In recent years, most of Wales’ eight institutions have been seeking voluntary redundancies and making cuts, citing similar challenges to institutions in the rest of the UK.

Since September 2023, Swansea University has confirmed that 342 staff have left or are leaving under its voluntary scheme.

It will have to increase the level of savings it needs to make by £30m by 2026-27, but a spokesperson told Newyddion S4C, external it is confident it can avoid compulsory redundancies.

Aberystwyth University has confirmed that 101 staff have left through voluntary redundancy, while Bangor says it cannot confirm yet how many staff will be leaving under its scheme but more than 100 vacant posts have been closed.

At the University of South Wales just over 100 staff have left voluntarily but it’s currently consulting on proposals to cut 160 jobs in non-academic professional services roles.

Cardiff Metropolitan University says 60 staff have left so far under voluntary severance with another scheme ongoing.

Figures for staff leaving the University of Wales Trinity St David are currently low, at around 26, but its recent decision to stop undergraduate teaching at its Lampeter campus was another example of pressures in the sector.

Politicians were due to speak about the cuts in the Senedd on Wednesday.

“What has particularly alarmed me is the cuts being proposed to their nursing course,” said Tory education spokeswoman Natasha Asghar.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson David Chadwick said the UK government’s “increase to national insurance” is having an impact on the proposed job losses.

Plaid Cymru education spokesperson Cefin Campbell said the news of Cardiff job cuts was met with “deafening silence” by the Welsh government.

A Welsh government spokesperson said it was “very disappointed that nursing courses form part of these proposals” and that it was “working urgently” to ensure the same number of nurses were trained in Wales.

Additional reporting by Maria Cassidy