The University of South Wales has officially come into being today.
The creation of Wales’ largest higher education institution is the result of a merger between Newport and Glamorgan universities.
With 33,500 students it is the UK’s sixth largest university offering 580 undergraduate courses.
The new university has overtaken Cardiff University in terms of student numbers and campuses.
It will operate at campuses and colleges in Cardiff, Pontypridd and Newport and Merthyr Tydfil.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Julie Lydon said: “The University of South Wales will compete equally for students and reputation with the UK’s major regional universities and will help the region compete head to head for investment and growth with major city-regions such as Bristol, Manchester, London, and Tyneside.
“The employability of our students is at the heart of everything we do, with teaching informed by what happens in the real world. Our graduates have the skills that are essential for the workplace and value our employability schemes, business start-up support and opportunities to get actual experience as part of their courses. It’s an approach that works – 93% of our graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduation.”
The merger between Glamorgan and Newport comes after a push by the Welsh Government to consolidate the number of universities in Wales.
Plans for a three-way merger with Cardiff Metropolitan University, formerly known as UWIC, were dropped in November 2012 after opposition from the Cardiff institution.
Welcoming the new university First Minister Carwyn Jones said: “This is an initiative that shows leadership and strategic thinking in action. The University’s partnership with major international companies like General Electric and British Airways are examples of how Wales can compete with the best.
“The Welsh Government looks forward to working with the University of South Wales to raise the profile of the region, and Wales as a whole. I have every confidence that the University of South Wales, the major regional partner with Cardiff University, will demonstrate a step change in the ability of our capital city-region of Wales to compete with the major regions of Europe.”
Union Unison has said its members are concerned over job security and the creation of a “two-tier” workforce with people having different terms and conditions.