The Contribution of Student Support Services to Academic Success in South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges

Student support services were introduced into South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to cater to students’ diverse needs. This study explored the contribution that this support system has made to students’ academic success. The humanistic-existential theory of student development underpinned this study. Quantitative data were collected from 172 participants consisting of student liaison officers, assistant directors, administrative clerks, career development officers, campus management teams, lecturers, and first-year TVET college students. The participants were selected using purposive sampling and simple random sampling techniques. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages). The results indicated that there were insufficient academic opportunities for first-time college entrants. The article recommends that support programmes should be established to assist students transitioning out of the college for employment or further studies.