MORE THAN 1,100 jobs in colleges will be lost by the end of this year because of Government cuts.
New Higher Education Authority (HEA) figures reveal the full scale of job losses since the Employment Control Framework began in December 2008.
Under the framework, colleges are obliged to cut staff by 6 per cent in the two years from January 2009 to December 2010.
The job losses largely include those on temporary contracts and vacancies which remain unfilled after retirement or other changes.
The highest number of job losses are at UCD where 134.5 posts will be lost in the two years to December.
Losses for other universities include UCC 116.5 jobs, NUI Galway 102 jobs, NUI Maynooth 29 jobs, TCD 115.5 jobs, UL 67 jobs and DCU 57.5 jobs.
In the institutes of technology, DIT is losing 124 posts.
Figures for other technology institutes include: Athlone 27.5; Carlow 20; Cork 58; Dundalk 24.5; Galway/Mayo 39.5; Letterkenny 21; Limerick 28.5; Tralee 19 and Waterford 50.5.
Among the teacher-training colleges Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, lost 16 posts while St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, lost 14. The jobs lost include a balance of academic and non academic posts.
Colleges cannot attain the 6 per cent reduction by not replacing staff on lower grades.
In all, the seven universities are losing 622 posts, the 14 institutes lose 472.5, the National College of Art and Design loses nine and the teacher training colleges lose 40 posts.
Overall employment in the higher education sector will reduce from 18,923 to 17,779 by the end of this year.
Mike Jennings, general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers said the loss of these essential posts would place an intolerable strain on colleges – at a time when student demand was surging to record levels.
The HEA said the reduction in staff numbers shows that the universities, institutes and other colleges are making a significant contribution to cutting costs.
This, it said, must be measured in the context of significant increase in both student numbers and course provision.