Gearing up for Change Skills: Recession and Recovery Project
ONE DERBY
Foreword
Learning centre in the frontline
Unionlearn’s Skills: Recession and Recovery project set out in autumn 2009 to help trade unions and their members face the impact of the economic downturn. The aim was to raise awareness of how important it is to keep updating one’s skills in order to deal with change in the workplace and remain confident about current and future employment. Vulnerable workers need support and advice about a whole range of issues, including training and learning how to manage personal finances. The project has done extensive work in nurturing relationships with external stakeholders to provide the right networks of support. This has led to finding funding for those whose jobs are at risk and highlighting sources of information and support to union officers, learning teams and reps to enable them to help union members take up new opportunities. This booklet of short case studies describes how unions and our partners have made a huge difference to people’s lives.
Unite worked with the Skills: Recession and Recovery project as well as U-net (unionlearn’s learning centre network) to set up an emergency learning centre at their Derby office when print company BemroseBooth went into receivership. With laptops supplied through unionlearn support the union was able to help those affected by setting up an open day for members with partner organisations present to give advice on benefits and careers (as employees were left without pay). Leading on from a series of open days, over 40 members were given advice on benefits, pensions and training courses on offer. Literacy and numeracy courses were run and all learners gained an up-to-date qualification. An ICT course helped members refresh existing IT skills and learn new ones to help them with CV writing and job applications. Learners appreciated the support – as one attendee told us, “This is a great way to brush up on your IT, maths and English whilst keeping in touch with your mates, meeting up before the course starts, catching up and sharing information about jobs!” Or in other words: “Anything that will help you get a job has got to be a bonus.”
Tom Wilson Director of unionlearn
Contents ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT
Learning centre in the frontline (Derby) Working with Jobcentre Plus (Bristol) Response to redundancy support (South East) Strengthening partnerships (England-wide) Training to build financial capability (North East) Building confidence (East Midlands) Briefing unions (London and York) Higher education (Carlisle)
Derby
THREE SOUTH EAST
Response to redundancy support During the first year of the Skills: Recession and Recovery project the Rapid Response Service (RRS) in the South East was provided in partnership by South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and Jobcentre Plus as the Continuing Employment Support Service (CESS). A team of brokers – some from SEEDA and some from JCP – supported workplaces across the region and was managed by SEEDA, which has an excellent track record of providing help in redundancy situations dating from 2003, so was well placed to build on previous experience in the recession. To increase union officer awareness of the RRS, the Skills: Recession and Recovery project Development Worker organised three in-depth briefings early in 2010. The manager of CESS spoke at them all and issues raised by union officers and union learning reps were thoroughly discussed. Six unions were represented in the events.
TWO BRISTOL
Working with Jobcentre Plus When Co-op Financial Services (CFS) announced the closure of their Tower Wharf site in Bristol, Britannia Staff Union (BSU) sprang into action. With the help of unionlearn they began working with Jobcentre Plus (JCP), enabling 52 members of staff to benefit from JCP advice. The information they were given included details about the nature of support offered by JCP, redundancy packs, job seeking, CV writing, information on tax credits, benefits and pension take-up. Some took advantage of the offer of individual follow-up sessions, which they found invaluable. Workplace union learning rep Ali Holly commented: “JCP were brilliant, their work really complemented the workshops we’d run”. These workshops included individual information, advice and guidance sessions, skills assessments and enrolment on appropriate courses, and CV writing. Short courses on minutetaking, report-writing and time management were also popular.
Because of this early and effective relationship-building and the ongoing dialogue facilitated by the Skills: Recession and Recovery project, it has been a natural progression to routinely put union representatives directly and quickly in touch with CESS brokers. In what was a win-win situation for all involved, the CESS team and their manager developed a deeper understanding of the role of trade unions in redundancy situations. The relationships developed between the Skills: Recession and Recovery project and the rapid response service brokers from JCP have also enabled effective working arrangements to continue now that the service is provided by JCP alone.
L O T S I R B
SOUTH EAST
FOUR ENGLAND-WIDE
Strengthening partnerships The joint work between the Skills: Recession and Recovery project and the Consumer Financial Education Body (CFEB) is an excellent lesson on how building partnerships can bring benefits to union members. CFEB’s role is to offer information, tools and resources but not to sell any financial products. We joined forces to distribute CFEB’s Redundancy Handbook and Retirement Guide and to organise workplace workshops and briefings for reps to help members gain the skills to manage their finances through difficult times. It is vital for union members to have access to available resources to help them plan and mange their lives. There is a vast array of material available online but printed publications, such as the Redundancy Handbook, can make it easier to review and absorb content and to establish next steps as well as where to go for further information. Jules O’Neill, CFEB Regional Manager in South West, said: “Working with the project team has enabled CFEB to reach thousands of union reps and members in the UK. The Skills: Recession and Recovery project has provided direct contact with union reps supporting members affected by the challenging economic climate, helping to raise awareness of free programmes and resources on everyday money matters. Without the support of the project, CFEB would not have reached so many members directly.”
NORTH EAST
FIVE NORTH EAST
Training to build financial capability Accessing appropriate financial products and services allows people to manage their money effectively. John Cottley from Stockton CAB spoke at a financial capability seminar for union reps and ULRs: “By giving individuals the basic skills and knowledge to manage their money and make sound financial decisions we hope to reduce people’s dependency on credit, avoid unmanageable debt and help people use money as a way of achieving some of their personal goals in life. We have found that debt and money problems are often a root cause of stress and depression that affect many people in the workplace. This is why our partnership with unionlearn’s Skills: Recession and Recovery project is so vital. It is a way of bringing the financial capability agenda right to the people who can benefit most.” In addition, briefings were organised for union reps and union learning reps in the North East to look at banking, managing budget, energy saving deals and much more. The response from reps involved was that they found the briefings useful and were looking into arranging similar sessions at workplaces to provide wider access to personal finance management skills.
SEVEN LONDON AND YORK
Briefing unions The Skills: Recession and Recovery project has been working with several unions that run projects funded by the Union Learning Fund. The project team has been busy disseminating pertinent information on support available to the unions and their members. The TSSA ran two workshops, one in London and one in York, which led to the creation of a union newsletter that fed information to all officers and reps as well as an event for union learning reps in Yorkshire and the Humber. Meanwhile Prospect set up their own Membership Assistance Programme to support members facing restructuring or redundancy in the workplace. The Skills: Recession and Recovery project team members have been taking part in events and sharing ideas and information on which organisations offer help, such as Next Step for careers advice or Business Link for those contemplating working for themselves in the future.
SIX EAST MIDLANDS
Building confidence In the East Midlands, PCS and the Skills: Recession and Recovery project organised workshops at HM Revenue & Customs for disabled workers at risk of redundancy, to help them consider their potential in management and supervisory roles. HMRC had announced the closure of 130 local tax offices across the UK and PCS estimated that 1,700 employees were facing redundancy. There were concerns that disabled workers could be disproportionally affected as redeployment in bigger tax offices would not be viable because it would require further travel. The workshops were designed to examine disabled workers' personal and professional development needs and to build their confidence. Jane took part in a workshop and as a result has already found a new job. “It really helped to boost my confidence. I went away and applied for five jobs and was successful in getting a part-time job in an area in which I want to develop my career. If I hadn't come to the workshop I wouldn't have done that.�
YORK EAST MIDLANDS
N LONDO
EIGHT CARLISLE
Higher education
Further information
At the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), in Carlisle, Cumbria, a number of employees on fixed term appointments found out that their contracts were not going to be extended due to a reduced workload. The Skills: Recession and Recovery project team directed the union, PCS, to Carlisle College’s Response to Redundancy Project for support. The RPA also accessed support through the Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) Project, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and managed by Carlisle College in conjunction with the University of Cumbria. With help from the project team, the PCS learning team and reps achieved the following: ● They arranged for direct support within the workplace and offered members of staff one-to-one career interviews. The career interviews were designed to assess skills needs and included workshops on CV writing and basic interview techniques, to identify how best to prepare for seeking alternative employment. ● As a result of these interviews, some employees went on to carry out a six-week development course, which could potentially lead to employment at Carlisle City Council. Other employees are waiting to start onto a graduate programme. ● They made plans for further workshops.
For more information, contact the Skills: Recession and Recovery project’s National Coordinator or one of the Regional Development Workers:
The ECIF was set up to support graduates and professionals affected by the economic downturn and its funding period ended in September 2010.
E L S I L CAR
National Coordinator: Kirsi Kekki kkekki@tuc.org.uk or 020 7079 6953 London: Stuart Barber
sbarber@tuc.org.uk or 020 7467 1397
South East: Colin Lloyd
clloyd@tuc.org.uk or 014 4445 9733
Eastern: Katie Curtis
kcurtis@tuc.org.uk or 07769 254784
South West: Marian Mann
mmann@tuc.org.uk or 07917 415031
West Midlands: Anne-Marie Hanna ahanna@tuc.org.uk or 0121 2366381 East Midlands: Irene Murray
Irene.murray@tuc.org.uk or 07810 772915
Yorkshire and the Humber: Noella Mellad nmellad@tuc.org.uk or 011 3200 1077 North West: Peter Bury
pbury@tuc.org.uk or 07717 531163
North East: Ken Gyles
kgyles@tuc.org.uk or 019 1227 5552
unionlearn Congress House London WC1B 3LS Tel 020 7079 6920 Fax 020 7079 6921
www.unionlearn.org.uk/recovery
Design: www.design-mill.co.uk Print: Precision Printing