What does FET mean in college?

FET stands for Further Education and Training. FET colleges were South Africa’s public technical and vocational colleges. They still exist but are now called TVET colleges, short for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

From technical colleges to FET to TVET

Period	What happened
Before 2002	About 150 separate technical colleges operated across the country
From 2002	They were merged into 50 larger FET colleges with several campuses each
2006	The Further Education and Training Colleges Act governed the colleges, then run by provincial education departments
2013 to 2015	Following the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training, the colleges were renamed TVET colleges and moved to the national Department of Higher Education and Training

Why the name still appears

• Older certificates, signs and documents still say FET.
• Some private colleges keep “FET” in their registered company names.
• At school level, the “FET phase” also means Grades 10 to 12, which is a different use of the term.

What TVET colleges offer today

• National Certificate (Vocational) programmes, Levels 2 to 4
• Occupational certificates and trades
• NATED N4 to N6 programmes, which are being phased out
• Skills programmes and short courses

A college with FET in its name is not necessarily public. Check whether it is one of the 50 public TVET colleges, or registered as a private college with the Department of Higher Education and Training.

Find a public college in our directory of all 50 public TVET colleges, and compare TVET colleges and universities.

Frequently asked questions