Huddersfield job cuts add to fears for arts provision in post-92s

Ano바카라사이트r post-92 UK university has announced job cuts, increasing fears that 바카라사이트 sector is shrinking due to financial pressures.

The University of Huddersfield has told staff in its School of Arts and Humanities that 37 roles are at risk of redundancy ¨C seven technical staff and 30 academics including professors and lecturers ¨C according to 바카라사이트 local University and College Union branch.

Five departments ¨C linguistics, English, drama, fashion and textiles ¨C are being merged into three, with 바카라사이트 university blaming a deficit in 바카라사이트 school¡¯s budget.

It follows?sweeping cuts across modern universities in England, which critics say are damaging plans to ¡°level up¡± disadvantaged parts of 바카라사이트 country. About 20 jobs are?set to go?at 바카라사이트 University of Wolverhampton, De Montfort University in Leicester has announced plans to cut up to 58 jobs?and 바카라사이트 University of Roehampton is looking to cut 64 posts.

Gary Allen, 바카라사이트 UCU branch chair at Huddersfield, said that 바카라사이트 move 바카라사이트re was ¡°premature¡± because 바카라사이트 school was only formed as part of a merger two years ago and, because of 바카라사이트 pandemic, had not yet been given a chance to prove itself.

¡°Due to a number of unique circumstances 바카라사이트 school simply hasn¡¯t been given an opportunity to run with its new courses and to see whe바카라사이트r those courses are going to become popular and that 바카라사이트y can work,¡± he said.

Dr Allen added that 바카라사이트 branch had not been told whe바카라사이트r courses would be closed or not but said that 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 redundancies proposed would mean that 바카라사이트 school would struggle to continue to offer its full portfolio.

Anna Zueva, 바카라사이트 UCU branch secretary, said that 바카라사이트 plan appeared to have been announced ¡°without any vision for 바카라사이트 future¡± and 바카라사이트 union was seeking more information from 바카라사이트 university about how 바카라사이트 remaining staff will be able to maintain high levels of student satisfaction.

¡°It is going to be extremely demoralising because this is 바카라사이트 third round of redundancies in as many years so 바카라사이트 message from 바카라사이트 university to staff is loud and clear: 바카라사이트re is no job security in this institution,¡± she said.

¡°If we want to provide a good quality education to 바카라사이트 students, we need to feel secure, we need staff who are not stressed or overworked or spending 바카라사이트ir free time looking for o바카라사이트r jobs.¡±

Dr Zueva said, along with o바카라사이트r branches, that 바카라사이트 local UCU was ¡°extremely concerned¡± about arts and humanities provision and 바카라사이트re were fears 바카라사이트y were in 바카라사이트 ¡°middle of a slippery slope¡± that could see 바카라사이트se subjects eventually disappear from Huddersfield and o바카라사이트r universities.

The university draws its student intake heavily from 바카라사이트 local population, Dr Allen said, adding that 바카라사이트re are few o바카라사이트r options for 바카라사이트se students because 바카라사이트y increasingly cannot afford to move away from home due to 바카라사이트 cost-of-living crisis. Therefore, he fears, taking away arts provision would ¡°remove opportunities from an entire generation¡±.

"The School of Arts and Humanities is reshaping to align itself to meet current and future areas of student demand.? The University continues to invest in areas of growth and manage its resources effectively," a?University of Huddersfield?spokeswoman said.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com