Tertiary education in Oamaru has a future, but what that future is looks unclear.
Concerns about the future of the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) Aoraki Oamaru campus were raised with the Otago Daily Times last week.
Courses were being cut in the wake of the January 1 merger of Timaru-based Aoraki Polytechnic and CPIT, a source said.
This week, CPIT chief executive Kay Giles said courses at all the school's 10 campuses were under continuous review.
It was "early days'' after the merger, but Ms Giles reconfirmed the school's commitment to Oamaru.
"There is definitely a commitment from us to maintain our presence in Oamaru - that's just an absolute given,'' she said.
"It's a thriving community with a youth population and I think there will be ongoing demands there. We just have to make sure we've got the right products and programmes so we can support it.''
There had not been any major changes "so far'', but the courses offered in Oamaru would be determined by the community's needs.
Ms Giles said with only "four or five'' expressions of interest in an Oamaru-based beauty therapy course, Oamaru students and an Oamaru tutor were commuting to Timaru to join a larger class at CPIT's South Canterbury campus.
However, the course could return to Oamaru in future, Ms Giles said.
A hospitality course was also postponed due to a tutor's extended sick leave, but she expected the course to return to Oamaru.
The school had received no expressions of interest in a business skills programme advertised in Oamaru and so it had not been offered at the campus.
However, agri-business was popular, with 25 enrolments.
Life skills courses, a programme in parenting skills, and courses delivered in co-operation with the town's high schools were also all continuing.
"We don't want to turn anybody away, so what we're trying to do is work on strategies so that no matter what the numbers are we can make opportunities available for people: that might be, in some cases, having to travel; that might be, in some cases, doing the class by video conference; that might be, in some cases, running a small class,'' Ms Giles said.
At the time of the merger, one of the seven staff in Oamaru chose not to continue their role with the new organisation, Ms Giles said.
Across the region, 18 former Aoraki staff lost their jobs during the merger, of the 139 staff across the region's campuses.
A total of 135 offers for renewed employment were made and 14 people chose not to accept the offer, a CPIT spokeswoman said.
At the time, Tertiary Education Union organiser Kris Smith was reported as saying she believed further job losses could be on the cards in 2016, as the organisation's structure was firmed up.
She could not be reached for comment yesterday.
