Scores of students fear they could be left in limbo after a college announced it has scrapped courses across five subjects.

Nearly 100 students have been told that the courses they had registered for at Ashford College in Jemmett Road in September will not be going ahead.

The five subject areas include ICT, hospitality and catering, early years and childcare, business admin and law, and health and care.

The Hadlow College group, which runs the courses in Ashford, says they will be temporarily closed because of a lack of demand.

But catering student Faye Price, 17, says the decision will leave her facing bigger costs to find courses elsewhere.

She said: "They’ve told us that they have not got enough staff and not got enough students for the courses, but in my opinion they are building the new college in town and are probably saving money for that.

"I went for an interview at the college and had been referred to go there to study and had been accepted onto the course, so when they told me it was to be cancelled I was really angry.

"My parents were fuming, they couldn’t believe it. Lots of other students have already gone out to buy equipment for the course.

"It leaves me lost. My school doesn’t offer the course for sixth form and now I need to find somewhere else.

"I might could have to go to Folkestone or Canterbury and fork out money to travel there and back, it’s going to cost me quite a bit more."

A college spokesman said: "These courses are not running due to a low number of applicants, but, where viable, we plan to reintroduce some of them next year in the state-of-the-art new building at Elwick Road.

"We are a business, we have to be cost-effective and apply a sensible and sustainable business model to ensure we thrive and respond to both student and industry demand.

"Some courses are expensive to run as they require substantial equipment and technical support, so they need an average of 14 students to warrant running it.”

The spokesman said student places could be offered at the West Kent College campus and staff would also be relocated there. Meanwhile careers advice would remain available at Ashford for those affected.

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