The RCN says a three-pronged strategy is needed

But Ms Hutt said an 8% increase in hospital workers since Labour came to power was proof of the government's investment.

She said:"I'm not complacent - we recognise the pressures that are on the service."

Plaid Cymru's Health Spokesman Dai Lloyd said the report reinforced his party's repeated calls for a coherent long-tem strategy to address the problem.

And Liz Hewett, Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, said her organisation had also warned that there was a shortfall of between 2,000 and 3,000 nurses in Wales.

Ms Hewett said a three-pronged strategy was needed.

This involved increasing the number of training places, retaining staff and stopping them leaving, and bring back nurses who have left the profession.

"We need to see a sustained increase year on year with funding for training places," she told BBC Wales.

Chair of the audit committee, Plaid Cymru's Janet Davies, said there was no simple solution to the problem of staff shortages.

She said Welsh Health Minister Jane Hutt needed "clear overarching guidance" as well as making sure the capital investment was put into place.

The report identified that in 1999-2000 the assembly spent �42m on pre-registration training places and 3,200 health bursaries.

Janet Davies AM: 'Overarching guidance'

Until recently Wales has been relatively self-sufficient in meeting the demand for new NHS staff.

But over the past two years demand has increased faster than expected, the report found, and the sector has responded by using spending �17.7m on buying in agency nurses in the last financial years.

Staff from abroad have also been recruited, principally the Far East.

Around 500 foreign nurses were in post by last summer.

Health Minister Jane Hutt has conceded current commissioning levels are not sufficient to meet current demand.

With students facing three to four years of training before qualifying new initiatives have had to be introduced to address current need.

There are also moves to discourage workers from leaving the NHS and persuading staff to return.

Around 140 staff have returned to the NHS as a result of a �175,000 campaign to entice them back.

The report also raises concerns about the experience and training of overseas and agency staff.

Higher education institutions have been able to accommodate increases in student numbers but most are now at or near full capacity.

Professional training

The chief executive of Education and Learning Wales told the committee it was "unlikely" the NHS would consider increasing the number of higher education institutions providing health professional training.

The report warns the need to increase student numbers is constrained by insufficient numbers of good quality practice placements and too few teaching staff.

The NHS is exploring ways to encourage more people to train as health professionals.

It is looking at localised training and using the internet and is also targeting primary schools to generate interest at an early age.