What is FET?

Further Education Training (FET), functioning as a band within the National Qualifications Framework, builds on the foundation provided by the general education and training band (ordinary schooling). By its unique position it plays a pivotal role in integrating prior learning with continuing education, and becomes a lever to higher education or the world of work, including self-employment.

What can you learn at an FET college?

When they were still technical colleges, it was mainly hands-on skills in technical fields. Modern FET colleges offer far more. The 18 technical colleges in the Western Cape merged a few years ago to form six colleges with multiple campuses, offering a wide variety of courses in many disciplines.

• Engineering courses include Electrical, Plumbing, Civil, Motor Mechanics, Fitting & Machining and Boilermaking.

• Commercial courses include Financial, Business or Marketing Management, Secretarial, Public Relations and Human Resources.

• Other specialised courses include Art & Design, Haircare & Cosmetology, Educare and Tourism & Hospitality

Visit the college websites for comprehensive information about courses offered and campus locations.

Why choose FET?

• FET colleges provide skills training which benefits students for life, is accessible to many at a relatively low cost and achievable in a relatively short time.

• Virtually no-one else is giving assistance in this area. There is a great deal of money available for tertiary studies already, with the government gives hundreds of millions of rands each year for study loans, and there many bursaries available too, but there was nothing for FET until recently. A loan scheme has been implemented, but it is bursaries that are needed by the truly disadvantaged.

• Only a tiny proportion of school leavers have the necessary school results to gain entry into tertiary studies. This leaves thousands each year with nowhere to go, and these contribute enormously to the social problems experienced in South Africa, most notably poverty and crime. FET colleges can even act as a bridge to higher education : a student with inadequate matric marks for entering tertiary studies can upgrade his entrance qualifications while gaining valuable exposure to his field of study, possibly even earning credits toward a technikon course, thereby saving time and money.

• Too many young people are sitting in schools with no hope of achieving a good matric pass, or studying subjects which have no use to them in real life. Those who wish to leave school after grade 10 can get an education equivalent to matric or higher, but in a specific and useful field.

• Tertiary study takes at least three years and even after that graduates can spend years trying to find work. FET studies are shorter, less expensive and very effective in leading to employment.