Half of Welsh nursing graduates face unemployment, union warns

A shortage of jobs means as many as half of all new nursing graduates could be left without work, the Royal College of Nursing Cymru has said. Barely a week ago it was revealed newly qualified paramedics were being advised to look for work abroad because of a recruitment freeze. One trainee said she had been left feeling "completely in the dark" while another said she had worked thousands of hours for nothing. The Welsh government said it was committed to ensuring investment in NHS training was matched by "meaningful" employment opportunities. Layla Cahill-Harris from Bridgend, a student in her final year on the Cardiff University nursing course, said the situation was "heartbreaking". "[This is] the main topic in our groupchat – everyone is shocked to be honest," she told Dros Frecwast. "We have worked 2,300 hours for nothing and we have come to the end waiting for a job and just a day before we start applying to the jobs they say there are not enough." Due to the health service bursary rules, she said some students must stay within Wales for two years to repay it. Trainee midwife Sophie Dodd, 31, added: "It's the uncertainty, we all feel very stressed. "We all feel really passion