Ex-education minister facing Cardiff Uni lay off

A former Welsh education minister whose lecturing job is under threat has spoken of his anger after Cardiff University announced plans to slash hundreds of jobs.

Leighton Andrews, a Cardiff Business School professor, said he was among staff who had received letters warning they were at risk of redundancy.

Last week, the university said it planned to cut 400 jobs and stop teaching subjects including music and nursing to address a £31m budget gap.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are due to gather outside the Senedd on Tuesday to protest the proposals and urge the Welsh government to step in and shore up university finances.

Prof Andrews, in charge of education at the Welsh government from 2009 to 2013, said: "My mental health has unquestionably been damaged both by the university's announcements and the manner of them."

As education minister the former Rhondda assembly member was at the centre of a period of upheaval for universities when he warned them to "adapt or die", which led to mergers.

Writing in his newsletter "Welcome to Ukania", which covers matters about the state of the UK, Prof Andrews, said it was "not easy to focus on teaching" after last week's announcement.

"I will certainly be co-operating with business school colleagues collectively on this, and others across the university, and joining in official trade union action where I can," he said.

He warned against focusing anger on individuals such as university leaders.

"I'm angry, everyone is angry, but we can be civil," he said.

The university has previously said it had to take action to address a £30m black hole in its budget with the pressure of increased costs and falling international student numbers affecting the whole higher education sector.

An offer of voluntary severance between June and September 2024 was taken up and approved for 155 staff and a second round closed earlier this month.

The Russell Group university is the largest in Wales, with 32,725 students in 2023.