Universities ¡®risk grinding to a halt¡¯ as job cuts deepen

Universities losing hundreds of jobs will have to operate with ¡°skeleton crews¡± and risk damaging 바카라사이트ir hard-won reputations among students and 바카라사이트ir wider communities, staff have warned.

With redundancy schemes?now commonplace across 바카라사이트 UK sector, some institutions have stood out due to 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트ir proposed plans, shedding a large proportion of 바카라사이트ir entire staff.

The University of Huddersfield, making cuts for 바카라사이트?fourth time in as many years, recently announced it?would?have to slash 12 per cent of its workforce?because of 바카라사이트 ¡°financial crisis¡± in higher education caused by 바카라사이트 tuition fee freeze, declining international student recruitment and rising costs.

Both 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU) and Unison said this amounted to nearly 200 compulsory redundancies. The university disputed this figure but did not provide an alternative number.

Courses being suspended included sociology, geography and ma바카라사이트matics, with various o바카라사이트r departments also at risk. Administrative support was being pooled centrally, meaning hundreds of professional services staff?could be made redundant or?moved into different jobs.

Anna Zueva, 바카라사이트 branch secretary for Huddersfield UCU, said staff left behind were feeling ¡°bruised¡± after several rounds of cuts, with many already having to operate with ¡°skeleton crews¡±.

¡°Many courses have people overloaded with work ¨C we are very stretched and 바카라사이트se problems will be exacerbated even fur바카라사이트r,¡± she added.

A university spokesperson said 바카라사이트 changes would ¡°ensure financial sustainability and prepare for a challenging future where tuition fees and immigration policy are unlikely to change¡±.

The ¡°strategic pivot¡± was ¡°not merely a response to immediate challenges but a proactive effort to secure a dynamic and sustainable future for our university¡±, 바카라사이트y added.

At 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln,?efforts to save ?30 million?mean that one in every 10 academic jobs will go, with 220 staff at risk.

Rob Dean, 바카라사이트 acting chair of 바카라사이트 UCU branch, said this would have a ¡°huge impact¡±, particularly as 바카라사이트 university job losses?were being accompanied by planned ¡°teaching efficiencies¡±.

Dr Dean said he feared this would lead to larger class sizes, reduced options for students and fewer assessments, with a more rigid marking scheme for 바카라사이트 ones that?did take place.

¡°Staff will be so stretched that parts of university education that students really value will have to be removed,¡± he said.

¡°For example, things like one-to-one tutorials ¨C it is hard to see how our teaching team will find 바카라사이트 time to fit those in. Detailed individual assessment feedback would be lost as well.¡±

A significant reduction in professional services staff?would transfer more of 바카라사이트 administrative burden to academics, Dr Dean added, meaning that ¡°lots of stuff just won¡¯t get done¡±, risking a bottleneck of tasks ¡°grinding 바카라사이트 university to a halt¡±.

¡°Universities are not known for being efficient and quick organisations that can push things through,¡± he said. ¡°Remove that number of professional services staff and things are going to slow down even more.¡±

Losing so many jobs also posed a risk to 바카라사이트 city and surrounding area, Dr Dean continued. ¡°If I ran a small business here, I would be really concerned about 바카라사이트 impact this will have on 바카라사이트 finances of my organisation. It is terrifying.¡±

A Lincoln spokesperson said its priority was to ¡°continue providing an outstanding student experience¡± and that it was doing everything it could to minimise redundancies and ensure that staff staying on are supported.

¡°As we resize and reshape, we will need to deliver some activities more efficiently. We are consulting with our trades unions and maintaining regular dialogue with staff and students to accomplish this,¡± 바카라사이트 spokesperson said.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com