A lecturer who was recently made redundant by Northumberland College has criticised the institution for withdrawing the "unique" course he had been involved with for 12 years.
Chris Scott was the course lead for the Outdoor Adventure Academy, based at Kirkley Hall near Ponteland. According to promotional material posted by the college last August, the outdoor education course could lead to careers such as a rock climbing instructor, mountaineering leader or kayak and canoe coach.
However, Education Partnership North East, which took over Northumberland College in 2019, feels the course is no longer financially viable due to dwindling pupil numbers. It has decided to withdraw the course and made Mr Scott redundant.
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The lecturer feels the course has been let down by the college in recent years. He pointed to the fact that, prior to the merger, the course had five full time members of staff which has since dwindled to just two.
Mr Scott said: "After thirty years of provision they have just decided it's not economical. They're looking at education as a business.
"I was there for 12 years - I started in 2008 as a student and was taken on part-time when I left. I loved it for 12 years, it has been a fantastic job.
"Since the merger we've tried to maintain a full programme. It's been a hard slog going from a team of five to a team of two.
"It just seems to be they don't want these specialist courses."
It is understood that just four students had applied to join the provision, falling from 21 in 2018/19 - meaning the college had decided it was no longer viable. Mr Scott admitted numbers had fallen, but blamed the college for the decline.
He continued: "I feel as though they've managed me out of a job. They've done everything they can to make life difficult.
"The outdoor programme was almost unique in the whole of Northumberland. We had a really good programme. Northumberland is such a great county to do outdoor activities."
While the college did not explicitly confirm the course would no longer be offered, the page on the college's website no longer works.
Asked whether the course was no longer to be offered and whether it accepted it had been deliberately run down, a spokeswoman for Northumberland College said: "Northumberland College has an annual curriculum planning process which is robust and rigorous.
"We extensively review all the courses that we deliver and consider factors such as the number of applications received, historical progression of students, local demand and regional strategic priorities. This ensures that the courses we offer best meet the needs of our local communities, employers and stakeholders.”
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