Student nurses in Swansea say they were told there was ‘no need to worry about jobs’ but have now learned there are no vacancies in their field
The health board has opened no adult nursing vacancies for those graduating in February 2026(Image: PA)
A cohort of nursing students from Swansea University have been left in limbo after being told there are no graduate adult nursing jobs available through Swansea Bay University Health Board this year.
The group of 65 trainee nurses, who will graduate in February 2026, were led to believe throughout their studies they were entering a profession in high demand but were shocked to learn there were currently no available posts for adult branch nurses within their cohort.
In a statement released by the M23 cohort, they said they were now facing “unemployment, uncertainty, and fear” surrounding their future having sacrificed hours of unpaid work to face the prospect of not securing a job. For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter here.
In response, the health board said they are “urgently exploring all possible options” to find a solution to the problem, adding there were some vacancies in their mental health and learning disability services but none in adult nursing.
However, the students have also raised concerns about how this will impact the bursaries they received to help fund their degrees. Students studying healthcare courses in England and Wales become eligible for various NHS bursary schemes in the country or region where they studied.
Through the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme, students must commit to working in Wales for two years after finishing their degree.
Recipients of the bursary are expected to secure a job within three months of finishing their course. If they don’t, the NHS Wales website sets out how they must “request a review” where they must provide evidence of each of their job applications and outcomes.
It states: “The number of posts you have applied for will be considered in conjunction with the number of vacancies advertised in your trained profession across Wales.”
NHS Wales do however state that accepting the bursary does not guarantee students a job offer, instead detailing how health boards and trusts “aim to have sufficient vacancies available but local circumstances will always be the key driver for ensuring that sufficient vacancies exist”.
In the open letter the student nurses detailed how they’ve worked long, unsociable hours, cleaned bodily fluids, and held people’s hands as they’ve died, but done so without being paid but in the understanding they were entering a profession in high demand.
One mature student nurse, who said he left a secure and well paid job to “train for a job with more meaning” said applicants were “sold” nursing on the basis there were “plenty of jobs”. He said to find there are no vacancies for those about to qualify in Swansea UHB feels like “fraud”.
He said: “We were sold this training as a ‘no need to worry about jobs’ training. It is an absolute nightmare. We have been used to plug NHS shortages working hundreds of hours unpaid on our training and now no jobs.
“I feel like I fell for a pyramid scheme. We have provided free labour to the NHS. If we don’t get a job with the NHS in Wales within three months of qualifying and then stay in the NHS in Wales two years then we have to pay back the total fee for training. Mine is £33,000.
“I left a good previous career for nursing because I wanted something more meaningful. I wish I hadn’t bothered. My partner and I have a mortgage. We cannot sell up and I cannot realistically work more than an hour each way commute from home.
“Nursing is a hard job and we knew we were signing up for that. But to be told there are no jobs – they should have been realistic about that from the outset. We didn’t know we were signing up for that.”
Another NHS funded student nurse, who had worked tirelessly with what she said was a promise of work at the end, said: “I am a mother of three young children. The fact that there are no jobs available at the end of these three years is more than devastating for me and my family.”
Helen Whyley, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing Wales, said: “These students have studied locally, contributed to patient care, and were assured that their skills would be in demand. The lack of posts feels like a slap in the face and risks damaging morale at a critical point in their careers as well as destabilising future recruitment into nursing.
“We are working closely with Swansea University and seeking urgent clarification from Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), SBUHB, and Welsh Government for our affected student members and to find workable solutions. It is becoming increasingly clear that this situation is being driven by financial constraints, including the freezing of vacant posts within the health board.
“This is deeply concerning and requires immediate, coordinated action between the health board and the government to find sustainable resolution.”
A statement provided by Swansea Bay University Health Board said: “We completely understand the concerns and worries of these student nurses and are urgently exploring all possible options.
“There is no nursing recruitment freeze in Swansea Bay. However, the challenge for us as a Health Board is that we have successfully recruited and retained staff over the last couple of years and we find ourselves now with limited or no vacancies.
“While we have been able to make available 39 vacancies in our mental health and learning disability services, we have not yet been able to do so in the field of Adult Nursing.
“We’re in discussion with colleagues from Healthcare Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), as well as other health boards, to explore what else can be done to find a solution to this problem.
“We really appreciate the hard work and care the student nurses have provided on our wards during their time as students and can give assurances that we will do all we can to find ways forward for them.”