Efforts to shore up future for training

Telford near Balclutha, a division of Lincoln University. Photo: Peter McIntosh.
Telford near Balclutha, a division of Lincoln University. Photo: Peter McIntosh.
Several community leaders and "key personnel" from Telford have met in a bid to  boost confidence in the training facility’s future in Balclutha.

Telford Farm board of management chairman Murray Pilgrim said "concerned stakeholders" and a member of the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) met recently to discuss what support could be provided to the facility and farm board.

Mr Pilgrim said there was some uncertainty about Telford’s future as Lincoln University, its governing provider, was undergoing a proposed restructure as it had run up $7million in deficits in the past five years.

Lincoln University vice-chancellor Robin Pollard has said the university was considering several options for Telford’s future.

Mr Pilgrim said there was a  possibility Lincoln could "pull out of Telford" so the farm board and others were working to ensure it did not disappear.

The farm board was working with Lincoln University and several other potential education providers to prepare a business case, which will be given to the Tertiary Education Commission  soon.

It could result in a negotiation for a new provider to take over Telford, he said.TEU national president Sandra Grey said there was a lot of inaccurate information about Telford being discussed in the local community. She wanted to ensure people knew Telford had a future. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss Telford’s provisions and what it did.

"Our members really wanted to engage with the community and talk about what people could do to ensure Telford has a long-term future."

She said Telford had a very good academic record and was well-respected in the industry.

Dr Grey said one of the difficulties Telford faced was the commission’s two-year funding cycle.

"If Telford were able to plan five years ahead rather than two, that would give it more stability and more opportunity to plan sensibly."

Dr Grey said there was no desire for Telford to "uproot" itself from Lincoln.Telford was  recently in the news after repaying the Tertiary Education Commission $1.5million after an investigation found Telford made a series of funding reporting blunders, including one where a student qualified in a programme he did not attend.

samuel.white@odt.co.nz

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