News: Rotherham college campus set to close
The Dinnington campus of the RNN Group has been earmarked for closure this summer.
The organisation has completed two mergers in recent years and now incorporates Rotherham College, North Notts College and Dearne Valley College. It opened its new the £10.5m HE campus in Rotherham town centre in 2018.
The RNN Group said that a review had confirmed that the facilities in the south of the borough were underutilised and that the site should be sold off.
A staff consultation is underway and 122 staff are affected by the change. Proposals include 56 full-time staff members relocating to other sites but job losses are expected.
Pupils continuing to study after the proposed closure would see their courses also relocated to other RNN Group facilities.
The campus also has a motor vehicle workshop and working farm. A £2.5m refurbishment was opened in 2015.
Advertisement
Cllr. Gordon Watson, deputy leader at Rotherham Council, said: "I think those of us that live in the south of the borough are very disappointed with the proposals but we have got to acknowledge the difficulties that the Rotherham and North Notts College group have got.
"Real term funding over the last ten years has dropped in education in secondary schools by about 8%. It has dropped by nearly double that for FE colleges.
"Ultimately the two big costs in education are staffing and buildings.
"They are working in a climate were a lot of their buildings are very old so I understand that they've got to cut costs somewhere but it is very disappointing that they are closing in our part of the borough. I'm sure it will have an affect of lots of businesses if there are less students going there.
"We are disappointed, we haven't been [formally] consulted, and we wish it wasn't happening."
RNN Group website
Images: RNN Group
The organisation has completed two mergers in recent years and now incorporates Rotherham College, North Notts College and Dearne Valley College. It opened its new the £10.5m HE campus in Rotherham town centre in 2018.
The RNN Group said that a review had confirmed that the facilities in the south of the borough were underutilised and that the site should be sold off.
A staff consultation is underway and 122 staff are affected by the change. Proposals include 56 full-time staff members relocating to other sites but job losses are expected.
Pupils continuing to study after the proposed closure would see their courses also relocated to other RNN Group facilities.
The campus also has a motor vehicle workshop and working farm. A £2.5m refurbishment was opened in 2015.
Advertisement
Cllr. Gordon Watson, deputy leader at Rotherham Council, said: "I think those of us that live in the south of the borough are very disappointed with the proposals but we have got to acknowledge the difficulties that the Rotherham and North Notts College group have got.
"Real term funding over the last ten years has dropped in education in secondary schools by about 8%. It has dropped by nearly double that for FE colleges.
"Ultimately the two big costs in education are staffing and buildings.
"They are working in a climate were a lot of their buildings are very old so I understand that they've got to cut costs somewhere but it is very disappointing that they are closing in our part of the borough. I'm sure it will have an affect of lots of businesses if there are less students going there.
"We are disappointed, we haven't been [formally] consulted, and we wish it wasn't happening."
RNN Group website
Images: RNN Group
0 comments:
Post a Comment