The TVET Readiness Screener

A bold new chapter in youth development and vocational education begins with the launch of The TVET Readiness Screener: a pioneering web-based solution designed to tackle one of South Africa’s most pressing educational challenges: the high dropout rate among Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students. Every year, thousands of young South Africans enter TVET colleges only to find themselves in programmes that don’t align with their interests, strengths, or career aspirations. The result is a staggering dropout rate that manifests itself in nearly 50% of students leaving during their first year of study. This derails individual futures and undermines the country’s efforts to build a skilled, inclusive workforce.

Enter The TVET Readiness Screener, an African-born, data-driven solution that empowers high school students to make informed, confident decisions about their vocational futures. The Screener provides instant, actionable insights to learners, educators, and parents by assessing aptitude, interest, and readiness. It’s more than a tool; it’s a compass for career clarity.

Why this matters:

  • For learners: It prevents misalignment and wasted years by guiding them toward the right TVET pathways from the start.
  • For schools and career advisors: It offers a robust, evidence-based framework for career guidance and better support of learners.
  • For TVET colleges and SETAs: It streamlines recruitment and improves retention by ensuring better student-programme fit.
  • For industry: It strengthens the visibility of future skills pipelines and supports long-term workforce planning.

For TVET Marketing Teams:

Reaching high school learners through traditional marketing methods is no easy task.

From school visits and printed flyers to career expos with limited access and low ROI; the effort, time, and cost of reaching the right student at the right time can be overwhelming. In a fast-changing, digitally connected world, these old-school methods often miss the mark.

It’s time for a smarter way forward.

So, Let’s Talk Money

Consider this: Over 50% of TVET College students drop out within their first year of study. That’s millions upon millions of Rands in NSFAS allowances, bursaries and funding going to waste within the span of a year. To be sure, TVET colleges also pay a heavy price, with millions in college funding being spent on poorly targeted student support initiatives, student resources and serial failures. The DHET and SETAs see the funding going down the drain and are less likely to allocate additional funding to colleges that haemorrhage funds because of poor academic performance, dropouts and general cost of failure

If only there was a way to ensure that students entering the college were ready for their degrees, suited to their courses and more likely to complete their degrees BEFORE they enter the college system…

This dilemma is precisely what the TVET Readiness Screener addresses!

How?

The TVET Readiness Screener will utilise partnerships with secondary schools and strengthen the high school-to-TVET pipeline. By giving TVET marketing and admissions officers access to valuable student data that will optimise processing high volumes of applicants, the applications phase can be vastly improved, turning bulky and complicated admissions undertakings into quality selection processes. These data include assessment of applicants’ competence in TVET-level, course appropriate numeracy and literacy, career interests, career aptitude, disability information and other DHET-relevant information that will aid admissions officers in selecting graduates who are prepared for the rigours of TVET education.

  • Digital-native learners engage with mobile-friendly tools. No more dependency on school gatekeepers.
  • Real-Time Data, Real Connections
    Gain access to a dashboard of live, trackable insights—including student interest areas, location, aptitude match, and readiness scores.
  • Build Your Own Learner Database
    Each engagement includes verified contact details, demographics, and programme interest, giving you a direct line to the youth you’re trying to reach.
  • No More Guesswork. Just Actionable Intelligence
    Use real data to tailor your marketing campaigns, identify emerging trends, and align your recruitment strategy to actual student demand.

Let the TVET Readiness Screener be your new best friend for handling admissions and selections.