FutureCol on the move in Hastings

Bharat Guha, chief executive of FutureCol, is planning a move closer to the centre of Hastings. Photo/File

FutureCol students will be happy to move to a new Hastings campus next year, says chief executive Bharat Guha.

The tertiary training establishment is currently on Ellison Rd, an industrial part of Hastings, and is planning a move to Avenue Rd East, once the home of NZ Aerial Mapping. A resource consent for change-of-use has been filed with Hastings District Council.

"Where we are has been a fantastic location but international and domestic students like to be closer to town," Mr Guha said.

It will also enable new kitchens to be built, with a new patisserie course offered next year.

At the recent Salon Culinaire competition in Auckland, FutureCol students returned with five gold medals, three silver and three bronze.

It has 160 students, nearly half domestic, and is expecting another 40 students by the end of the year.

The move for the expanding institution comes at a time when three private training establishments specialising in business courses shut down their Hastings campus: Abacus Institute of Studies, Royal Business College and Aspire2.

An Abacus Hastings tutor said the campus was closing down because of dwindling numbers.

Royal managing director Jimmy Royal did not respond to a request for comment.

Aspire2 used FutureCol as its Hastings campus, a carryover from when they were part of the NTEC group of private training establishments. In 2015 NTEC was bought by multibillion-dollar Australian private equity firm Archer Capital.

NTEC became part of Aspire2 Group.

FutureCol was not part of the purchase but continued teaching NIE students.

Aspire2 chief executive Claire Bradley said after the acquisition NTEC continued marketing and recruiting international students for FutureCol, including the courses delivered on behalf of NIE.

She said the marketing and recruitment ceased before she became chief executive in September last year which meant numbers dwindled and the arrangement was ended "because it is not any longer very economic for FutureCol to meet those costs".

The remaining NIE students have been offered places in other campuses once their courses are completed. Students could study in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington or Christchurch.

"We will would work with them on the variation and the condition of their visa."

Mr Guha said despite three training organisations leaving Hawke's Bay "FutureCol is here for the long term".

Future Col will be offering its Level 2 hospitality programme at Wharekai, a community kitchen in Flaxmere from September 24.

"Our strategy is to engage more and more with our local community."

Mr Guha said FutureCol would like to develop its own business programmes but did not wish to compete with EIT, the predominant business training organisation in Hawke's Bay.