Image: National Assembly for Wales [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Funding forms part of £50m pot for universities and colleges to help save jobs
Universities in Wales can apply for part of a £27 million Covid-19 support package announced by the Welsh government to help institutions avoid redundancies.
On 22 July, Welsh education minister Kirsty Williams revealed that £27 million in additional funding will be distributed to universities through a Higher Education Investment and Recovery Fund for Wales, which will help universities avoid mass job cuts in the 2020-21 academic year.
Universities have expressed fears that a drop in student numbers and income from accommodation and catering services could put their finances under pressure. Earlier this month an Institute for Fiscal Studies report revealed that 13 universities could be at risk of going bust because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although figures from admissions body Ucas show an increase in applications for September, the Welsh government said Covid-19 “may lead to some students deferring their applications until next year”.
Williams said the money—part of a £50 million pot split between universities and colleges—would help protect teaching and research, and would help universities keep jobs in teaching, research and student services, invest in projects to support Wales’ economic recovery from Covid-19, and support students in financial difficulties.
“We will not have a full picture of the pandemic’s impact on universities until next term, but this funding will provide a vital support to our institutions in their preparations for the autumn,” she said.
Commenting on the package, Julie Lydon, University of South Wales vice-chancellor and chair of Universities Wales, said the support “arrives at a crucial moment” for universities in Wales responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lydon said the funding “demonstrates Welsh Government’s determination to provide stability for our universities and will be reassuring for students who have consistently rated the student experience in Wales as excellent”.
The UK government has already set out its own support package for universities in England, which will bring forward £2.6 billion in tuition fees and £100 million in advanced research and development funding.
But Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, called on the UK government to offer more support for struggling universities and help to protect jobs.
“Ministers in Westminster now need to step up their game and deliver more than the piecemeal funding with problematic strings attached that we have seen so far,” she said, adding that universities across the UK “need urgent support from the Westminster government so they can continue to function and are in a position to lead our recovery from the current crisis”.