UHI Perth aviation students say they had the “rug pulled from under our feet” after the collapse of a training firm linked to the university.
Air Service Training (Engineering) Limited (AST) went into administration last month and no definite buyer has been found.
Concerned students hoping to become aircraft engineers and pilots now fear their time spent at UHI Perth could be worthless.
AST was founded in 1931 and has trained more than 190,000 engineers and pilots.
It was a wholly owned subsidiary of UHI Perth until its collapse.
On Friday, we revealed the firm owed £1 million before going bust.
Samuel Hughes, 19, is a first-year student fearing for what lies ahead.
‘Thrown into the deep end’
“It’s an unsettling time,” he told The Courier.
“We’ve been thrown into the deep end.
“It’s like we’ve had the rug pulled out from under our feet.”
Samuel moved to Perth specifically for the course and is not sure what to do next.
“I’m trying to work out where I’ll be after the summer, and trying to sort out housing,” he said.
“We’ve missed a lot of the closing times to apply for other apprenticeships or courses, which makes it even trickier for us.”
The uncertainty surrounding AST’s future isn’t the only headache for UHI Perth’s under-fire leadership.
We reported in April that the university was considering cutting degrees entirely to tackle a £2 million deficit.
Principal Margaret Cook quit with immediate effect last week after calls to resign.
Samuel criticised UHI Perth’s response to the collapse of AST.
Bosses were previously branded “utterly disastrous” for failing to respond when they were warned about the aviation firm’s financial difficulties seven months earlier.
“Until it became public knowledge, they seemed fairly relaxed about it,” Samuel said.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s been very well-managed at all.
“It does seem like they’ve left everything to the last minute.”
‘Stuck in limbo’
Another aviation student, who spoke to The Courier anonymously, said the uncertainty has hit morale.
“We’re stuck in limbo,” the student said. “We don’t know if studying’s going to be worth it.”
“There’s a shared lack of motivation.
“There’s been a thin veil of dishonesty.”
We reported last month that 49 companies had shown an interest in buying AST.
But as of yet, no deal has been agreed.
A third student said there are no alternatives in Scotland if the course cannot continue.
“We’re very unsure what to do, and what’s the best way to continue,” the student said.
The student took aim at university management for failing to communicate the seriousness of the problem.
“I would have done something else if I had known,” they said.
“I don’t understand how they let this go hidden for so long, and then go ‘whoopsies’.”
A spokesperson for UHI Perth said: “Supporting our staff and our students through the closure of AST continues to be our priority.
“We have worked with Henderson Loggie, the administrator, to support positive student outcomes for impacted parties wherever possible.”
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