Cardiff College 400 job cuts ‘threaten provide of nurses’

Job cuts at Cardiff College “threaten the provision of nursing” in Welsh well being boards, a union chief has warned.

The college has confirmed plans to cut 400 full-time jobs amid a funding shortfall, with proposals involving course closures, and division mergers, with nursing, music and trendy languages among the many topics going through cuts.

Helen Whyley, govt director of the Royal School of Nursing Wales, advised PJDM Radio Wales Breakfast the proposals have been “worrying.”

Lecturers have begun receiving letters advising them their publish is in danger and providing hyperlinks to help – though the college has stated it might solely make obligatory redundancies “if completely essential”.

Ms Whyley stated the college has a “vital pipeline” in delivering nurses to well being boards in south Wales.

“The Welsh authorities by way of Well being Schooling Enchancment Wales commissions nursing training and funds the colleges to try this, and it is one in every of our largest suppliers,” she stated.

“It has a college of nicely over 1,000 college students in order that’s a big quantity that come out yearly.

“At a time the place we now have a big variety of nursing vacancies, it would not take a mathematician to work out the scholars that come by way of Cardiff College are an important contribution into that pipeline,” she stated.

Ms Whyley stated the cuts would additionally have an effect on the way forward for nursing teachers.

She added that hospitals in Wales have been wanting 2,000 nurses and whereas the quantity was beginning to lower “hospitals are nonetheless in a really troublesome place”.

Following Tuesday’s announcement, Cardiff lecturers started receiving letters from the college informing them of the deliberate modifications.

They learn partially: “Please see hooked up a replica of your notification of session letter advising that your publish is prone to redundancy and offering hyperlinks to help accessible for you throughout this time of change. Additionally hooked up are the proposals for change in your faculty.”

On Tuesday Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner stated the college would have turn out to be “untenable” with out drastic reforms.

She stated the job position cuts have been solely a proposal, however insisted the college needed to “take troublesome selections” amid declining worldwide pupil purposes and growing price pressures, and most UK universities have been grappling with a “damaged” funding system.

Elsewhere, Swansea College stated it must make £30m of cuts by the 2026/27 monetary yr regardless of greater than 300 workers members leaving since September 2023.

The college’s annual report, printed this week, stated it had made £8.5m in financial savings by way of voluntary redundancies on this monetary yr.

However they acknowledged they are going to lengthen their present monetary financial savings programme for an extra yr and elevated the extent of expenditure financial savings by £30 million.

Swansea College told Newyddion S4C: “Even taking the extra financial savings required under consideration, we’re assured that we are going to meet our tutorial pay financial savings targets this yr by way of emptiness administration and our Voluntary Exit Scheme (VES) and may keep away from obligatory redundancies referring to our monetary place.”

Plaid Cymru training spokesperson Cefin Campbell stated the information of Cardiff job cuts was met with “deafening silence” by the Welsh authorities.

He challenged the Welsh authorities to elucidate “what they knew and when” about Cardiff’s plans and known as on the college to urgently rethink its proposals.

A Welsh authorities spokesperson stated it was “very dissatisfied that nursing programs kind a part of these proposals” and that it was “working urgently” to make sure the identical variety of nurses have been skilled in Wales.

A press release shared by Cardiff College Scholar Union president Madison Hutchinson stated: “We need to categorical our unwavering help with all college students, and solidarity to workers who could also be impacted.”