UNION bosses claim job cuts at Swindon College are a knock-on effect of funding problems caused by a computer glitch.

Although the college says the 150 job losses are a regrettable side effect of a new approach to teaching, union reps say it is a cost-cutting measure.

The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE), says the cutbacks are related to a computer error which exaggerated student numbers in the late 1990s.

The error which led to the college being over-funded was discovered in 2000.

Because a software package failed to log students who were dropping out of their courses, the college was getting an extra £2.5m a year.

A review of finances was launched, and since then principal Mike Hopkins has managed to decrease the annual budget.

In 2000, it was around £22m, but the aim this year is to achieve the target figure of £19.5m. The job cuts announced on Wednesday will save £1.2m.

The college maintains the primary reason behind the redundancies is the introduction of a new, more efficient method of teaching in September.

But Nova Gresham of NATFHE said: "The jobs are going for financial reasons.

"We have a similar situation in Salisbury, where 96 are going, and at Wiltshire College, where they are having to make savings of £5m because of the funding error.

"I am meeting with principals to look at the evidence for these cuts and to see if we can pull back any of the cash."

Swindon College spokeswoman Amanda Burnside said: "We have always envisaged moving to this new system of teaching so we can give students the best possible education.

"There is this historical funding issue, but this is the way teaching is going.

"We also need to be as efficient as possible because we are funded by the taxpayer."

Task-based learning places more emphasis on giving students the skills to teach themselves. The jobs are going because the college believes it is more efficient.

For example, students from different courses studying the same topics will be taught together rather than in smaller groups.

The review means 70 positions will be lost, but as many of these are staffed on a job-share basis, about 150 people will lose their jobs.

Staff whose jobs are going will be told between now and August.

Tamash Lal