‘SOFT’ IN CENTRAL

OTAGO Polytechnic’s Central Campus is experiencing ‘‘soft’’ numbers as the tertiary year begins, campus manager Kelly Gay says.

The Cromwell campus had about 270 students enrolled as of last week, Mr Gay said.

This includes 49 fulltime students, 200 parttime students and 22 ‘‘preenrolments’’.

He did not provide student enrolment numbers for last year, but said this year’s ‘‘start position’’ was ‘‘a little softer than we would like, but that’s a trend across the sector’’.

‘‘We expect by the end of the year to have dealt with about 700 students either full or part time. So our yearend equivalentfulltime position will be quite a lot higher than our start point.’’

More programmes would be rolled out during the year, bumping up campus numbers, Mr Gay said.

In 2017, $3 million was invested in the Cromwell campus, split across a new student accommodation complex and trades building, and a craft brewery building facility for New Zealand’s first brewing qualification.

Mr Gay said the slow enrolment numbers last year added to the campus’ view the local student market was moving into the workforce.

‘‘I think it is fair to say that we wanted slightly higher initial enrolments than we got [last year].

‘‘We are accelerating our plans to move our provision into the workplace to meet their needs better.

‘‘We have an older demographic of mature students and the low unemployment rate which is typical of the regions.’’

Programmes showing strong enrolment numbers in Cromwell included the New Zealand certificate in horticulture services sports turf (level 4), New Zealand certificate in avalanche risk management (level 5) and the New Zealand certificate in introductory snow school instruction (applied, level 4), which was approaching capacity, Mr Gay said.

‘‘While students numbers are slightly less than we would like, we always set ambitious targets. We are still accepting enrolment for semester 1 programmes now, so it’s not too late for anyone sitting on the fence to come in and enrol.’’

The future remains uncertain for polytechnics in Otago and Southland.

Otago Polytechnic has been at the centre of the Protect Our Polytech campaign opposing centralisation of New Zealand’s 18 vocational training institutes.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins last week described Otago Polytechnic’s case as ‘‘compelling’’.

❛ I think it is fair to say that we wanted slightly higher initial enrolments

than we got [last year]