A PRINCIPAL last night vowed to try to find work for staff at risk of losing their jobs when a college, split over four campuses, moves to a single site in September.

Public sector union Unison, says up to 20 people could lose their jobs through the decision of Middlesbrough College not to provide a nursery at its flagship Middlehaven site, in Middlesbrough.

There are nursery facilities at Marton and Kirby, two of the campuses which will close with the move.

Unison regional officer Dorothy Tokat said: "As a trade union, we are obviously concerned that the closure of the two nurseries could result in about 20 staff losing their jobs and we will be fighting this.

"However, the issue of nursery provision is much wider. We believe that this decision will have a major detrimental effect on those who wish to return to learn.

"The impact will be felt hardest by female parents who wish to access education or continue to work. We have been in consultation with management for some weeks now, but to date there has been no change in their position.'' The union is calling on staff, students and members of the public to protest the closures.

College principal John Hogg said when the college first provided a nursery in the early to mid-Nineties, it was in response to a dearth of registered childcare spaces.

He said: "The situation has changed over the years, and now the supply of registered childcare exceeds demand and the situation is such there are more spaces available than demand.

"The situation for us is made even more difficult by the fact we have been subsidising the nursery.

We can only get our own nursery capacity up to 75 per cent because we don't have the demand for it."

He added: "I am in charge of public funds and I have to make a decision on priorities.

"We are not depriving students of funding and we will still be providing information and guidance on a range of childcare provision - and for those students entitled to it, we will be paying childcare costs.

"There are a good number of opportunities for good childcare provision around the college, on people's travel to learn routes."

As for job losses, Mr Hogg said: "We are moving from four sites to one. In some areas of the college administration there will be opportunities for re-development.

"We are striving our utmost to redeploy where feasible.''