Another Welsh university announces job cuts

Martin Shipton

The financial crisis facing Higher Education in Wales has struck another blow, with the University of Wales Trinity St David launching a voluntary severance scheme.

Staff were told in meetings addressed by Vice Chancellor Professor Elwen Evans that the university – which is spread between Carmarthen, Lampeter, Swansea and Cardiff, as well as London and Birmingham – needs to save £6m by the end of the academic year 2026-27.

A document distributed by the university to staff on April 27 states: “The Higher Education sector in both Wales and across the wider UK continues to face significant and increasing challenges. “As a university we are not immune to these challenges. As outlined in the recent Vice Chancellor’s Assemblies, the external environment is becoming more challenging and we must continue to be alert and responsible. This means taking steps now to manage our cost base, so that we can achieve greater financial resilience and sustainability.

“In this context, the university, regrettably, has no choice but to seek to reduce payroll costs. As a result the university has taken an exceptional decision to offer a one off enhanced phased Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS) for a limited period of time.”

The document goes on to state that the scheme applies to staff employed within the following areas of the university: Finance, INSPIRE, Planning, Student Services, the Institute of Inner City Learning, the Institute of Education and Humanities, the Institute of Management and Health and the Wales Institute of Science and Art.

INSPIRE is a core professional support unit at UWTSD responsible for driving research, innovation, commercialisation, enterprise, and civic engagement across the university.

The scheme opened on April 27 and will remain open for three weeks. Those approved will get an enhanced redundancy payment of six months pay. The first £30,000 of any redundancy payment will be tax free.

A source in the Welsh Higher Education sector said: “This news reflects the economic pressure on the sector. The bigger picture is that the current university funding model is broken and universities across the country will continue shedding jobs until the Welsh Government gets real on student fees.

“The situation is not helped by visa restrictions on international students. This has switched off a lucrative tap for bigger universities, and they are now fishing in the same domestic pond as smaller universities. The HE market is now far more competitive as a consequence. Mergers are inevitable, although that’s not an immediate concern. They’ll cut all they can first.”

Other Welsh universities are also making cuts. In January 2025 Cardiff University told more than 1300 academics they were at risk of redundancy with Schools including Nursing and Music earmarked for closure. Later, following a campaign led by the University and College Union, the plans were modified.

Bangor University is set to cut approximately 200 jobs as part of a £15m initiative to address financial challenges. The university has announced a voluntary redundancy scheme, but the possibility of compulsory redundancies has not been ruled out.

Consultative ballot

Meanwhile members of the University and College Union (UCU) are holding a consultative ballot to see if there is support for industrial action against 200 job cuts proposed by the University of South Wales.

In a letter to union members at the university, the UCU branch committee recommends a Yes vote. The ballot runs until May 6.

The Welsh Government is not commenting on matters of political controversy during the pre-election period.