Thekwini College Info
In 2001, in accordance with the Further Education and Training Act 1998, Cato Manor Technical College, Durban Central Technical College and LC Johnson Technical College merged to form Thekwini College, an accredited Public Further Education and Training Institution as per KZN GG No. 117 2002 published on 11 April 2002. As a public, multi-purpose, nationally recognized provider, the College is managed and administered in accordance with regulations stipulated by the FETC Act, 2006 and by national education policy as determined by the Minister of Education. In May 2003 the first Rector of Thekwini College, Mr. R Cadir was appointed and one of his first priorities was to realign the college it the strategic plan that subsequently evolved, elements of which is captured in the profile that follows.
In keeping with our economic and social regeneration ethos, the College is fully committed to continue to expand it community skills training and its support and training to Special Schools and those with special educational needs outside the Special School network. We have operationalized special needs Engineering Programme for students with disabilities and have migrated this to business studies and hospitality.
The Rector and staff are committed to transforming the institution into a vibrant centre of community life to improve the quality of life especially to the disadvantaged communities in which the institution is located. A track record in partnerships already exists. In the longer term we will adopt an open-learning philosophy and program-based provision to encourage institutional diversity, establish multiple sites of delivery and strive to achieve the growth of ‘virtual’ institutions via electronic technology. We are strategically placed to play a pivotal role in meeting the socio-economic demands of our fledgling democracy and a strong commitment exists for service excellence.
The College currently operates on six sites viz. Springfield, Cato Manor, Melbourne, Umbilo and Asherville which houses the Campus as well as central administration and has conference, hostel and sporting facilities with great potential. The site of delivery includes modern workshops and specialist facilities and operates a Coltech management system. The delivery sites also include smaller ultra-modern conference facilities and library and sporting facilities. The recapitalization process initiated by government through earmarked funding has transformed FET Colleges into modern institutions with state of the art facilities to provide the new NCV curriculum as part of the country’s HRD strategy.
The program’s offered cover GET, FET and HE levels in the fields of Learnerships, Business and Computer Studies, Hospitality and Tourism, Haircare and Cosmetology, Engineering, Art and Design, recreation and community courses and we have developed a correspondence and distance education capacity. Courses range from short courses to National Certificates that can culminate I a National Diploma.
The new FET landscape has propelled us to a leading FET provider status in KZN. The Recapitalization process has invested over R25 million currently in our College which has transformed the college both to facilities and equipment and Human Resource Development through an exhaustive retraining process. RECAP process is scheduled to continue in the next financial year to specifically address the country’s skills shortage by empowering FET colleges whilst speaking to both ASGISA and JIPSA imperatives and the HRD strategy of the country.
The College has a strong commitment to nation building and we lead the province in terms of our outreach programs and our partnerships. The College is one of the first to Colleges to pilot Learnerships in KZN and our Skills Unit is involved in extensive training for SETAs and industry.
As a public provider, the College complies with accreditation requirements according to UMALUSI. The College also has interim accreditation with other ETQA bodies. The College prides itself on its highly dedicated staff. The institution is currently registered with the ETDP Seta. The College is currently in various phases of accreditation with the Services Seta, Merseta, Theta, W&R Seta and E-Seta in a attempt to address the skills agenda to a greater extent.
Staff development is an ongoing process to ensure capacity building of staff to meet the new challenges of education and training and our training program to date is most comprehensive. Our strategic plan also captures how our college will provide the necessary training to support a high quality and incrementally introduced NQF accredited learning.