college, the Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA), and 30 primary industries across the country, while welcoming students and apprentices from Gauteng, Durban, the Northern Cape, and beyond.
“This shows what can happen when public institutions, sector education and training authorities, and the private sector come together in order to make sure that we have a skills programme that is impactful,” Manamela said.
“With SETAs, it’s not just bringing in the resources, but the expertise, and ensuring that we sustain this set of specialisations in boiler making,” he said.
“With the college providing that platform and industry linking the students with workplaces, work opportunities, we see the importance of building an ecosystem, and I think we need to encourage that.”
Manamela congratulated the college council and principal for turning the vision of a Boilermaker Centre of Specialisation into a reality.
He called on institutional leaders to cultivate strong leadership at every level, reminding them that their core mission is to build futures, restore hope for young people, and place skills development at the heart of the department’s education agenda.
Representing the student body, SRC Chairperson of the Bellville Campus, Balulwa Jantjies, said: “We are proud to be a college that doesn’t just talk about excellence, we consistently demonstrate it. This Centre of Specialisation is living proof of that commitment.”
Jantjies expressed gratitude to all partners, saying they were “founders of futures, shapers of careers, and true partners in producing the next generation of highly skilled artisans” for South Africa.
“Today’s job fair is not only an opportunity to hand out CVs, it is your chance to step into the world you’ve been preparing for,” she said.
“Engage with the companies, ask questions, be curious, be courageous. Whether you are starting to become a boilermaker, welder, electrician, or pursuing any other trade, remember that you are needed in South Africa, and the industry needs you”.
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