Western Academy of Photography closing shocks students

The 30-year-old Western Academy of Photography closed abruptly on Monday, citing financial trouble and leaving 16 students and its employees wondering what is next.

“They came to us and said they were not able to operate from a financial perspective,” said Nadia Stefyn, spokeswoman for the Private Career Training Institutions Agency of B.C. The Crown corporation oversees 320 private institutions with about 48,000 students enrolled annually.

“At the moment, we are in the process of cancelling their registration,” Stefyn said Monday from Vancouver.

Agency staff were at Western Academy’s Queens Avenue office on Monday to meet with the 16 students.

“We are discussing options on how we can help them,” Stefyn said. This could mean students continuing the program through another institution or applying for a tuition refund. The agency has a student training completion fund to protect students.

“[The agency’s] mandate is student protection and we will con- tinue to work with the students to find the best outcome possible for them,” she said.

The agency was notified last week of Western Academy’s financial problems, Stefyn said.

Western Academy owner Garry Dodds could not be reached Monday.

The school, located at 755 Queens Ave. in Victoria, offered diplomas in journalism/photojournalism, and in professional photography, each with tuition fees of $14,900.

Andrea Kucherawy, program manager at Western Academy, said that Dodds has spoken with two local institutions which could potentially help students finish their courses.

Of the students, 12 are registered in professional photography and four are in the journalism/photojournalism program, she said.

“The school has had a decrease in enrolment, most notably in the last two to three years. That has put a financial strain on the school, to the point where operating costs exceed the amount of students we have.”

At one time, annual enrollment would top 60 students, she said.

As for staff, Kucherawy and Dodds were full time and a technician worked part-time. Another 15 to 20 contractors worked as instructors, she said. “There are monies owed.”

A graduate of the school, Kucherawy said she has worked there 16 years. “I’m heartbroken.”

Arnold Lim, a freelance photographer who graduated from the Western Academy in 2008, has been teaching photojournalism there since 2010. “It’s a sad day.”

Western Academy offered topquality programs, he said. “I loved every minute of it. It was a challenging course.”