Lack of funding saddens Guernsey Institute staff

STAFF at the Guernsey Institute, struggling to cope in poor teaching conditions, have been left ‘shocked and saddened’ by the failure of States members to allocate funding for a new campus.

Guernsey Institute College principal Louise Misselke next to a computer numerical control lathe in the manufacturing and engineering workshop that has to be kept under plastic sheeting – with a bin on top to catch drips – to avoid damage due to water ingress. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 32668260)

Students aged 16 to 84 are currently attending technical, vocational and professional courses and apprenticeships at the TGI College’s Coutanchez site and at Delancey, while the intended location for a new campus – Les Ozouets – remains home only to those studying at the Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts.

Heavy rain in recent days has demonstrated the poor integrity of the buildings at the Coutanchez, with leaks forcing the closure of one of the two catering kitchens, which cannot reopen until contractors have completed a survey.

There has also been significant flooding in the trowel trades area, while machinery in the manufacturing and engineering workshop has to be covered in plastic sheeting to prevent damage.

‘Every morning, staff have to go round first thing rectifying problems,’ said TGI executive principal Jacki Hughes.

‘We’re having to train students in an environment that’s not fit for purpose and the conditions will force us to suspend some parts of the curriculum. We were very saddened to hear the news on Friday.’

At last week’s Funding & Investment Plan debate, States members committed to providing adequate funding for the completion of work to modernise the hospital and to build affordable housing, but decided against the additional borrowing or revenue-raising measures that could have funded Education, Sport & Culture’s combined TGI and Sixth Form Centre campus.

TGI College principal Louise Misselke said the result of last week’s debate was 'tragic'.

‘It’s the closest we’ve ever been to getting a new campus.’

Ms Hughes said she recognised there was ‘no magic money tree’, but said maintaining standards was becoming increasingly difficult, with bodies such as City & Guilds expecting certain minimum standards in educational settings.

The college has 5,000 enrolments each year, including high school qualifications and adult and community programmes, and has been anticipating a long-awaited move to a dedicated site since ESC’s plans for a combined secondary and post-16 campus were approved by the States in September 2021.

Planning permission was subsequently granted in July last year, but the project was thrown into doubt by the departure of building contractor RG Falla five months later.

The college has a devolved budget for routine maintenance, with the States Property Unit supporting remedial work. But to keep costs down, maintenance has been minimal in anticipation of the now-scuppered move.