It’s proven there are no limits to your educational possibilities at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges.
When Gilroy Forbes enrolled at West Coast TVET College (WCC) his aim was just to acquire a qualification and enter the workforce. Coming from Saron, a rural town just outside Porterville, poverty and lack of opportunities motivated him to rise above, become independent and help his family financially.
Today, he is employed at WCC as assistant to the Quality Assurance Manager, monitoring health and safety, conducting internal audits, handling injuries on duty and various other administrative tasks.
What makes Forbes unique is that he is a product of WCC through and through. He completed two of the college’s diploma offerings Z Management Assistant and Human Resource Management Z and, to sharpen his financial skills, he completed N4 in Financial Management. He agrees with the late President Nelson Mandela’s adage, that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.
With this in mind, Forbes wanted to ensure that he not only makes an impact on his own life, but those of others in his community, sending a clear message that there are no limits to empowering oneself, and one’s circumstances should never be a barrier to happiness or success.
After attaining the above qualifications, Forbes enrolled for his BTech in Quality (Management and Assurance) at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2015 and recently graduated.
His drive and passion to further his education, and better his life is in line with the strategic objectives of the TVET sector, to provide quality technical, vocational education and training services and increase academic achievement and success of students. Also, to develop partnerships and maintain good stakeholder relations to increase the number of students who are adequately prepared to enter the labour market or further and higher learning opportunities.
WCC (and indeed the TVET sector) commends students like Forbes who develop from students to interns well placed to find permanent employment as it does a BTech Graduate at a university of technology.
“There should be no excuses for students coming from rural towns not to better their future,” Forbes holds. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
West Coast College offers a range of programmes:
National Certificate (Vocational) Level 2-4
Minimum requirements: Gr 9
Courses: Office Administration, Hospitality, Education and Development, Management, Tourism, Electrical Infrastructure and Construction, Engineering and Related Design: Fitting and Turning, Engineering and Related Design: Welding, Engineering and Related Design: Automotive, Engineering and Related Design: Fabrication
Trimester Studies: Engineering N1-N3
Minimum requirement: Gr 9
Courses: Electrical, Construction and Mechanical.
National Diploma Studies: N4-N5
Minimum Requirements: Gr 12
Courses: Business Management, Human Resource and Management Assistant
