CIT students at the new Woden CIT campus. CIT said it was working to ensure students could continue their studies without disruption. Photo: Woden CIT.
The cash-strapped Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) is calling for expressions of interest in voluntary redundancies from its workforce as part of new plans to put the struggling organisation on a firmer and more sustainable footing.
It is one of several cost-saving measures in its new Sustainable Workforce Program, including deferring new hires and not renewing contracts, and it covers all permanent staff across the organisation. As yet, there are no targets.
CIT was also considering a future overhaul of its organisational structure but did not say whether it was considering cutting courses or merging branches.
The teachers union said the development was deeply concerning.
CIT said that like many public sector organisations, it was managing ongoing financial and operational pressures.
A spokesperson said the program would also include a closer review of all proposed vacancies, a review of fixed-term contracts and contractor engagements and workshops, with the Executive Management Committee to develop a proposed future organisational structure.
“This program is entirely voluntary and no staff will be required to apply or be made compulsorily redundant,” the spokesperson said.
“All permanent staff at CIT are eligible to apply, unless they have already resigned or provided notice of retirement.”
Expressions of interest would be considered against CIT’s operational and educational requirements.
Consultation with staff and unions had commenced, in accordance with the relevant Enterprise Agreement provisions.
“The Board and Executive are committed to supporting students throughout this process and CIT is working to ensure students can continue their studies without disruption, including through the delivery of classes, assessments and student support services,” CIT said.
“The CIT Board has a responsibility to students, staff, industry partners and ACT taxpayers to ensure the organisation remains sustainable and well positioned to meet future education and workforce needs.
“The Sustainable Workforce Program is intended to support that long-term objective while maintaining CIT’s focus on the delivery of quality education and training, delivering on the CIT 10-year strategic plan.”
Skills, Training and Industrial Relations Minister Michael Pettersson says the government continues to invest in CIT. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
CIT did not respond to a question about whether it has sought extra funding from the ACT Government.
The 2025 Annual Report showed the operating deficit for the year ending December 2025 had blown out to $28 million, $7 million worse than the 2024 result.
It said CIT had 533 permanent full-time positions and 130 permanent part-time staff.
Skills, Training and Industrial Relations Minister Michael Pettersson said CIT had advised its intention to cut costs, including seeking voluntary redundancies.
Mr Pettersson said CIT operations, including employment matters, were managed by the CIT executive and governed by the independent Board.
Mr Pettersson did not respond when asked if CIT had sought a financial top-up, only saying he engaged regularly with CIT on matters relating to their financial sustainability.
“The government continues to invest in CIT to ensure it can deliver public vocational education and training to Canberrans,” he said.
“This includes additional investment in the 2026-27 Budget, including to upgrade ICT infrastructure through the Cloud Campus project, supporting the new Woden Campus, and progressing the EV Centre of Excellence.”
The belt-tightening has come while the embattled CEO Dr Margot McNeill remains on leave with no return date specified.
In the meantime, the Board under chair Tom Rogers was stepping into the breach.
The CIT spokesperson said the Board was taking a more active role in several organisational matters, including those that would ordinarily require CEO approval, to ensure the Institute continued to operate effectively.
The recruitment process for a Deputy CEO had been finalised, and an announcement would be made in the coming days.
CEO Dr Margot McNeill is still on leave. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
Australian Education Union ACT Branch president Angela Burroughs said the cost-cutting move would be deeply concerning for many staff.
Ms Burroughs said members had been raising concerns for some time that CIT’s staffing profile has become increasingly unbalanced, with too many resources directed away from frontline teaching.
“If this process genuinely rebalances the workforce so that more resources are focused on delivering high-quality vocational education and training, that will go some way to addressing concerns our members have consistently raised,” she said.
Ms Burroughs said members had been clear that this program must not compromise the quality of education or the diversity of offerings at CIT.
CPSU Regional Secretary, Maddy Northam said the public sector union was deeply disturbed by the announcement.
“The ACT Government should be investing in our public vocational education system, not slashing jobs,” she said.
“Canberrans should feel confident that we have a well-resourced CIT. But with a brand-new campus in Woden, the government needs to tell us if there will be enough staff and students to fill it?”
Ms Northam said the Barr Government had created new measures to make it easier for government agencies to make workers redundant.
“And they are using these measures with abundance: first the City and Environment Directorate and now CIT. Enough is enough,” she said.
“Chief Minister Andrew Barr must intervene and stop the cuts.
“What happens to all the work left behind when redundancies occur? Those remaining will have to pick up the load.
“It’s not fair on members, it’s not fair on workers and it isn’t fair on students.”
Independent MLA Thomas Emerson said any redundancies should not target CIT’s teaching workforce, which declined by 68 positions in the last decade while 58 additional staff were added at the senior and executive management level.
Mr Emerson said costs had risen by 38 per cent in that time while program enrolments had dropped by 40 per cent.
“In the last year alone, CIT has cut popular fitness classes for seniors, almost doubled the cost of its highly regarded remedial massage program, and discontinued a critical language education offering for college students,” he said.
“While cutting programs and increasing fees, CIT sent 39 staff to an interstate conference at a likely cost of around $100,000.”
Mr Emerson said it was unclear how some of the decisions CIT has made over the last decade aligned with its core mission of providing high-quality training and education opportunities for Canberrans.
“CIT needs to refocus its expenditure on successful program delivery, rebuilding the Institute’s reputation and improving completion rates,” he said.
