As part of its continued commitment to transforming South Africa’s post-school education landscape, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has established more than 20 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU’s) with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges across the country over the past ten years. These agreements are not merely symbolic - they serve as active frameworks for facilitating student articulation from TVET institutions into higher education programmes at TUT.
This strategic collaboration plays a critical role in addressing one of the country’s most pressing challenges: youth unemployment. With youth unemployment hovering at 44.6% and a staggering 59.6% for those aged 15 - 24 (Q4 2024), creating pathways that connect education to meaningful employment is both urgent and necessary.
Advancing student articulation
The MoU’s between TUT and TVET colleges aim to create structured academic pathways that allow students to transition into university-level programmes without repeating prior learning. Through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and formal credit transfer mechanisms, TVET graduates can enter relevant diploma and degree programmes - often at an advanced level - significantly reducing the time and cost of higher education.
These articulation agreements are designed to support students who have acquired industry-relevant, practical skills at TVET colleges, but require academic qualifications to advance further in their careers. In doing so, the partnerships expand access to higher education, especially for students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Strengthening employability and industry relevance
Aligned with TUT’s strategic drive to produce future-ready graduates, these agreements also enhance students’ employability. TVET education emphasises experiential learning such as internships and apprenticeships. TUT builds on this foundation by embedding work-integrated learning (WIL) components into its curriculum, ensuring that students continue to gain real-world experience while deepening their academic and theoretical knowledge.
Graduates of these articulated pathways are thus equipped with the technical skills, workplace experience and higher-order thinking abilities that today’s employers demand.
Beyond employability, the combination of TVET and university education cultivates entrepreneurial capacity. Graduates emerge with both the practical know-how and business insight to create their own ventures, contributing to small business development, job creation and national economic growth.
Moreover, by enabling a broader segment of the population to access higher education, these partnerships support the country’s transformation agenda, promote social mobility and help reduce poverty and inequality.
A National Development imperative
Prof Ben van Wyk, TUT’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching, Learning and Technology, affirms the importance of these partnerships:
“Articulation between TVET colleges and TUT represents more than a pathway to higher education, it is a powerful mechanism for national transformation. It aligns education with industry needs, expands access to underrepresented communities and drives both innovation and employment.”
“As part of its mandate, TUT remains committed to deepening its engagement with TVET institutions, refining articulation pathways, and informing the public about these crucial collaborations. The MoU’s reflect the University’s proactive stance in building a more inclusive, skilled and competitive South Africa,” Prof van Wyk added.
Prof Ben van Wyk, TUT’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching, Learning and Technology
Addressing systemic challenges
While the MoU’s mark significant progress, several challenges remain in fully realising the benefits of articulation. These include limited awareness among students, administrative hurdles in credit transfer and misalignment between TVET and university curricula. To address these, TUT is actively engaged in capacity building, policy alignment and digital transformation initiatives to streamline the articulation process.