Draft
Unionlearn and Union Learning: a review of the first ten years 1
Introduction
Unionlearn is the Education, Learning and Skills arm of the TUC. It was set up in 2006 and is fairly unique in the world. It is almost the only skills organisation to survive today from the many skills bodies created by the then Labour Government. A review of its first ten years casts light on many current skills issues, as well as on unions and skills. Unionlearn has three main purposes: • • •
Support learning in the workplace, by managing the Union Learning Fund (ULF) Train Union reps and officers through TUC Education Develop and argue for policy on all aspects of skills, training and education
Unionlearn was born on 1st April 2006. It was launched by Brendan Barber, the TUC General Secretary, at a conference on 2nd May 2006 at Congress House, the home of the TUC, attended by Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for education and Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, together with over 400 delegates from unions, Colleges, Sector Skills Councils and many other organisations. Unionlearn grew out of a recognition that it made sense to pull together all the TUC’s learning and education activities into one distinct organisation. It is governed by a Board which is elected from the TUC General Council. Although part of the TUC and housed in Congress House it has a distinct identity. It did not appear overnight but was developed over two years of discussion and modelling of different options. It evolved out of much previous work on education and skills, spanning several decades. Throughout the nineties there had been a growing range of activity under the general heading of “Bargaining for Skills”. This was led by the TUC and had developed strongly in the 6 TUC regions in England, and in the Wales TUC, and in the Scottish TUC. Much of this activity had been funded by regional bodies; initially Training and Enterprise Councils and latterly by Regional Development Agencies or their Welsh and Scottish