Culinary courses axed at University of Derby's Buxton campus

It was reported in The Advertiser in 2019 that the Buxton campus would be stopping courses in hospitality, tourism and events management and students relocated to the Derby campus from 2020.

36-hour thunderstorm warning issued for High Peak

Now as the university year has finished, the culinary arts students will be making the same move in September 2021 and the course will no longer be run from the Devonshire Dome in Buxton.

A University of Derby spokesperson said: “We have a long history of culinary and hospitality courses in the High Peak area that can be traced back to our links with High Peak College, which had a reputation internationally for delivering high-quality provision.

"Although the university will no longer be offering culinary arts degree programmes in Buxton, we continue to see strong demand by applicants for the vocational culinary and hospitality courses we offer at Buxton and Leek College, which is part of the university group.

"This may be linked to anticipated growth in the industry as we come out of the pandemic and the continued desire from students looking to enter this rewarding

and challenging profession.”

The university state the decision to stop the courses is reflecting a shift within these sectors to more industry-led qualifications which has led to a steady decline in student numbers over recent years.

The Grade II listed Devonshire Dome where classes take place will still be the home of the spa management and outdoor courses in Buxton until 2022 but once all current students have graduated these courses will also be moved out of Buxton.

Professor Malcolm Todd, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Derby, spoke about the future of the Dome when the news was announced previously.

He said: “We need to work in partnership with local stakeholders to seek out appropriate opportunities for using the Devonshire Dome, which has significant potential to attract more high profile national and international events, and the university is developing an ambitious plan to achieve this.”

The university insisted it was committed to the town and Buxton and Leek College, which has been part of the university since 2013.

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