This study contributes to the reconceptualisation of the role and purpose of Community Education and Training (CET). Although the empirical focus is the South African Post School FEducation and Training (PSET) sector, the thesis is situated within the broader debate on the role of CET in developing contexts. The study brings three aspects to this discussion. First, it brings for the first time the fresh perspective of the human capability approach to the empirical study of CET. Through its emphases on the freedom, power and opportunities that students have to recognise, pursue and realise goals that matter to them, the capability approach provides a rich and meaningful alternative to productivist and income driven approaches to CET. The second, linked to this and building on the importance of human flourishing, in the capability approach, is that it brings to the forefront the impact that CET colleges have on the lives of students. It does so by determining the extent to which the CET college has expanded the capabilities for students to live lives that they have reason to value and by discussing the institutional structures and cultures that facilitated the development of capabilities that matter. The third, in line with the emphasis of agency in the capability approach, is that it brings to the discussion the voices of students. The experience and perspective of students provided in the study exists as a serious challenge to the dominant views held of CET students and of student attitudes to CET in South Africa. It shows that the capabilities that matter to students include, but extend beyond, employment. The empirical findings give expression to the need for broader and more holistic approaches than that provided by the notion of employability.