South Africa’s colleges are getting a bold new mission: turn classrooms into launchpads for careers. Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela says government has placed a skills revolution at the centre of its plans, and the wheels are already turning, SAnews reports.
In January 2026, 24 new occupational qualifications were introduced at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, designed hand-in-hand with industry to give learners practical, workplace-relevant skills that improve employability and support economic growth.
Learning That Leads to Earning
Manamela says the reforms respond to a clear need to align education and training with the demands of a changing economy, through expanded occupational qualifications, stronger TVET colleges, a modernised qualifications framework and a dual system that combines classroom learning with workplace experience.
For millions of young people, access to education and skills development represents a pathway to dignity, economic participation and a better future, the Minister said.
The progress runs deep: to date, 948 occupational qualifications and part-qualifications have been registered on the National Qualifications Framework, creating a strong foundation for career-focused learning pathways. The department is working with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations, SAQA, SETAs, colleges and employers to ensure quality assurance, workplace learning opportunities and funding are all in place.
TVET Colleges Take Centre Stage
President Cyril Ramaphosa has handed the department a clear skills revolution mandate, and Manamela says TVET colleges are at its heart because of their centrality to economic growth and industrialisation. A comprehensive Turnaround Strategy for TVET colleges is expected later this year, shaped by consultations with colleges, industry and organised labour, and covering infrastructure, lecturer development, student support and workplace partnerships.
From Activism to Action
For Manamela, a former student leader who once served as Deputy President of the South African Students Congress, the mission is personal.
The issues we raised then – access to education, equality, dignity, opportunity and social justice – remain central to the work I do today as Minister, he said.
As the country honours the courage of the youth of 1976, half a century on, the plan to honour their legacy is refreshingly practical: qualifications that lead to jobs, colleges that power industries, and doors of learning open wider than ever.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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