Melbourne Uni sacks horticultural college staff

Melbourne University has sent redundancy notices to its 25 staff at the McMillan horticultural college campuses at Warragul and Leongatha.

The university announced last year that it would pull out of managing horticultural colleges in regional areas across Victoria.

Courses in Gippsland will be delivered next year by private operators.

The head of the McMillan Campus, Sylvia Vagg, says it has been a difficult time for academic and administrative staff at the college.

"Even as late as last week being acknowledged as one of the premier providers, as a group it's a fairly difficult situation to find yourself in when the group's been cut in half and, well less than half, one-third, two-thirds and presented with the situation that you won't be working together as a team."

Ms Vagg says academic and administration staff have continued to look after students despite the redundancies.

"It's fairly difficult, it's drawing on their resources of supporting industry no matter who has the job and I'm very pleased to say that most of them have shown a heap of professionalism through this process to try and maintain the things that need to be maintained to keep industry going."