Staff cuts indicated at polytech

Mike Waddell
Mike Waddell
Otago Polytechnic may drop 10 full time academic staff positions as part of proposed cuts to its architecture, engineering, and building school.

In a meeting on Friday, staff were notified there would be a month long consultation on the future of the school, polytechnic communications director Mike Waddell said.

Mr Waddell said there had been a ''suggestion'' 10 full time equivalent staff (FTE) might be laid off, but nothing was certain.

''I need to stress that it's not necessarily the final outcome.''

The school now has 48 FTE staff positions.

Data provided to the Otago Daily Times by the polytechnic shows equivalent full time student (Efts) numbers have fallen this year. Efts numbers for 2015 are forecast to reach 563 , an almost 10% drop on 2014 numbers.

Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker said the architecture, engineering and building school had been ''enjoying steady growth ... for four years, but unfortunately this year has seen a significant drop - near enough 100 Efts''.

Mr Waddell said Friday's meeting was ''an early signal of where we think we have a problem, and we want to work on the problem''.

''We want to make sure that we maintain long term financial viability.''

Otago was ''one of the few polytechs that have had surpluses for the past two or three years''.

''The change in Efts [numbers] this year means that we'll be reducing the surplus from what we've planned for, but there will be a surplus.''

Mr Waddell said it was important to maintain a surplus ''so we can invest and continue to develop the polytechnic to be a worldclass polytechnic''.

Tertiary Education Union representative Kris Smith called the proposal ''incomprehensible''.

''Our position is that it's sort of incomprehensible that they [are] massively cutting trades education at a time when trades people are predicted to be in short supply in the next six years,'' she said.

''Our members are very concerned.''

She said the proposal was ''a bit of a bitter pill for people to swallow'' given the polytechnic's planned ''substantial redevelopment plan'' and its plan to maintain a 5% surplus.

''They're only required by the [Tertiary Education Commission] to deliver 3%.''

 

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