New Bermuda College vice president Dr. Larita Alford's bid to boost enrolment could hit the buffers in 2002 when high school students will be given the chance to continue for another year before leaving.

She said: "We have to have a plan in place and we will look at getting that going in the next few months.'' Education Minister Milton Scott refused to say how the college would cope if recruitment dropped off.

He said: "I am not prepared to go into what happens then.

"The college will send a budget and we will look at it accordingly.'' He pointed out that some students took a year off after high school and might therefore boost numbers for the 2002 intake at the college, while Dr. Alford noted enrolment from private schools would continue as normal.

She said the proportion of males signing up for courses was disappointing and needed to be tackled, but noted the trend reflected that of North America.

Courses could be tailored to attract boys, continued Dr. Alford.

She said: "I will do some research and target programmes to attract males.

Maybe we will go into schools and do surveys and find out what young men want to do.

"It could be stuff like turf grass management, horticulture and agriculture stuff that is more outside, doing what males like to do.'' But she said further research would be done with the business community to ensure programmes were not teaching skills for which there was no demand.

"The whole point is to get people to be productive employees,'' she said.

Other priorities for Dr. Alford, who started work as vice president on July 1, are increasing the number of degrees offered at the college and getting the college accreditation to attract overseas students and ensure skills taught at Bermuda College are recognised abroad.

Dr. Alford refused to be drawn into the controversy sparked by outgoing vice president Dr. Donald Peters who said the college employed lazy time servers because the politically-appointed board was too timid to sack them.