WATERBERG TVET COLLEGE
Waterberg TVET College is one of the public TVET colleges in Limpopo Province with four campuses and two practical sites, viz. the Hospitality Training Centre known as Hotel School and the Farm for practical training in agriculture programmes. The college serves Waterberg district, where three of its campuses are situated, as well as its central office and practical sites. The engineering campus is in Capricorn district. The college derives its mandate from a variety of South
African legislation including the National Development Plan - Vision 2030 (NDP-2030). The NDP-2030 depicts TVET colleges as the backbone of technical vocational education and training for young people who chose the vocational pathway, adults who want to change careers or upgrade skills, and unemployed people who wish to start a career. The NDP further advocates for the strengthening of TVET colleges to become institutions of choice for the training of artisans and producing other mid-level skills.
COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENTS Waterberg TVET College is amongst the best performing public TVET colleges in South Africa in the overall pass rate of National Certificate Vocational (NCV) qualifications, it is the top performer among seven public TVET colleges in Limpopo Province with a 191-percentage pass rate. The dedication of management, support and lecturing staff as well as students and the support from the college governing council make the college a shining star in rural Limpopo. Through the Occupational Programmes Unit, Waterberg TVET College has achieved the following;
• Trained more than 1 000 Early Childhood Development
(ECD) practitioners across Limpopo over the past five years in partnership with Limpopo’s Department of Education and the Social development EPWP programme.
• The College is accredited and it implements a variety of learnerships and skills programmes in the following sectors: Building and Construction, School Business Administration, ICT, Agriculture, Hospitality/Food Preparation and Culinary Arts.
In the past five years, the college has produced 70 qualified artisans in the trades, diesel mechanics, welding and electrical and is continuing to train more through partnership and funding from SETAs and the National Skills Fund.
• In order to open up opportunities for NCV graduates to access university, the college in collaboration with the University of Limpopo and Agri-seta, implemented an RPL Pilot Project in Animal Production Diploma, which enabled 28 graduates to meet the requirements to enrol for a degree in Agriculture Management at the University of Limpopo. The collaboration and success of the programme demystifies the belief that TVET college qualifications are a dead end and TVET college graduates can never study for a university degree. Upon the Principal’s return from Brazil in 2017, in line with implementation of lessons learned, she made recommendations for the college to participate in world skills competitions and advocated to the College Council for support. From then to date, Waterberg TVET College students continuously participate in world skills competitions supported and inspired by dedicated lecturers. The college started to participate in Food Preparation and Wine Service, later added IT and it is now planning to add trades in the Building and Construction sector. The students have been participating up to regional level; the college continues to sharpen their skills and we are hopeful that they will one day qualify to enter the regional and world competitions.
STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIP AND LINKAGES
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is crucial in helping students to develop the skills needed to be in competitive working environments. It also builds work history and increases chances for employment upon receipt of qualifications. Waterberg TVET College has established partnerships with businesses and industries to provide workplace based learning to students studying or having completed theoretical learning in both ministerial and occupational programmes. The workplace-based training exposes students to potential employers through networking, and learning the ropes of how to go about getting employment in their fields of study. Waterberg TVET College achieves 100% work placement for N6 Business Studies graduates who complete in 18 months and are able to attain their diploma qualifications. Our gratitude goes to all employers in the private and public sectors who make this possible for the college and the SETAs and NSF who provide financial support to our students in WIL programmes. Students from Waterberg TVET College who completed N6 studies towards Business Management Diploma, were given the chance to acquire practical experience by being placed in various Vodacom stores in the Waterberg District. The collaborative efforts of Waterberg TVET
College, Bank SETA and Vodacom will help to fight the country’s problem of youth unemployment. The placement will yield good results in producing knowledgeable and skilled graduates. This will in turn help to contribute to economic growth and assist in combating the country’s poverty gap.
DISABILITY INITIATIVE The college, in collaboration with the Limpopo Office of the Premier, represented by Selaelo Makgato, advocates for the rights of people living with disabilities. The collaboration efforts led to the inclusion of young people living with disabilities into mainstream education whereWaterberg TVET College enrolled 25 deaf students in the NCV programme in the NCV programme, Office Administration level 2 in the 2019 academic year. This will go a long way to ensure achieving access and the provision of quality education which results in the employability of young people, including those with disabilities. This will also assist employers in achieving their targets of employing people with disabilities through the employment of qualified and skilled people.
RESPONSIVENESS TO THE 4IR The Principal visited China during October/November 2019 to learn lessons and initiate partnership with Chinese Institutions. The 10th January 2020 marked a significant day in Waterberg TVET College calendar when the college and the Henan Polytechnic Institute of China met at the Thabazimbi Campus to seal their partnership by signing an agreement to deliver manufacturing and IT related learning programmes with support from The Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority. The base of this agreement is a five-year plan of collaboration between the South African TVET college and the Polytechnic Institute from China, based on industry 4.0 technology. This plan is focused on equipping graduates with the skills necessary to remain relevant within the 4th industrial revolution.
RECOGNITION OF EXCELLENCE Recognition of employees and appreciation of their contributions is an essential aspect in having a workplace that functions excellently. Showing employees that you appreciate their work, contribution and efforts directly affects their motivation and job satisfaction. This in turn enhances their performance. It is the college’s practice to award those who go an extra mile. The college invites a motivational speaker to motivate staff and informally get to know one another as a team.
We do this annually to bring to life our college motto ‘Together Ensuring Success’ which means each one of us should support the success of the other, and if we all succeed, together we build a better South Africa.