An independent training provider has entered liquidation – making 30 teachers redundant and potentially leaving up to 100 students with nowhere to study.
Ridgemond Training Limited (RTL) has been forced to shut down its centre in Campus Five, Letchworth GC, and its courses at a premises in Caxton Way, Stevenage, after Government funding was removed. Another site in Luton has also closed.
The three sites provided alternative education for students of all ages in vocational subjects such as carpentry, plumbing and electrics.
RTL filed for liquidation last week and told the Comet that 30 staff members have been made redundant and between 75-100 students will be affected across the three sites.
Daniel Knight, of Langthorne Avenue in Stevenage, was eight months into a year-long City and Guilds bricklaying diploma course before it was discontinued.
The 18-year-old has been advised, along with his classmates, to take up training courses at the Stevenage Skills Centre. He said: “The last we heard was that we were going to get some new teachers in after we had a week off. I went there last week and was told by the one person I could see that everyone had been sacked.
“This could have a massive impact on my future career and even mean all mine and my fellow students’ hard work over the last eight months has been a waste of time. It’s a massive company so they must have seen this coming – why weren’t we given any warning?”
A spokesman for RTL said: “The company has faced significant challenges in recent months, including declining numbers of people enrolling on its programmes and, without a funding stream from Government, the business is not sustainable.
“Existing programmes have unfortunately ceased and we are in dialogue with the Education Funding Agency (EFA) to help provide a transfer of tuition for students to other local providers.”
Ridgemond Training Enterprises – a separate company to Richmond Training Limited – continues to operate facilities at the Stevenage site and delivers provision for school pupils aged between 14-16, the unemployed and private businesses.
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