TUTORS at a Hampshire training centre are furious after losing their jobs without any notice.

New Career Skills, which trains plumbers and electricians, closed its Chandler’s Ford centre after the company went into administration.

Dave Morrissey, an electrical tutor at the training centre, said he is one of around ten staff told their jobs were gone in a “devastating” bolt from the blue.

Although the company has made 40 more redundancies at head office and its Watford and Doncaster branches, Chandler’s Ford is the only centre to close.

Mr Morrissey said: “A gentleman and a lady came in and said they were the receivers, that NCS was in administration and that we no longer had a job. They said there was no money to pay this month’s wages and no money for redundancy so we would have to go down the government redundancy route.”

The centre trained around 30 students a week, who have been told they can transfer to another centre in Watford.

Mr Morrissey, who lives in Fareham Road, Southwick, added: “A lot of my students have been on the phone asking me what’s going on and it looks like they will all have to transfer to Watford.

“I can’t understand why there is no money to pay us if they are keeping Watford and Doncaster open.”

Fellow electrical tutor Phil Wood, 53, of Eling, added: “I’m disgusted at how we’ve been treated; I feel like I’m just a number to them.

“Our acting chief executive told us the company was up for sale but it seemed like everything was OK.

“Then this happens and I can’t get hold of anyone at NCS to talk to me about it.”

Tony Holt was a tutor at the centre for seven years and helped fit it out when it was first built. The 56-year-old from Eastleigh said: “It’s disgraceful and I’m totally shocked because the centre was not losing money as far as I understand. I had such respect for the company and would not hear anything against them but this beggars belief.”

Allan Watson Graham and Jane Moriarty of auditors KPMG have been appointed joint administrators.

A KPMG spokesman said the Southampton branch was closed because it was “not financially sustainable” and had fewer students than the other branches.

The spokesman added wages and redundancy would be handled by the government as it was standard practice when a company goes into administration.

She said: “This is typical of administrations. People who have been made redundant have to apply to the government for money owed but the administrators will help them through this process.”

 

IT is not just the teachers who have been left out of pocket by the closure.
One disgruntled student took out a £7,000 loan to pay for a course at the Chandler’s Ford centre just two weeks ago, but has now been told he must go to Watford if he wants to complete it.
The student said: “This is no good to people who paid to train at Chandler’s Ford. We had no idea this would happen and surely we should get this money back.”
In a statement to students on its website, NCS said: “The Chandler’s Ford centre has been closed but the Watford and Doncaster training centres will continue to operate as normal whilst the joint administrators seek a buyer for the business.
“Current training courses will remain as scheduled with any students who would normally attend the Chandler’s Ford centre going into Watford instead.”