The National President of South African Technical Vocational Education Student Association (SATVETSA), Ms Kgaogelo Chokoe, addressed the International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) 2026, currently underway at Emperors Palace, where she delivered a strong message of support.
She emphasised the need to transform TVET institutions into “incubators of innovation,” noting that technical skills alone are no longer sufficient in today’s economy.
Chokoe said “It is no longer enough to teach a student how to weld or how to code. If a TVET student can weld but cannot price a contract, they are an employee.
” If a TVET student can code but cannot manage a supply chain or lead a team, they are a worker.”
Ms Chokoe stressed that the TVET sector must go beyond skills training and focus on empowering students to become job creators rather than job seekers.
She stated “When we marry technical mastery with an entrepreneurial mindset, we solve two problems at once: we reduce unemployment and we stimulate local growth.
“We stop teaching our youth to wait for an opportunity and start teaching them to be the opportunity.”
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
