Redundancies a ‘last option’ for polytechnic

The Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology remains in talks with 15 staff after deciding to close or move several courses.

The polytechnic has cancelled a business programme at its Nelson and Marlborough campuses next year, and four other courses, after a review of eight programmes.

NMIT chief executive Liam Sloan said the business administration course would no longer be run in Nelson and Blenheim, but delivered online instead, due to a drop in enrolments. A postgraduate IT security management programme would be moved to Auckland, where it would be provided by a joint venture partner.

The changes were part of ‘‘business as usual’’, and designed to ensure that the polytechnic remained sustainable, Sloan said.

‘‘We’re in personal preference conversations with 15 team members to consider redeployment opportunities [within NMIT],’’ he said.

‘‘Redundancy is our very last option.’’

A culinary arts course and a beauty therapy course were among the courses cancelled, with future intakes from the latter course in Blenheim to be transferred to Nelson. A construction course in Blenheim that was also cancelled would be offered through an apprenticeship in Nelson, Sloan said.

The arts level four course would have an intake once a year, instead of twice.

NMIT was contacting affected students to ‘‘ensure a smooth transition into suitable study’’, Sloan said.

It was not unusual for intakes to be cancelled during the academic year if there was a lack of demand, he said. ‘‘Some of these intakes are very small. Reducing one intake, you’re just trying to capture your all your learners at the one time, rather than diluting what you’re offering.’’

The changes follow a drop of about $2 million in funding to NMIT from the Tertiary Education Commission in 2020, as a result of reduced enrolments at the polytechnic in 2019.

Over 100 programmes were still open at NMIT, Sloan said.

‘‘Some of these (course) intakes are very small . . . You’re just trying to capture your all your learners at the one time.’’

NMIT chief executive Liam Sloan