THE new University of South Wales will boost regeneration in Newport and create bigger and better opportunities for students but job losses could happen, its vice chancellor said.

Vice chancellor Professor Julie Lydon said the institution, launched yesterday and created by merging University of Wales, Newport, and Glamorgan University, would be the largest in Wales and among the biggest in the UK with 33,000 students spread over five campuses.

Prof Lydon and her team have set themselves high targets already expecting 93 per cent of students who graduate from the university to gain employment or further training - putting them amongst the highest performing in the UK and the best in Wales.

In Newport she wants to work with the city council to explore how the City Centre Campus can be better used by the whole community, which she says is currently under-used.

And while there are no firm plans in place yet, she expects it will be expanded onto adjoining land along the Riverfront in the coming years.

Professor Lydon said the merger was key to protecting the interests of students in Newport and Glamorgan and would provide more choice of courses and better provision. In Newport there are already plans to introduce computing and engineering.

Where courses are duplicated across sites, they will be looked at, but she said they would still run where they were viable and there was demand.

While she appreciates Newport's long history as a university city, she said Gwent is currently under served in terms of higher education.

She said: "It has institutions with great heritage but it doesn't offer a wide range of disciplines. There is a limited to what the University of Wales offered."

"A university of this size and scale, that will have the wide range of disciplines on offer and geographical reach is a real win, win."

Prof Lydon is keen to develop the University of South Wales brand and as a result the only mention of Newport and Glamorgan will be at campus level.

While logos and signs will change soon, she anticipates current students will experience very little change, and Newport students graduating after the name change will have the option to receive a University of Wales, Newport certificate.

As a member of the St David's Day Group, recognised as one of Wales's five major research-active universities, she hopes it will continue to attract students from across the globe, and says the new institution will help the region compete for investment and growth with major city-regions such as Bristol, Manchester, London, and Tyneside.

UNISON says it is concerned the merger will result in job losses.

Gareth John, UNISON Regional Organiser, said the workforce was feeling vulnerable over job security, which was not being made any better by the fact that the new university would not commit to no outsourcing and no compulsory redundancies.

He said: "Any job loss as result of this merger will not only be a devastating blow for the individual involved, but also for the University and for the local community."

Prof Lydon said the university is currently asking for expressions of interest for voluntary redundancies, but there was no figure on the savings that needed to be made. She added it is not looking at compulsory redundancies at this time.