What TVET & University Courses Will Actually Get You Hired in 2027–2030 (No More Useless Degrees – Updated November 2025)
Matric results are coming. Universities and TVETs are about to take your money for the next 3–4 years. Before you sign away your life (and your parents’ savings), here is the actual list of qualifications that companies, government and mines are begging for right now and will still be desperate for when you finish in 2027–2030.
This is based on:
- PNET & CareerJunction Q4 2025 data
- DHET Critical Skills List (updated October 2025)
- Direct recruitment pipelines from Anglo, Sibanye, Eskom, Transnet, SANRAL, municipalities and the big banks
- SETA reports released November 2025
Tier 1: Starting Salary R25 000 – R50 000+ Within 12 Months of Qualifying
(90–100 % placement rate)
1.N Dip / Degree: Civil Engineering (with focus on roads & water)
Starting: R38 000 – R65 000
Hiring: SANRAL, all 8 metros, every municipality, consulting firms
2.N Dip: Electrical Engineering (Heavy Current)
Starting: R32 000 – R55 000
Hiring: Eskom, Transnet, mines, renewable projects, municipalities
3.N Dip / Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Starting: R35 000 – R60 000
Hiring: Mines, Sasol, automotive plants, renewable wind farms
4.Artisan: Millwright / Electrician / Fitter & Turner / Diesel Mechanic
Starting: R28 000 – R48 000 (R60k–R100k+ underground/overtime)
Hiring: Every single mine, Transnet, manufacturing, solar/wind farms
5.N Dip: Quantity Surveying
Starting: R38 000 – R70 000
Hiring: Every construction company that wins government tenders
Tier 2: Starting Salary R20 000 – R40 000 Within 12 Months
(80–95 % placement)
6.N Dip: Renewable Energy / Solar PV Installation & Maintenance
Starting: R22 000 – R40 000
Government wants 1 million solar installations by 2028 – they’re paying companies to hire you.
7.N Dip / Degree: Nursing (government hospitals)
Starting: R28 000 – R38 000 (plus overtime & rural allowance = R50k+)
2026–2030 shortage: 48 000 nurses
8.N Dip: Occupational Health & Safety (SAMTRAC + N Dip)
Starting: R25 000 - R45 000
Every mine and construction site needs at least 3 more by law.
9.N Dip: Logistics & Supply Chain Management
Starting: R22 000 – R38 000
Hiring: Takealot, Amazon, Shoprite, Transnet, Imperial
10.N Dip / Degree: Cyber Security / Network Engineering
Starting: R28 000 – R55 000
Banks and government losing millions daily – they’ll pay anything for you.
Tier 3: Starting Salary R18 000 – R30 000 (High Demand, Fast Growth)
11.N4–N6: Financial Management / Accounting → leads to bookkeeping jobs R25k–R35k
12.N Dip: Biomedical Technology (fixes hospital machines)
13.N Dip: Water & Wastewater Process Control
14.Higher Certificate / N Dip: Wind Turbine Service Technician
15.N Dip: Mechatronics (robots & automation)
Courses to Avoid in 2026–2030 (Unless You Have Rich Parents)
- General BCom (no specialisation)
- BA Psychology / Sociology / Politics
- Human Resources (unless postgraduate)
- Marketing / Public Relations degrees (oversupply)
- LLB (unless top 5% of class – market is flooded)
- Anything that ends with “Studies” instead of a skill
Best Places to Study These (Highest Placement Rates 2025)
- TVET: Gert Sibande, Ekurhuleni East, Tshwane North, False Bay, College of Cape Town
- Universities of Technology: CPUT, DUT, TUT, VUT, Mangosuthu
- Private: Boston, Pearson, Belgium Campus (for IT/cyber)