Is this end for UCOL degree?

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Wanganui may be losing its UCOL fashion degree course.

The polytechnic won't be offering the first year of the degree course for 2014 because interest in fashion has been low.

Competition from other fashion courses and a lack of jobs in the field is the reason for the drop in appeal, UCOL said.

The students who did want to study fashion have been offered places in other arts and design programmes in Wanganui.

Asked by the Chronicle why students who wanted to study fashion design would want to go into other arts disciplines, Whanganui UCOL associate dean creative programmes Katrina Langdon said: "Creative people can be interested in a range of different mediums.

"Interestingly, often people find it hard to choose between subjects and degrees as they have a range of interests."

UCOL said more than half of those considering design contacted have indicated they will weigh these other options.

Ms Langdon said there was a fashion or design component in the alternatives, and UCOL was working with staff to develop some of the components that were to be taught this year.

There are no job losses yet.

"We have not yet reached the point where there is identification or consultation around potential job losses. The situation is helped somewhat by a few recent resignations," she said.

"[There had been] patchy level of interest in fashion programmes, interest diluted perhaps by the fact that now most polytechnics offer some fashion qualifications.

"In addition, jobs within the fashion industry can be hard to come by and the focus seems to be more on trades and science these days. We will be looking at what has affected market demand and possible changes."

The writing appeared to be on the wall for the degree programme back in November when it was stated there would be no leader in the fashion school in 2014.

Concerns were expressed at the November cutbacks protest about marketing of the course.

One staff member said he had asked management during the previous two years to advertise and promote the programmes, but that had not been done.

Ms Langdon said this enrolment season UCOL's specific marketing around fashion was quite good and an improvement on what it had done before.

UCOL outlined its marketing for 2014 which included online, through radio networks, print media including magazines, at career expos in Gisborne, Hamilton, Wellington and Taranaki, the Coke expo, in a national television campaign, and the back of a bus in Wanganui.

UCOL offers a three-year Bachelor of Fashion degree and a one-year graduate diploma in fashion.