South Africa stands at the threshold of an unprecedented opportunity. With the energy transition accelerating and new industries emerging in hydrogen, digitalisation and water resilience, the next few years will determine how well the country equips its people to participate. EWSETA believes the answer lies in repositioning the country’s TVET colleges as credible pathways to opportunity, capable of producing the skills that will power the transition to clean energy and secure the nation’s water systems.

Skills for a new economy

The EWSETA 2025 to 2030 plan sets out key strategic priorities. Over the next five years, some of these priorities include accelerating artisan training, particularly in renewable energy; integrating digital and artificial intelligence skills into curricula; expanding national and international partnerships; widening access to learning programmes; and embedding new green technologies into TVET programmes.

“We want young people to see TVET colleges as institutions of first choice. By choosing a TVET, they are joining a system that EWSETA is deliberately strengthening to become industry-relevant, high-performing and future-focused. It is a system designed to equip learners with the skills to thrive in the energy and water sectors and to drive meaningful change,” says EWSETA Acting CEO, Robyn Vilakazi.

That repositioning is deliberate. For too long, TVETs have been seen as a secondary option. EWSETA has made it a core objective to reshape this narrative by demonstrating that colleges can stand alongside universities as credible, competitive institutions producing job-ready graduates. This is being achieved by capacitating TVETs with infrastructure support, lecturer development and curriculum innovation that respond directly to the demands of the energy and water sectors.

This vision is already being realised through EWSETA-led flagship initiatives. Power Up is building a new generation of professionals to meet the country’s renewable energy demand, directly linking our PSET institutions to industries in the sector. PoVE, Africa’s first Platform of Vocational Excellence, is connecting South African TVET colleges with global partners and industry leaders, embedding international standards in local training while positioning colleges as drivers of innovation. Renewable Energy Training Centres and Re-Skilling Labs in collaboration with international partners like RES4Africa and the Chinese Culture International Exchange Centre, are equipping TVET Colleges with new technologies to ensure global best practice and industry-aligned practical training of learners.

At Vhembe TVET, the Renewable Energy Training Centre and Microgrid will not only supply clean power to the campus, but it will also give students practical exposure to renewable technologies. It is a model of how public colleges can combine infrastructure upgrades with applied learning to prepare graduates for growth industries.

These actions make clear that TVET colleges are not peripheral. They are central to South Africa’s growth ambitions, aligned with the National Development Plan 2030, the Integrated Resource Plan 2025 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Investments that changed lives

Between 2020 and 2025, EWSETA invested R454 million to strengthen the TVET and CET system. This included:

• R107 million for artisan development with nearly ten thousand learners enrolled in occupations in high demand, surpassing targets by 42%.
• R32.6 million for workplace learning, supporting more than nine thousand workers
• R25.2 million for infrastructure upgrades, including renewable energy labs and ICT equipment

The outcomes are visible in individual journeys too. Nthabiseng Makoto, supported through the UniVenda biogas programme, now runs vegetable gardens, poultry and piggery projects that provide food security and employment in her community. “Before this opportunity, I struggled to see a future. Today I provide food and jobs for others, and I know these skills will carry me and my family forward,” she says.

Building resilience into the system

These results show how EWSETA is deliberately strengthening public colleges. “We have never been about quick wins. Every rand we invest is about building capacity in the system so that TVETs stand strong as premier institutions for technical training and career opportunity”, says Vilakazi.

She adds, “By equipping lecturers, upgrading infrastructure and creating global exposure opportunities, we are embedding resilience into the post-school education system. This is what the Just Transition requires, a workforce pipeline that is technically skilled, adaptable and future-ready.”

Scaling up the response

EWSETA has shown that Sector Education and Training Authorities can be engines of transformation. The next step is scale. For business, the message is clear: South Africa’s clean energy build-out and water security drive will be hampered without job-ready technical professionals. Companies need to invest in training pipelines, open workplaces for experiential learning and collaborate on curriculum design. For government, the task is to treat skills development as essential infrastructure, sustain policy certainty and support innovation in the college system.

“South Africa’s young people are ready. They want to learn, they want to innovate, and they want to lead in new industries. Our job is to make sure the pathways are there, and we need all stakeholders, international and national, public and private, to walk this journey with us,” Vilakzi says.

The past five years have shown what deliberate investment can deliver. The next phase must scale these gains into a nationwide skills revolution. EWSETA is inviting stakeholders and partners to help build a workforce ready for a decarbonised, water-secure South Africa, one that is not only employable but indispensable to the country’s future. By reshaping the narrative around TVETs and positioning them as institutions of choice, EWSETA is making public colleges a source of pride and possibility.