Uni job cuts can affect reputation – Watchdog

High profile announcements about job cuts in universities can affect the reputation of the region, the major Watchdogs of the new universities of Wales say.

MEDR’s Chief Executive, Simon Pirote, which was launched to oversee the post -16 education last year, says there is a lot to proud, but the current attention is on “challenges and problems”.

Earlier this year, Cardiff University announced a plan to cut 400 educational jobs and other Welsh institutions also said that they would demand excesses to balance books.

Mr. Pirote said he was worried that he was “a university falling in the near future” despite “very challenging” circumstances.

Mr. Pirote was speaking before the launch of Medra’s first strategic plan, eight months after being established in August 2024.

With a budget of £ 960M, it has taken responsibility for the financing and regulation of the sixth forms of the school along with universities, further education and training.

The Welsh government has tasked Madrar to see that eight universities of Cardiff University have been offered by eight universities of Cardiff University, as it plans to cut the entire departments including nursing, modern languages ​​and music.

Mr. Pirote said that it was possible that universities could get more money to teach some subjects that could be a threat to completely disappear in Wales.

He said that Medra did not have the powers to tell a university that “you cannot remove the subject X or you have to do the subject y” but it could advise the government that a subject could be “weak”.

He said that it can raise questions about “what we want as a nation”.

“Are we comfortable that some provisions may not be available in Wales and if Welsh learners or other learners want to access them that they will need to go to an area outside Wales?” He said.

“Or do we think those things are of strategic or cultural importance to us in Wales, in which, what can we do in terms of encouraging the provision and ensuring that it is still for the future?”

Further and Higher Education Minister Vicky Howels has also asked Medra to investigate the impact of the competition law on universities – “We are interested in cooperation and working together, but obviously the competition should be done within the spirit of law”, Mr. Pirote said.

Asked if he was worried whether recent announcements about job cuts in universities were damaging the reputation of higher education, he said: “I am worried because I think I think there is a lot of discussion around the challenges and problems at this time.

“A lot that we can really be proud that Wales is getting in the later area of ​​16 and is actually a former -16.”

Universities have stated that they are facing significant deficit and Mr. Pirote admitted that the circumstances were really, really challenging “.

He said that the university was “taking transformational action to ensure that they have long -term stability”.

A counseling process on Cardiff University’s plans will end on 6 May, while Bangore University is taking advice from its employees about proposals to cut 200 jobs.

The University of South Wales said that 90 educational jobs can go after setting up a plan to cut the posts of 160 professional services.

It has discontinued some subjects in some fields including fashion, marketing, film and TV and business.

Other universities have also announced a plan to save costs amidst the increase in cost and the fall in income from international students.