start in 2007
22 January 2007
Further education and training will begin in earnest on 44 campuses of the
six FET colleges in the Western Cape today (Monday, 22 January 2007).
Early reports indicate that enrolments for 2007 are going well and several
campuses have turned away students because they are full. If this trend
continues for courses that start later this year, then FET colleges may well
enrol more students than in 2006.
FET college staff reported for duty on Tuesday, 9 January 2007. Some courses
started on Monday, 15 January. Most courses will start today (Monday, 22
January).
FET colleges, previously called technical colleges, offer further education
and training in a wide range of vocational subjects. FET colleges now
complement FET in Grades 10 to 12 in schools.
Grade 9 learners can now choose to complete FET in schools, in Grades 10 to
12, or in FET colleges. Students can complete FET Certificates at FET colleges
that are equivalent to matric and provide access to higher education.
About 60 000 students registered for courses at FET colleges in the Western
Cape last year. College programmes range from short courses over several weeks
and months to programmes over a number of years.
The Western Cape's six FET colleges are well prepared for the 2007 academic
year. They are introducing 11 new Vocational Certificate Programmes this year
on Levels 2, 3 and 4 of the National Qualifications Framework.
These are three-year qualifications with formal exit opportunities after
each year. In other words, a certificate will be issued for each successfully
completed year.
Areas covered by the new programmes include Administration, Finance,
Information Technology, Marketing, Management, Building and Civil Construction,
Engineering and related design, Electrical Infrastructure Construction, Primary
Agriculture, Hospitality and Tourism.
The new vocational courses are specifically designed to meet the needs of
the Western Cape economy and to equip students for employment
opportunities.
Examples include:
* Human resource management
* Personal assistants
* Legal secretaries
* Sales manager
* Product development
* Market research
* Investment broking
* Financial services
* Public relations
* Quantity surveying
* Sanitation engineering
* Building and construction
* Aerospace engineering
* Tool making
* Fitting and machining
* Instrumentation
* Digital electronics
* Process control
* Computer systems engineering
* Contact centre operations
* Farm management
* Viticulture
* Hotel management
* Chefs
* Travel consultant
* Adventure guiding
* Safari operating, among many others.
In recent years, the national and provincial education departments have
remodelled the FET college sector to form a key component of the national
education system, to ensure a well-balanced selection of education options.
This has included a major national recapitalisation programme to ensure that
FET colleges have the necessary resources.
The provincial government provided R25 million for student loans last year
to improve access to FET colleges for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds,
as part of the iKapa Elihlumayo strategy.
More than 8 000 students have already taken advantage of the interest-free
loan scheme in the Western Cape so far. Funds are still available for loans
this year, as well as various bursary schemes.
The national Department of Education has provided an additional R9 million
to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) for an FET Financial Aid
Scheme, which is now also available for 2007. FET colleges are managing the
financial aid schemes.
The 44 FET college campuses in the Western Cape are scattered across the
province, from Vredendal on the West Coast to the Cape Town metropolitan area,
Beaufort West in the Karoo and Plettenberg Bay in the Southern Cape.
FET colleges form a key component of the Human Capital Development Strategy
of the Western Cape (HCDS), currently being implemented by the WCED.
In terms of the HCDS, the WCED plans to increase the number of students
registered at FET colleges from 60 000 currently to 180 000 by 2014.
For further details on the WCED's FET colleges, contact:
Jannie Isaacs, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
College of Cape Town
Tel: (021) 404 6700
Fax: (021) 404 6701
E-mail: Jisaacs@cct.edu.za
Web: http://www.cct.edu.za
Cassie Kruger, CEO
False Bay College
Tel: (021) 712 1080
Fax: (021) 712 1092
E-mail: cassie.kruger@falsebay.org.za
Web: http://www.falsebaycollege.co.za
Leon Beech, CEO
Northlink FET College
Tel: (021) 930 0957
Fax: (021) 930 6882
E-mail: Lbeech@ northlink.co.za
Web: http://www.northlink.co.za
Chops Fourie, CEO
Boland FET College
Tel: (021) 886 7111/2
Fax: (021) 886 8182
E-mail: chopsf@bolandcollege.com
Web: http://www.bolandcollege.com
William Holtshousen, Rector
South Cape FET College
Tel: (044) 884 0359
Fax: (044) 884 0361
E-mail: rector@sccol.co.za
Web: http://www.sccol.co.za
Ms Osma Jooste-Mokghethi, CEO
West Coast College
Tel: (022) 482 1143
Fax: (022) 487 3983
E-mail: osma.jooste@westcoastcollege.co.za
Web: http://www.westcoastcollege.co.za
Issued by:
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Office of the MEC for Education
Tel: (021) 467 2523
Fax: (021) 425 5689
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
22 January 2007
