Education cutbacks at Richmond TAFE will force sports turf students to continue their studies at Ryde.
Horticulture/sports turf management lecturer Jay Wood has taught at Richmond TAFE since 2006.
‘‘But I’m being made redundant because the course is being cancelled,’’ Mr Wood said.
‘‘It’s a blow to me, but it’s also bad for people in the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains who won’t have the opportunity to go to a local TAFE that supports this industry.’’
Three students said to continue studying turf management, they would have to commute daily to Ryde TAFE.
‘‘I live in Glenmore Park; I’ll have to travel an extra hour or hour-and-a-half to get there,’’ Scott Lane said.
‘‘It’s so inconvenient; we had a good set-up here.’’
Zac Watkins, who also lives in Glenmore Park, said Richmond TAFE was ‘‘convenient and close by’’.
‘‘Jay is a good teacher too; he’d come out to our workplaces and talk to us at our level of learning,’’ Mr Watkins said.
‘‘If we don’t have Jay, we’ll have to get to know our new teacher and start all over again.’’
Luke Sligar, who lives in Emu Plains, said commuting to Richmond was more convenient than travelling to Ryde.
‘‘We’ve done a whole year here and are comfortable in the classes, so this messes everything up for us,’’ Mr Sligar said.
Malcolm Harris, education officer for the NSW Golf Course Superintendents Association, said cancelling the sports turf management course at Richmond TAFE was ‘‘very disappointing’’.
‘‘Ryde TAFE is a good campus, but this makes it difficult for Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains residents to study this course,’’ Mr Harris said.
‘‘The course itself is absolutely vital to turf industries, as turf managers deal with sophisticated irrigation and construction systems and need scientific understanding of pesticides and the environment.’’
Education Minister Adrian Piccoli said TAFE could not afford to operate every program as it had in the past. ‘‘Enrolments in this course have been in decline over the past five years, with no prospect of improvement,’’ Mr Piccoli said.
‘‘Nobody expects TAFE to run courses when there are not enough students.
‘‘The Certificate III in Sports Turf Management won’t be offered at Richmond in 2015, but the resources will be redirected to other courses at Richmond where demand has increased.’’