After more than two decades of calls for land to establish a South Cape TVET College campus in Knysna, plans are finally in place for a new skills-training centre to be established that could include a specialised boat-building academy.
This, after the Knysna Municipality approved land for the long-awaited development, paving the way for the college to establish a permanent presence in the town.
The proposed campus is expected to be developed over a period of three to five years, with an overall projected budget of about R500m, according to South Cape TVET College principal Dr Tercia Terblanche.
Terblanche said the figure represented the college's broader funding proposal for the development and would cover more than the construction of the new facilities.
She said the budget would cover new infrastructure, equipment, machinery and furniture, as well as staffing, student stipends and bursaries and municipal services.
“Our business plan in terms of the funding proposals we submitted for constructing the faculties over the next three to five years has come to about R500m,” Terblanche said.
“That is our whole budget over the next three to five years, which will come in phases."
The programmes will be introduced in phases, with the pace of development dependent on investor interest, partnerships and available funding.
The boat-building academy is one of several specialised facilities planned for the campus.
Terblanche said the modules were being designed around scarce skills and the needs of Knysna and its surrounding economy.
South Cape TVET College planning and resource committee chairperson, Asafika Mzinjana, said the signing marked the culmination of a journey that began in 2004.
“For us, it has been a long journey before we got to this moment. This journey started back in 2004."
Mzinjana said she was still in high school when the college first approached the municipality about securing land to establish a skills-training centre for young people in Knysna.
She said the process had faced several obstacles over the years, including administrative issues, time constraints and repeated engagements between the college and municipality.
“But here we are today. We officially signed,” she said.
Mzinjana said the college was grateful for the opportunity to bring its presence to Knysna and contribute to skills development in the town.
South Cape TVET College currently has campuses in George, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, Beaufort West and Riversdale, but Knysna has not previously had a campus.
Green skills will form another important component of the planned campus, with the college looking at training programmes linked to renewable energy, environmental management and emerging technologies.
The college is also exploring opportunities in biomass and waste-to-energy, which could involve converting waste materials such as wood, food and vegetable matter into energy while also contributing to efforts to address waste-management challenges in the area.
Green hydrogen is also being considered as part of the college's future programmes, while the viability of wind-energy training will depend on further assessments of local wind conditions.
The campus will also offer programmes linked to Knysna's tourism and service economy.
These could include hospitality, chef training, tourism operations, tourist information services, information and communications technology (ICT), human resource management and public management.
Courses in hairdressing and beauty therapy are also planned.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) will be another priority area.
The project is expected to be implemented in phases over three to five years, with the college seeking investment and partnerships to bring the various components of the campus to fruition.
