{"id":21986,"date":"2025-01-28T20:12:33","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T20:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/university-confirms-plans-to-cut-400-jobs\/"},"modified":"2025-01-28T20:12:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T20:12:33","slug":"university-confirms-plans-to-cut-400-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/university-confirms-plans-to-cut-400-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"University confirms plans to cut 400 jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The university has confirmed it is planning to cut hundreds of jobs and to close some courses <\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Cardiff University has confirmed plans to cut 400 full-time jobs amid a funding shortfall.<\/p>\n

The cost-cutting proposals could also involve course closures, as well as department mergers, with nursing, music and modern languages among the subjects facing cuts.<\/p>\n

The Cardiff University and College Union (UCU) called the measures “cruel and unnecessary” and said it would fight plans for compulsory redundancies.<\/p>\n

The university said it would only make compulsory redundancies “if absolutely necessary”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner defended the decision to cut jobs, saying the university would have become “untenable” without drastic reforms.<\/p>\n

The job role cuts are only a proposal, she said, but insisted the university needed to “take difficult decisions” due to the declining international student applications and increasing cost pressures. <\/p>\n

Prof Larner said the university is not alone in its financial struggles, with most UK universities grappling with the “broken” funding system. <\/p>\n

She acknowledged that the news would have been “challenging and difficult” for staff to hear, but added that all students on current degrees at the university would be able to complete their degrees. <\/p>\n

Dr Joey Whitfield from Cardiff UCU said they were “absolutely shell shocked” by the “cruel and unnecessary” cuts. <\/p>\n

“I’ve had colleagues in tears. They’ll damage our members, our students, the city, and Wales as a whole,” he added. <\/p>\n

He said union members “are prepared to fight any compulsory redundancies tooth and nail”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Cardiff University is the largest in Wales, and a member of the Russell Group<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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A Welsh government spokesperson said they were “very disappointed that nursing courses form part of these proposals” and that it was “working urgently” to ensure the same number of nurses are trained in Wales. <\/p>\n

They said they understood “the serious concern” the announcement will cause. <\/p>\n

“Universities across the UK are facing a challenging financial period due to a range of factors and we expect all institutions to work with trade unions, staff and students on any proposals,” they added.<\/p>\n

The Royal College of Nursing said the proposal to shut the school of nursing “has the potential to threaten the pipeline of registered nurses into the largest health board in Wales”. <\/p>\n

Ruth Jones MP, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, compared the job cuts to a “canary in a coalmine” for the severe financial pressures facing universities across the UK. <\/p>\n

“It is not only academics and students who will suffer from these cuts, but the wider community in south Wales,” Ms Jones added. <\/p>\n

Conservative Senedd member Natasha Asghar MS, said she feared “that these concerns will be repeated across our universities in Wales”.<\/p>\n

Plaid Cymru’s education spokesperson, Cefin Campbell MS said the job losses would have “a devastating impact”, damaging Wales’ “reputation as a nation of learning”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The subjects and programmes being cut also include ancient history and religion and theology.<\/p>\n

The university said the proposals would also include the following subject mergers:<\/p>\n