You may recollect that the Government set a target of 50% of under 30 year olds to go to university by about 2012. Universities have been encouraged to recruit like mad to get the numbers up.
Our esteemed goverhment has now realised that this is all getting a bit expensive and have suddenly applied the brakes. With effect from this September (i.e the intake for students who have already applied) they have told universities that if they recruit well they will be penalised instead of rewarded!!
Result? Univerisites who were instructed until 2 weeks ago to recruit to the hilt are now having to tell poeple that they can't go there after all. MOrevoer, since the targets apply to students on all three years of a course or more universites which have healthy recruitment have to cut back MORE on their new intake to keep overall numbers down across a three year cycle.
Mrs Nick fears redundacy. Why? Because courses which are cheap to teach (big lecture theatres and not many staff e.g. Business Studies) are kept. Expensive ones (Science, Engineering. Languages) get chopped to save money.
Wait for the wave of strikes!
