Update on Young RWCMD

Like many organisations across the arts and in Higher Education, the College is facing financial challenges due to a range of external factors. Within the Higher Education sector in Wales and across the UK, universities are rethinking the ways in which they operate, aiming to secure their long-term financial futures. More than 50 UK universities have already announced redundancies, with many now forecasting a deficit this year.

The College is working to protect our core mission of delivering Higher Education Conservatoire level degrees, and to plan a way forward that is financially sustainable. In this context, we recently took the difficult decision to begin a statutory consultation with staff, around proposals to stop our weekly activity with Young RWCMD as the current model is financially unsustainable. You can read our original statement here.

The statutory staff consultation, which has now ended, required detailed discussions, limited to the staff affected and their union representatives. We have kept the Welsh Government fully briefed and will continue to work with the Cabinet Secretary for Education of Wales and others, as proposals are developed.

We know how difficult and unsettling this time has been for the staff and young students who may be affected by our proposals, especially given the challenges facing the wider arts sector. We have received many responses including feedback from other stakeholders such as parents and students. We are grateful to all those who contacted us during this time and will now take time to review and respond.

We will aim to communicate the final decision to affected staff by 19 July 2024. A public announcement and communications with parents, learners and other stakeholders will follow shortly after.