If consulting firm Berenschot has its way at least 450 jobs among supporting personnel will disappear within the next five years. This means that one in three non-scientific members of staff will see their present jobs go up in smoke.
The consulting firm proposes the drastic reduction in supporting personnel in order to be able to realise a 'large part' of the economy operation of 35 million. According to Berenschot there is 'much support' in the institute for the draconian 'maximum variant' which is presented now. When implementing the minimum variant, which would yield a cut back of 11.7 million, 'only' 273 full time jobs in the services would disappear.
This is shown by the Berenschot report published last week with the perturbing title 'Space in Twente'. The preparations for the implementation steering group, announced last week, are going full speed ahead.
This steering group will - on the basis of the Berenschot report - have to come up with a 'blue print for the new organisation of the secondary processes within the UT'. After the executive board (CvB) has determined its position on the blue print, which will probably be mid December, the reorganisation plan will go to the unions and the University Council.
According to Berenschot a short term saving of 11.7 million annually is possible without radical changes at the UT. But if the university chooses to implement 'radical changes' a 'target amount of 31.3 million guilders' can be cut back. On top of that a reservation of 2 to 3.5 million is necessary for the reorganisation costs, which will amount to between 20 and 35 million.
During one of the work conferences of the Berenschot investigators with among others the deans, department heads and institute directors, 'a lot of support turned out to exist to work towards realising the maximum variant', according to the report. The conference participants did advocate an option to 'be able to deviate within reason' from this scenario, also with regard to the discussion on Operation Heartbeat.
About 80 percent of the economy operation has to be realised in the non-scientific sector. According to the Berenschot report the UT has, compared to other universities and knowledge-intensive institutes, 'far too many staff members for the secondary process'. Moreover, all supporting processes should be centralised hierarchically, because 'at the moment there is a lot of fragmentation and double work' in the services. In any case, the processes within the UTshould be geared towards each other, because now standardisation is 'few and far between'.
Berenschot also mentions as an important precondition to make the target amount the reduction of the number of faculties from ten to five. But consensus has already been reached on this subject. As the CvB announced last week in the University Council, this is not a matter of merging faculties but a regrouping of logically related disciplines.
Also in education gains can be made in efficiency by - where possible - standardisation (less custom-made work) and fully using the possibilities offered by the new buildings.
