Build One South Africa (BOSA) has received a reply from the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, to our written question, containing deeply troubling data on the state of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in South Africa.
The figures confirm what many young people already experience: the system is failing to effectively train and skill those who need it most.
Over the past four years, a total of 2 232 202 students have enrolled in TVET colleges:
- 2021: 589 083
- 2022: 518 584
- 2023: 564 089
- 2024: 560 446
Very few students are successfully completing their qualifications on time, many others are dropping out. According to Minister Manamela. The national throughput rate at TVET institutions remains alarmingly low:
- 2021: 10.66%
- 2022: 10.72%
- 2023: 12.66%
- 2024: 13.9%
This translates to an average throughput rate of just 12%. In simple terms, nearly 9 out of every 10 students who enter the TVET system are not successfully completing their studies on time.
At a time when South Africa faces the highest youth unemployment rate in the world, TVET colleges should be at the forefront of equipping young people with practical, job-ready skills. Instead, the system is absorbing students but failing to produce qualified graduates at scale.
If left unaddressed, this failure will continue to feed directly into the unemployment crisis, leaving millions of young South Africans without the skills needed to access work or create their own opportunities.
BOSA calls for the following urgent reform:
- A national plan to dramatically improve throughput and completion rates
- Stronger academic support and student retention interventions
- Funding models that prioritise successful outcomes
- Clear accountability mechanisms for college performance
South Africa cannot solve its unemployment crisis with a training system that fails the majority of its students. BOSA will continue to fight for an education system that delivers real skills, real qualifications, and real pathways into the economy.
Media Enquiries:
Roger Solomons
BOSA Spokesperson
072 299 3551