Staff, management and at least one former tutor from Tokomairiro Training are expected to be interviewed by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and other education agencies following allegations by a former tutor that an atmosphere of violence, intimidation and financial mismanagement prevailed there.
When approached to confirm the investigation, TEC Tertiary Providers and Service Centre acting director Pauline Barnes yesterday said the education groups were investigating "a range of newly-raised allegations and complaints".
"Once these investigations have been completed, a decision will be made on whether any further action is required."
The Otago Daily Times asked the TEC to clarify the parameters of its investigation: specifically what it was investigating, whether TEC staff had visited Milton, to whom they had spoken and whether the investigation's findings would be made public.
None of those questions was answered.
Tokomairiro High School principal Wayne Edgar confirmed he and the school board of trustees had spoken to TEC staff in recent days and the investigators had also visited the training centre in the town's main street.
The school was co-operating fully with the investigation and welcomed it, he said last night.
It was too early to say when the investigation might end and whether its findings would be made public.
The Otago Daily Times last month reported a range of allegations made by former tutor Brian Crawford, including claims management and another former tutor at a Milton employment training centre regularly drank alcohol on the job, covered up random acts of violence, humiliated trainees, falsely inflated roll numbers and created a culture of fear.
His claims were subsequently repeated by other former trainees and staff.
Tokomairiro High School, which receives taxpayer money to provide the training programmes, denied almost all of Mr Crawford's allegations.
