SASOLBURG – Flavius Mareka TVET College in Sasolburg was abuzz with excitement on October 29, as the institution officially launched two 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) Centres of Excellence.

The monumental launch was graced by South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr. Nomusa Dube-Ncube, who unveiled the plaque and cut the ribbon to mark the commencement of a new era for the college.

The new labs are part of a national initiative by the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA), in partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), and will focus on fields like robotics and cybersecurity to help prepare students for the future of work.

The initiative aims to equip young South Africans with skills in 4IR technologies. This is part of a flagship project to strengthen the country’s skills development system.

Her delegation, accompanied by several leaders from several companies that sponsored the dream, such as Sasol firm, ETDP SETA, and FESTO, the entourage started with a morning briefing session, later the unveiling, a walkabout, and a session where Dr. Dube-Ncube delivered her keynote address.

Speaking during the formal proceedings, the principal of the college, Bhekithemba Nkonyane, said the labs will help the institution remain relevant and move with the times.

“The launch is a celebration for us as a college because it takes us exactly where we want to be, and becomes a centre of choice. We always want to walk with time and remain relevant to the needs of our society and our economy.”

Delivering her keynote address, Dr. Dube-Ncube said the launch is more than the opening of a new facility.

“We also celebrate the birth of a new era of opportunity. The launch of the 4IR Centre of Excellence at Flavius Mareka TVET College marks a significant milestone in our collective journey to transform, modernise, and empower the Technical and Vocational Education and Training system in South Africa,” she said.

“Through these centres, we are advancing the goals of the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) system, ensuring that our curricula, infrastructure, and teaching methodologies respond to the realities of the digital economy — an economy driven by data, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and renewable technologies,” she added.

Dube-Ncube acknowledged ETDP SETA, FESTO, and Sasol for the unwavering commitment to skills development, lecturer capacity building, and digital transformation.

“This is a beacon of what public–private collaboration should look like in action,” she said.