Witt cut course, left student scrambling
"I'm trying to stay positive; I have to. I don't really want to work at a supermarket for the rest of my life." Jasmine Roskilly
Jasmine Roskilly has worked hard to save money for school only to have her courses cut one month before they were due to begin.
Last year Roskilly completed a certificate in creative technologies at the Western Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (Witt) in order to qualify for the diploma this year, which had a start date of February 26.
The 19-year-old signed up for the diploma in digital media and design six months ago, purchased equipment for the class and slashed her work hours in half only to be told her courses would be no longer available.
‘‘I’m stressed out because I don’t know what to do now,’’ the Inglewood teenager said.
‘‘I’m trying to stay positive; I have to. I don’t really want to work at a supermarket for the rest of my life.’’
In December the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (Witt) announced it was cutting six courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Early Childhood Education (ECE) in 2018.
It also said students taking the Diploma in Creative Technology course would be offered the chance to finish the qualification, but no enrolments were being taken.
But Roskilly wasn’t told she’d be unable to take the Diploma this year until receiving a voicemail from a Witt staff member on January 24 advising her the courses had been cut.
‘‘They didn’t say much about it,’’ Roskilly said.
‘‘I just want some good reasoning for it.’’
Roskilly’s mum Sharon was furious. ‘‘She’s worked so hard for this and spent money for the equipment she needs.
‘‘They must have known they were going to cancel the courses, so why didn’t they tell her before Christmas to give her time to sort out another plan?
‘‘These things happen frequently enough for them to have some sort of protocol in place.’’
Roskilly said it was too late to apply for university and she couldn’t afford to move out of the region to attend another polytechnic somewhere else.
And, she added, the shifts she dropped at work had already been refilled.
Witt chief executive Barbara George said the polytechnic looked at demand from students, demand from employers and national trends when negotiating funding.
‘‘It’s not just about student numbers, it’s also about great learning outcomes and employment outcomes.
‘‘It’s about forecast and it is quite hard.’’
Witt is a business, George said, and sometimes that meant tough choices were made.
‘‘Think of it like a pie,’’ she said.
‘‘If we get too big a slice, then someone else didn’t get their fair share.’’
George said displaced students should speak to an adviser who could assist in a number of ways including negotiating with other providers.
‘‘Sometimes you have to face the fact there is no demand,’’ she said.
‘‘I know students are disappointed, I can understand that. But we are here to help.’’
While Roskilly has yet to sit down with an adviser, she had little faith Witt could help.
Instead she’s decided to get a job in her desired industry and save up enough money to attend university.
‘‘It might take me a couple of years, but it will be worth it.’’