A DELAY in the issuing of certificates and diplomas has left a student from Umbilo Further Education and Training (FET) College in despair. The student has been waiting for almost two years, to receive his N2 Electrical certificate, despite the Department of Higher Learning’s announcement that all outstanding National Accredited Technical Diploma (NATED) certificates would be released by no later than 30 June 2017.
Speaking to the Berea Mail, the student who could not be identified said: “The matter has affected me so much, because a certificate allows me to do a trade test, but as it stands I cannot do that. This means I cannot go further as an artisan in my current employment.”
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Meanwhile, the college has laid the blame at the door of the department, saying the department’s printing problems were the reason certificates had not been issued. “We have called the department about the issuing of the certificates and they have assured us that the problem will be sorted. We are expecting to receive the certificates soon,” said spokesperson for the college.
Last year the Department of Higher Education and Training released about 233,000 National Certificate (Vocational) [NC (V)] certificates out of the outstanding 236,000 at technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges. The backlog dates back to 2007.
“The Department continues to work closely with principals of TVET Colleges to ensure that inherent data capturing challenges which contributed to many of the delays in the processing of results and certificates are constantly identified and resolved so that they do not impact on future examination cycles. The Department has commenced with a new project to accelerate the issuing of outstanding National N Diplomas (NNDs). Part of the plan includes the formalization of criteria for workplace activities per diploma and the capacity building of college officials to process applications,” said the department’s Madikwe Mabotha.
“Students are therefore advised to request their certificates directly from their respective centres. Any queries related to certificates should be directed to the examinations centre at which the examination was written,” she said.
In conclusion Mabotha said:”Umbilo Private Technical College (Pty) Ltd is registered as a private college with the Department of Higher Education and Training to offer the following Continuing Education and Training (CET) qualifications: NQF Level, National Certificate: Electrical Engineering 2- 4. National Certificate: Engineering Studies N1-N3. National Certificate: Engineering Studies N4-N6.”
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