the
learningrep » Autumn 09
ULF specia l issue
“The Union Learning Fund has totally contributed to our success at First Group”
Linda Guthrie First Group Head of Learning and Development
www.unionlearn.org.uk
» Comment
Unionlearn a hit at TUC congress At TUC Congress last month, unionlearn successfully relaunched our Learning and Careers Advice service; hosted a highly successful reception with top North-West companies and a key Government Minister; and organised a packed fringe meeting on apprenticeships with the Skills Minister. Also warm congratulations to Nicola Njie, our ULR of the year. She’s done a fantastic job in building a formidable learning organisation and union membership in E.ON. We also received a powerful message from the Government. Addressing Congress, Gordon Brown called on the trade union movement to work with him against unemployment. “I ask you to campaign with us to say that we will not allow a new generation of young people to become a lost generation: we won’t let that happen – never again,” he said. He also delivered an encouraging message on apprenticeships, saying that, as well as creating new apprenticeships, the Government would put the apprenticeship programme on a statutory basis for the first time and ensure that an apprenticeship place is available for every suitably qualified young person by 2013. Any Government that prioritises apprenticeships and jobs for young people has our full support. In this issue, we highlight the work of the Union Learning Fund (ULF), and show how it adds value to the investment of the Government and employers. The fund has clear aims, themes, eligibility and responsibilities; it seeks sustainable projects; and is rigorously monitored for effectiveness. The projects funded draw in much additional investment in terms of time and resources from employers. I hope this message gets through to the many politicians and employers who have not yet encountered the valuable work of the ULF. Tom Wilson Director unionlearn The Learning Rep, autumn 09 Editor: James Asser jasser@tuc.org.uk Writers: Astrid Stubbs, Martin Moriarty Design: wave.coop Print: Ancient House Printing Group Distribution: Cavalier mailing
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Nicola Njie is ULR of the year Nicola tells her story TUC Congress roundup News Investing in People “Life’s too short” – Quick Reads Union Learning Fund adds value Meet the new OU Vice-Chancellor Greening our reps BBC’s “My Story” TUC Education Contacts Jay knows Free resources
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Congress « Roundup «
Nicola’s our number one learning rep Prime Minister presents UNISON ULR with top award
Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
UNISON activist Nicola Njie, a customer service adviser at energy giant E.ON, was named ULR of the year at TUC Congress after helping create thousands of learning opportunities at the company, signing up 500 new members and helping recruit a dozen new ULRs. Praising the winners of all the reps’ awards, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “They are heroes and I’m proud to stand with them and thank them today.” TUC President Sheila Bearcroft said lay activists like Nicola were “the bedrock of our movement.” Nicola says the PM personally thanked her on the rostrum, saying it was “brilliant” she had recruited so many new members. “He said it must feel really rewarding helping people back into education and furthering their careers,” she says.
Read Nicola’s story overleaf
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» Roundup » Congress
E.ON you go,
Nico
ULR Rep of the Year Nicola Njie has fuelled a learning surge at energy giant E.ON, recruiting hundreds of new members on the way. By Astrid Stubbs
Gordon Brown was among a long line of people at this year’s TUC Congress to congratulate Nicola Njie on winning ULR of the Year. No wonder: the call centre customer service specialist is credited with helping bring thousands of learning opportunities to E.ON colleagues and for recruiting at least 500 new members to UNISON. But turn back the clock three years and Nicola was not even an active member of the union. “Prior to coming to work for E.ON, I hadn’t been a union member but after I joined in 2006 I kept seeing items on the notice board about UNISON and eventually spotted an ad recruiting ULRs. I’d never previously been interested in being a steward but I was interested in being a ULR because of my interest in training,” she says. Nicola applied to be a ULR and within months took over the East Midlands ULR coordinator’s role, recruiting new members and new ULRs across five sites as well as in the North-West and into Yorkshire too. “We saw our first real interest in learning during Adult Learners’ Week last year when we held an event in Nottingham,” says Nicola. Meetings got underway with management and Nicola was pivotal in negotiating a learning agreement involving UNISON, GMB, Unite and Prospect. The
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agreement is the first such in the energy sector and gives facility time for reps as well as members to promote and take part in learning projects throughout the business. “At the same time I continued to have one-to-ones with members to see what they wanted: lots wanted further development at work while others wanted courses that were of interest to them outside work,” says Nicola. The company now has maths and English tests taking place in many of its sites and members embarking on courses they wouldn’t ever have considered without the help of a ULR. Working with ULR Maria Hollingworth at the company’s Dearne Valley call centre in Yorkshire, Nicola took membership from six to over 200 with recognition very near. “It’s me and my team who are responsible for the recruitments, not just me,” she claims modestly. So just a year later, ALW 2009 saw not one but five company sites hosting successful events. “E.ON has been really good. I met with them and did a presentation at their UK Consultative Forum,” she says. In addition, the company is working in partnership with the ULR team in recruiting more female and minority ethnic staff from its existing workforce to its academies in engineering, sales
and marketing, procurement and HR. “We invited academy representatives to Learning at Work Day to talk about apprenticeships and are working in partnership,” says Nicola. Nicola is now also a UNISON steward, vice-chair of her branch and sits on one of her union’s national service groups. Having left school at 16 because she wanted to earn money, she also now plans to further her own learning with a degree in Trade Union Studies. And her levels of confidence have changed out of all recognition, she says. “I would never have stood up in front of the chief executive and done a presentation or spoken at my union conference in front of 3,000 people without the help that UNISON has given me.” But what really inspires Nicola is the face-to face meetings with colleagues and the support she can give them to change their lives. “The workforce is really enthused about learning again: there is so much more we can do.”
Congress « Roundup «
Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
la! Thanks to the support she’s had from UNISON, ULR Nicola Njie now has the confidence to make presentations to senior management and speak at union conferences
“The workforce is really enthused about learning again and there is so much more we can do.”
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Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Speaking up for jobs Trade unions must speak up for decent jobs, workers’ rights and public services as the country emerges from recession, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber told delegates to this year’s Congress in Liverpool. “Green shoots mean little when thousands of people a day are joining the dole queue. Rising share prices count for little when a million and more young people can’t find work. “And bumper bonuses are an obscene joke when it was our money that rescued the banks,
and it is our public services that are now being told they will have to face the consequences.” The current public sector deficit is not the big problem that some people claim, he argued. “A public sector deficit is inevitable in a recession: it’s a symptom – not a cause,” he said. “Let us speak up for decent jobs, workers’ rights and public services. Let us speak out against greed, exploitation and discrimination. And let us ensure that when this storm subsides, Britain emerges a better, fairer, more equal place.”
Don’t cut skills cash
Giving youth a chance to train agreements. The project will also be developing a network of Union Apprenticeship Advocates, who will promote apprenticeships in their unions and workplaces. Merseytravel Head of Learning Liz Chandler said apprenticeships were key to the success of the company. “We develop young people and apprentices in Merseytravel by getting them to try a variety of jobs until we find what suits the person’s needs and skills. In that way, we find out what’s best for the organisation and the individual.” Unionlearn Director Tom Wilson said that the promise of further growth and new public sector opportunities was “very encouraging”.
Scarlet Harris (right) outlines the TUC’s work on apprenticeships, watched by unionlearn Board Chair Billy Hayes (left) and Skills Minister Kevin Brennan at the Congress fringe meeting
Photo: Rod Leon
Unions, employers and Government showed how much common ground they shared on apprenticeships at a packed unionlearn Congress fringe meeting. Apprenticeships are vital during the downturn, and the Government is committed to making apprenticeships a mainstream option for 16- to 18-year-olds, Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said. Confirming that the Government would be creating 21,000 new apprenticeships in the public sector, he also said that apprenticeships must feature in growth areas like the low-carbon sector. The TUC aims to become a leading voice on apprenticeships, Policy and Campaigns Officer Scarlet Harris said. A new project will work with affiliate unions to ensure that apprenticeships are incorporated into at least 20 workplace
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Re-skilling the workforce to help the country out of recession means education funding cuts must be reversed, Congress agreed. Delegates demanded restoration of Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ) funding, and the provision of proper funding for all adults seeking access to post-school education. Lecturers’ union delegate Alistair Hunter made an impassioned call for increased funding. Prospect delegate Neil HopeCollins, an inspector for the HSE, pointed out that unionlearn relies on ELQs: “Funding for this is vital as it is for a higher skilled economy,” he said. Many Prospect members had degrees which were out of date and looked on ELQs as a way of getting up to date. A high proportion of people who needed qualifications to get back into the job market following a career break were women but it didn’t appear that any equality impact assessment had been carried out and cuts would fall disproportionately on female members, he added.
Congress « Roundup «
Minister gives a Pat on the back to NW learning partnerships Employers and ULRs from some of the biggest organisations in the North-West got their chance to explain how they are working together to improve the regions’ skills levels when they met Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills Pat McFadden at TUC Congress in Liverpool. praised the kind of partnership working revealed by those in the room. “The examples of real commitment to increasing skills shown by the North-West organisations are examples to be followed around the country,” he said.
Photos: Rod Leon
Liverpool John Lennon Airport's Head of Training and Development David Otter and learning reps Steve Penketh (GMB) and Tom MacDonald (Unite) were delighted at the opportunity to tell Pat how the airport had signed the Government’s Skills Pledge. They also told him how the Pledge and their activities were encouraging colleagues to improve their skills. Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council’s Work-Based Learning Manager Emma Finnegan told the minister how unionlearn funding had helped to create a full-time post in their learning and development programme, with the council contributing half the cost. Sefton UNISON ULRs Amanda McNally, Jane Evanson and Glen Williams agreed that their learning programme had helped to improve industrial relations in the council generally. Unionlearn Director Tom Wilson
Pat McFadden discusses the Skills Pledge with (above) David Otter, Steve Penketh and Tom MacDonald from John Lennon Airport; and (left) listens to Amanda McNally, Jane Evanson, Glen Williams and Emma Finnegan from Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
Pat said how pleased he was to be at the reception: “Tonight I’ve heard how people are being given the opportunity to maximise their learning potential. And that’s why I came into politics, to help people
make the best of their lives. These great achievements are thanks to real commitment from management and unions to help their workforce gain new skills and experience, and from Government support through the Union Learning Fund.” At the reception, union and employer reps also came from: McVities, Aintree NHS Trust, BAE Systems, Merseytravel, First Bus, and Shop Direct Group.
Pat McFadden meets (far left) Billy Hayes, Frances O’Grady and Tom Wilson; and (left) helps Billy make a special presentation to Unite Education Officer Ann McCall in recognition of her outstanding work in supporting union learning
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» News
Sam flies the flag for youth skills
Photo: Adrian Shellard
Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
UCATT member and bricklaying apprentice Sam Fairgrieve, who came home from WorldSkills in Canada with a Medallion of Excellence, has vowed to do even better when the “skills Olympics” comes to London in two years’ time. “I would’ve liked to have been placed higher, but was really pleased with my work given the time limit,” said the 21-year-old building worker, who also had the honour of carrying the team flag at the opening ceremony. “I felt really proud to be competing in the event, which was amazing – a real once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Sam was the best tradesman in the competition, according to Keith Binns, the Leicester College brickwork lecturer who helped him achieve his NVQ Level 3 as part of his Advanced Apprenticeship with Jelson Homes in Desborough. “His workmanship and trowel skills were superior to anyone else, which was remarked upon by many of the technical experts and general passers-by: unfortunately his accuracy was not quite good enough on this occasion to win,” Keith said. After missing out on a Gold Medal this year by just two marks, Sam is already in training for the 2011 competition, when WorldSkills comes to London. His Medallion of Excellence – marking his achievement of the world standard in his specialism – was one of 14 secured by Team UK, whose members also secured three gold and six bronze medals in the competition.
UCATT member Sam Fairgrieve carries the British flag at the WorldSkills 2009 opening ceremony (above) after a send-off at a London reception (left) where fellow competitor Chris Coates, a Unite member at Bentley Motors, met (from left) UK Skills Chairman Chris Humphries, Skills Minister Kevin Brennan and celebrity chef James Martin
ULRs map out new OrdnanceSurvey deal Prospect ULRs have agreed an update to their learning agreement with Ordnance Survey’s (OS) Organisational Development, originally signed three years ago. The update takes account of OS’s new Pathways progression system and renews OS’s commitment to learning and training in the workplace.
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Ordnance Survey’s Learning Committee mark the deal: (back row, from left) Andy Kennard (OS Organisational Department) with ULRs Julian Davis and Gary Hedges; (front row, from left) ULRs Trevor Pinhorne and Jo Lines, Hazel Hendley (OS Organisational Department) and Librarian Cathy Layton
News «
Academy signs up with Ruskin
Here’s Johnny! Much-loved TV presenter and maths guru Johnny Ball visited the KP snacks factory in Billingham, Tees Valley to inspire staff to improve their numeracy and literacy skills this summer. The national treasure, who fronted children’s TV programmes Think of a Number and Johnny Ball Reveals All in the ’70s and ’80s, was promoting the importance of gaining numeracy and literacy qualifications as part of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East Skills for Life campaign. “Many people today do not handle the basic maths required for everyday life very well: we must encourage people with such problems to try confronting them, as this can lead to improvements in every aspect of life, from becoming better qualified in the workplace, to building similar confidence in our kids,” Johnny commented. A six-strong team of ULRs led by Jean McDermottroe (on full-time secondment through the Learning for All Fund) is helping hundreds of staff to improve and develop their skills in the fully equipped learning centre onsite. “By holding events like this, coupled with the fantastic work that ULRs are doing both here at KP and at workplaces across the region, we’re helping people make the first steps to improving their skills,” said the then unionlearn Regional Manager Barney McGill. Rachel Ovington, HR Cluster Lead – Northeast at KP, said employee development was vital to help the business continue to succeed on Teeside. “We will look for any opportunity to encourage learning and development in our workplace whether that is an NVQ, a vocational programme or a visit from Johnny Ball – maths is at the heart of everything we do.”
Ruskin College for welcoming the Organising Academy with such open arms.” Ruskin Principal Audrey Mullender was delighted to welcome the TUC Organising Academy to the college. “It makes absolute sense for Ruskin and the TUC to draw together our proud histories of educating trade unionists to organise for social justice and social mobility,” she said. Originally launched in 1998, the TUC’s Organising Academy now trains over 350 union officers and organisers every year, while Ruskin’s strong ties to the labour movement mean its graduates include former TUC General Secretary George Woodcock and former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
Photo: Andrew Wiard
Johnny Ball (centre) with Barney McGill (left) and LSC North East Skills Development Director Nick James
Ruskin College has become the lead national provider of TUC Organising Academy courses for the next two years under an agreement signed at Congress House this summer. The new partnership will allow Organising Academy graduates to take advantage of Ruskin’s broader programme of training and support, which includes MA and undergraduate programmes. “This new partnership marks an opportunity to shape a new generation of skilled, educated and motivated trade unionists that will create stronger and more successful unions,” said TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady. “I’d like to thank Newcastle College for their wonderful support over the past four years and also
Audrey Mullender and Frances O’Grady celebrate with (from left) Liz Rees (TUC Education), Paul Nowak (TUC Head of Organisation and Services), and Liz Blackshaw (TUC Organising Academy Director)
USDAW campaign scoops top award Retail union USDAW’s Check Out Learning campaign was named Best Campaign at the TUC Press and PR Awards this summer. Check Out Learning encouraged over 330 USDAW members to return to learning last year, directly led to the
union signing up over 440 new recruits and identified 250-plus members who expressed an interest in becoming USDAW reps. “Check Out Learning … is a great name for a campaign that gets everything right: the objectives are clear and the outcomes will have significant long-term benefits
for the union, developing both the union and the individual and collective skills of its members,” the judges said. “Unions are at their best when they show members that they are not just ordinary people, but extraordinary people, and this campaign does that in spades.”
USDAW’s Check Out Learning campaign (above) gets it all right
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Photo: Rod Leon
Training law on the way
Higher and higher Unionlearn SERTUC and Foundation Degree Forward (fdf ) set out what they hope to achieve through their joint pilot project Accessing Higher Education in the Workplace at an event in Congress House this summer. The project aims to promote all forms of higher level learning in the workplace, especially Foundation degrees, which combine academic study with workplace learning to equip people with the relevant knowledge, understanding and skills to improve performance and productivity. Speakers included Open University Executive Director Bob Coates, unionlearn Standards and
Quality Manager Ian Borkett, fdf Director of Workplace Learning Strategy Susan Hayday and unionlearn SERTUC Project Worker Sean Ruddy, who is steering the pilot in the region. In addition to putting questions to the speakers in a Q&A session, participants were also able to take part in two activities designed to explore the demand for higher skills development and to inform the project’s guide to accessing higher education in the workplace. For more information about the Accessing Higher Education in the Workplace project, please contact Project Worker Sean Ruddy. Tel: 020 7467 1368 Email: sruddy@tuc.org.uk
Workshop participants discuss how to expand higher level learning in the workplace
Brigade mourns inspiring ULR Tributes have rolled in to Fire Brigades Union learning rep Paul Fletcher, after the 39-yearold activist collapsed and died during an emergency call that turned out to be a false alarm. Firefighters, police and paramedics escorted the coffin on a fire engine from Newport Fire Station to the church on the day of his funeral in September, bringing the streets to a standstill as hundreds stopped to pay their respects. An inspirational advocate for workplace learning since joining the service in April 2004, Paul was instrumental in helping the Isle of Wight become the first
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Fire and Rescue Service in the UK to achieve the Go Fire Award this year, and was awarded the Local Government Go Award ULR of the Year in March. He also won the unionlearn award at the learndirect SouthEast Regional Awards in July and was in the running for the national award at the time of his death. “Paul had the unique ability to win the respect of trade unionists and chief officers,” commented FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack. “With all his work, he made many friends both in and outside of the Fire and Rescue community.” Paul leaves a wife, Lisa, and two children aged seven and four.
The FBU has set up a memorial fund to help the family of Paul Fletcher (right, with his learndirect award). You can make a donation by sending a cheque to Shaun Elvers, IoW Fire & Rescue Service, 58 St John’s Road, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1LT
The new right to request training from next spring will bring both opportunities and challenges for trade unions, according to TUC Learning and Skills Policy Officer Richard Blakeley. For the first time, workers will have the right for their training needs to be heard by their employer. That means unions (and ULRs in particular) will need to be prepared to support members with information, advice and guidance and to develop winning arguments for paid time off and funded training within a more formal legal framework. “Employers will be obliged to listen and respond to individual requests for training – in response, many will introduce or review training review systems and develop policies for paid time off and funded training,” Richard says. “Trade unions will need to engage employers to argue for best practice arrangements, equality of opportunity and fairness of procedure.” Look out for more information in the next edition of The Learning Rep
News «
Get connected to Learning at Work Day Creating Connections is the theme for next year’s Learning at Work Day (LAWD), which falls on Thursday 20 May, during Adult Learners’ Week. The Campaign for Learning (CfL) says the theme reflects the different ways in which learning in the workplace is strengthened and supported through making connections, whether that’s people learning together or management and unions working in partnership. “Our theme for 2010 is all about celebrating the partnerships that underpin learning and this includes our long-standing partnership with unionlearn,” says CfL Chief Executive Tricia Hartley. “There was a fantastic amount of activity undertaken by union learning reps for Learning at Work Day 2009 and we are looking forward to another
brilliant celebration of the transformational impact of learning at next year’s Learning at Work Day.” For 2010, the CfL is also working with the Reading Agency to promote reading activities through the Six Book Challenge www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk. LAWD planning seminars will take place in January 2010 for organisers who want to find out more about running an event. For more information about Learning at Work Day, planning seminars and details of how to add your LAWD pictures to the new online gallery, please contact Jamie Wright Email: jhwright@cflearning.org.uk Tel: 020 7766 0014. You can also register online to receive regular updates at www.learningatworkday.com.
How Ken conquered computers Department of Work and Pensions ULR Margo McNicholas had to virtually drag security guard Ken Mitchell onto the IT learning bus when it parked at his Barnsley workplace on Learning at Work Day three years ago. By his own admission, Ken had a real phobia of computers – he wouldn’t have one in his home and relied on colleagues to undertake any IT tasks for him at work. But to his surprise, he found using a computer at the LAWD session wasn’t as daunting as he’d convinced himself he would be. And when his typing colleagues told him they wouldn’t respond to his work emails for him in future, he really started to get to grips with online communication by himself. His confidence grew so much
New guide offers job loss strategy
that when his daughter suggested they buy a computer to help her with her nursing degree, he not only agreed, but set about teaching himself how to use it with the help of a couple of “idiots’ guides”. As well as helping him keep up to date with changes at work, Ken’s new-found IT skills allow him to shop online, research his holidays, trace his family tree and even keep in touch with friends form the forces on Facebook. “Ken believes that the experience has totally changed his life and that he is still learning – he is now more confident and will try anything: Learning at Work Day really makes a difference,” says PCS DWP Regional Learning Officer for Yorkshire and the Humber Janet Johnson, last year’s TUC ULR of the year.
Trade union reps and officers in the SouthWest will be able to offer more complete support to members facing redundancy in the region with the help of the new unionlearn booklet, Coming out on top: a trade unionist’s guide to getting through redundancy. Union members faced with losing their jobs need advice on a range of issues, including developing their skills, retraining opportunities, and practical support in applying for jobs – which is where the new booklet comes in. Coming out on top includes detailed advice on: ● action planning ● workplace support ● membership retention ● union support ● other agencies that can help. It also includes a detailed redundancy support journey planner and explains how Area Action Forces throughout the region can be used to bring together all the key agencies involved in redundancy support. The guide has been supported by the South West of England Regional Development Agency and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. There are limited numbers of the free publication available: to order a hard copy, email unionlearnsouthwest@tuc.org.uk or telephone 0117 9470521. You can also download a copy from www.unionlearn.org.uk/southwest
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» Briefing » IIP Ambassadors
Investors in People allows organisations to adopt a consistent approach to workforce development, say Merseytravel’s Roger Irvine and Blackpool Council’s Elizabeth Bullen
Meetthe By Astrid Stubbs
Ambassadors
Elizabeth Bullen and Roger Irvine want more learning reps to Elizabeth Bullen isn’t someone to pass up the chance to speak out loud and proud about the benefits of learning. Just recently, for example, she could be found addressing a national event at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre on skills for the public sector. Her enthusiasm and passion for learning stretch back to 1988 when she first became involved in Skills for Life as a volunteer. Having been a UNISON member for years, Elizabeth realised very quickly that ULRs were the trusted colleagues able to engage with employees in areas traditionally labelled hard-to-reach. “I enjoy all aspects of my role but in particular seeing the way learning changes people: not only are they more confident in their own abilities, they raise their aspirations and talk about wanting a career and not just a job,” she says. “Every day colleagues tell us about how they are sharing the learning with family and friends: it is very satisfying seeing people achieve on
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any level – to be part of their learning journey is an absolute privilege.” Now Unions2Learn Project Coordinator and ULR Co-ordinator at Blackpool Council, Elizabeth is also one of a select handful of union Ambassadors for Investors in People in the country. “I first became involved with Investors in People when my authority was working towards gaining the status: mine is a bottom-up approach in the organisation and ensures people are given the opportunity to achieve their full potential – particularly in areas which have traditionally been considered hard-to-reach,” she explains. For Elizabeth, it’s all about equality – identifying the ‘hidden’ talent and bringing it on, so that individuals, the whole organisation and the
You can download your copy of Making the Most of Investors in People from: http://tinyurl. com/yz5tr7p
community ultimately benefit. “I hope to help achieve the regeneration of Blackpool and have no doubt whatsover we will do this by encouraging people to return to learning and supporting them to gain the qualifications they need to improve their own lives and the lives of their loved ones,” she says. “Being invited to be an Ambassador for Investors in People is a great privilege and gives me the opportunity to promote the many benefits the process brings to other organisations. “There are scores of case studies from Blackpool Council which clearly demonstrate how true this is.” Fellow Ambassador Roger Irvine, UNISON Branch Secretary and senior ULR at Merseytravel, says the role has evolved from the partnership work between management and unions over a long period of time.
IIP Ambassadors « Briefing «
Why IIP is a win-win Union IIP Ambassadors have helped persuade more unions of the value of the standard, according to IIP UK Head of Skills Frances Graham (below)
The TUC and Investors in People have been working closely together ever since they signed a Memorandum of Understanding four years ago. “It was a win-win situation on both sides: Investors in People was used to get unions involved and unions in workplaces could introduce Investors in People to workplaces where it did not exist,” explains Frances Graham, Head of Skills at IIP UK. The publication of the unionlearn booklet, Making the Most of Investors In People, made a further difference by
offering unions the chance to think of IIP in a different way, she says. IIP Ambassadors have been in a key position to promote the flexibility of the standard. “People think they have to do certain things in a certain way but the framework is entirely flexible – they can work in a way they want. This gives even more potential for unions and more flexibility in getting involved in a process that’s much more forward-looking, broader and engaging,” she says. For Frances, the proof that Investors in People was working for unions came when she found herself redundant at the unionlearn conference. “We had a stand and I was incidental because people were talking to Elizabeth and Roger because they had the conviction of
how things really work. We want more ambassadors like them in every region!” The commitment and dedication shown by the union IIP Ambassadors is underpinned by their belief in the value of the standard, Frances argues. “IIP Ambassadors are key when it comes to demonstrating to ULRs and unions the way in which IIP delivers real benefit. Their role, contributing to people development at every level, is invaluable,” Frances says. More details at www.investorsinpeople.co.uk If you are interested in being invited to be an Ambassador, contact Anisha Patel. Email: anishap@iipuk.co.uk
join their band of Investors in People Ambassadors. With more than 20 ULRs from a range of unions in place and three busy learning centres working to provide numerous opportunities, becoming an Investor in People was a natural underpinning of work already in progress, explains Roger. “It took the whole process forward: we needed a coordinated approach across the organisation – we were ultimately after a consistency of approach and equality of opportunity,” he says. “Our learning agreement meant we negotiated separate agreements between office and external staff because we represent such a very diverse group of staff: the Investors in People approach gave us a proper process to follow where we could see what was happening.” Because of the success of the IIP approach Roger has attended many conferences with Chief Executive Officer Neil Scales, who has been very keen to explain the business benefits of the Merseytravel approach, including better retention of staff and lower sickness levels. As a result of its work, the
passenger transport organisation applied for Investors in People Champion status – and became the first public sector organisation to secure it. For Roger, it meant an invitation to become an Ambassador. “I was delighted, particularly in trying to promote the positive role that unions have taken to affect major cultural changes,” he says. As well as speaking at meetings and other events to promote Investors in People, Roger has helped launch a new literacy and numeracy skills leaflet. “My message is that a lot of organisations still have an adversarial relationship, but one of the things we have done here is to ring-fence the learning agenda and by using Investors in People we can still work positively in key crucial areas,” he explains. “I’d like to see more people from the union side become Ambassadors and help send the message across the country about the role unions can play in a formal partnership.”
“I’d like to see more people from the union side become IIP Ambassadors and help send the message across the country about the role unions can play.” Look out for the new unionlearn publication: Getting the best out of the new approach to Investors in People: a briefing for union reps. With the launch of a new more flexible approach to Investors in People, the briefing will provide: ● a short account of the changes ● ideas on how union reps can use them to improve members’ working lives ● advice on where to get more information.
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» Update » Quick Reads
There’s
always time for a
Quick Read
Here’s your sneak preview of next year’s short, sharp shots of entertainment. And to make the collection even more appealing, publishers Bantam Books have asked best-selling thriller writer (and former NUJ activist) Val McDermid to pen an introduction. “Back when I was a trade union official, it never occurred to us we should be expanding people’s horizons in the way unionlearn has done over the past few years,” Val says. “I’m delighted Quick Reads is publishing this collection so people can read about working lives that are like their own: and for the writers of the stories, an initiative like this gives them encouragement and shows what’s possible for them.”
Alongside Life’s Too Short, next year’s non-fiction includes Alvin Hall’s timely insight into managing your money, popular history from Alison Weir, a collection of Lottery-winners’ real life stories and Rolf Harris’s touching memoir of his canine companion, Buster Fleabags. The fiction includes action adventure by Andy McNab, love and relationships by Cathy Kelly humorous crime by Peter James, another Doctor Who story and a searing novel about teenage knife crime from Bernadine Evaristo.
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Photo: Mimsey Moller
By taking Quick Reads to their hearts, union learning reps and their members have helped the publishing initiative become a runaway success that’s changed the face of literacy work in this country. With the support of unionlearn, workplaces across the country have ordered the titles by the boxful, using them to engage reluctant readers with fast, fun, affordable reads by best-selling authors. Now shopfloor demand for the new batch to be published next March is set to really take off – and not only because the titles include big-name authors like former SAS soldier Andy McNab, TV treasure Rolf Harris and finance guru Alvin Hall. For union members, the 2010 list is particularly special because it includes Life’s Too Short, the series of true stories about life at work selected from the short story competition unionlearn ran last year.
For its fifth anniversary in 2010, Quick Reads has launched a major new design and marketing approach, re-branding the series as “short, sharp shots of entertainment” which can be thrilling as a theme park ride. All the new titles will be downloadable from the website and a key backlist title will be made available free, for a limited period, as part of the launch promotion.
www.quickreads.org.uk
Union Learning Fund « Feature «
We’ve
only
just
Photo: Colin McPherson
The Union Learning Fund has clocked up some pretty impressive outcomes over the years – but there’s still a lot to do if it’s to continue helping the UK compete more effectively on learning and skills, explains Catherine McClennan. By Martin Moriarty
begun… In the dark days before the launch of the Union Learning Fund, it was people who already had qualifications who mostly got the chance to further develop themselves at work. The idea that shopfloor or frontline staff might relish the chance to improve their skills (or acquire new ones) was not exactly orthodox. Even enlightened employers who tried to do something different rarely got very far. The majority of people with Skills for Life issues had long ago got used to covering them up, and many feared coming clean to a supervisor or manager would only make them vulnerable to losing their job. “When you look back at the old approaches to work-based training, the results were poor, the take-up wasn’t particularly brilliant and they didn’t and couldn’t reach out to the most disadvantaged groups – people on part-time work, shiftworkers and women returning to work,” says unionlearn National Union Development Coordinator Catherine McClennan. “What the ULF and the union route has done is make learning much more accessible, more flexible, and it’s actually made employers and providers aware of the barriers which possibly weren’t as visible to them as they could have been.” Universally acknowledged
as one of the success stories of recent times, the ULF had relatively modest beginnings, splitting just £2 million between 21 different unions to help them launch 45 separate projects in Round One in 1998. Many of these initiatives were local and small-scale in those early days: some focused on awareness-raising, others on accessing ready-made provision, while the most ambitious used the Fund to open workplace learning centres. But what were probably most important were the projects that set about training the first batch of union learning reps to spread the word about the possibilities of workplace learning and encourage their colleagues to try what was on offer. Significantly, the demand for ULR training was almost instantaneously overwhelming: in that first year, for instance, the ULF helped train 1,000 learning reps – three times more than originally planned. Over the past 11 years, the ULF has invested significant sums in union projects to help workers improve their literacy, numeracy and computer skills: “I think the ULF has been pretty pioneering in the work that we’ve done raising the skills level of the workforce,” Catherine says. And it’s also proved adept at ensuring that union-led learning embraces government initiatives like the Skills Pledge, Train to Gain and the latest drive to boost apprenticeships. “We’re really making sure we promote those key messages so that ULRs and trade unions on the ground can make these things a reality,” she points out. Now worth £15 million a year, the Fund has grown by proving itself able
autumn 2009 «
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» Feature » Union Learning Fund » Case Study »
Reaching the hardest to reach With the help of the Union Learning Fund, Unite the union is helping London’s migrant and domestic workers overcome barriers to learning and play a bigger role in their communities and workplaces. Every weekend, 150 migrant and domestic workers gather to study IT and take literacy courses
Migrant and domestic workers (above) are developing their language skills with the help of the ULF
to identify, monitor, evaluate and support the most successful workplace learning projects, where management, unions and providers are working together towards common goals of enhanced skills, reduced staff turnover, and improved productivity.
“Motivating employees to learn is critical to ensuring training is effective … The Union Learning Fund has been highly effective, together with the growing network of ULRs in workplaces throughout the UK.” Photo: Colin McPherson
“By investing in their staff through these projects, employers get a much better return in terms of boosting morale, loyalty, employee retention, productivity, a different attitude towards essential training and development – and in terms of actually making a much better workplace culture,” Catherine says. But the Fund has also enabled the kind of progression that has helped both individual workers and the organisations that employ them. “Employers see these projects as
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with English for Speakers of Other Languages embedded (numeracy courses are just getting underway for the first time). So successful has the project been, and so positive the word-ofmouth, that Unite has had to move the courses out of its Transport House building into the more spacious surroundings of nearby
Leitch Report on Skills really instrumental to their own workforce development strategy – people who’ve got a taste for learning have gone on to higher level qualifications, moved into management, and become assets to their organisations,” she says. Building partnerships – with employers, learning providers, Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and other agencies – has been crucial from the word go. “We’ve really seen some key partnerships with a joint approach to learning and development which is beneficial to the individual and the employer as well,” Catherine points out. The UK workplace of today would
Faraday House (the home of Syracuse University’s London Programme), where learners can spread out over six classrooms, a 30piece IT suite, and the student lounge. In addition, the young members section of the Justice for Cleaners campaign (where many of the migrant workers first made contact with the union) runs workshops for up to 40 young people (mostly children the learners bring with them) on photography, video, art, drama, music, dance, food and Spanish. Without the backing of the Union Learning Fund, the migrants would have had to fall back on courses run
look very different had the ULF not come into existence. “Without unions and ULRs doing that work on the ground building confidence, we’d never have had the approaches that we do have to literacy, numeracy, basic IT, English for Speakers of Other Languages, dyslexia, and any of the other barriers to progress that hadn’t been tackled before,” she says. With the country only now beginning to climb out of recession, the pressure on public finances is going to push future governments into difficult decisions about where best to invest taxpayers’ money. But the Union Learning Fund has repeatedly proved that it’s able to generate significant returns for a relatively small slice of the government pie. “While it’s done a lot of good work, there’s still a whole host of work to be done on the skills agenda if we’re going to be globally competitive,” Catherine says. “The ULF really does reach into the heart of the workplaces where we need to make that difference, where we need to upskill – it would be really remiss of any future government not to see union learning as integral to workforce development.”
Union Learning Fund « Feature «
by their employers (and take-up has always been low on those courses) or somehow find the money from their minimum-wage pay packets to sign up with a local college. “We couldn’t have achieved any of this without the backing of the Union Learning Fund,” says Unite National Union Learning Organiser Steve Rowlatt. “The workers themselves couldn’t communicate with their employers or the union around their industrial issues, but now they’ve taken the courses, they’ve got a bit more confidence, and they’re taking the agenda forward now.”
What the ULF is all about The key goals of the Union Learning Fund are to: ● build union capacity to sustain and embed work on learning and skills ● develop the key role of ULRs in raising demand for learning ● maximise the union contribution to the development and delivery of government strategy to drive up the demand for skills ● help unions form active learning partnerships with employers ● help unions form effective partnerships with learning providers ● develop union capacity to engage in effective partnership working with regional and national skills organisations ● help unions and ULRs develop a framework to provide high quality information, advice and guidance ● help unions engage with union-led learning centres in the workplace, union offices and unionlearn centres to offer a growing range of learning opportunities.
Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
» Case Study »
Building for the future Construction union UCATT is seizing the opportunity of continued Union Learning Fund support to push ever closer to its goal of a fully qualified and registered construction workforce by 2010. The union’s ULF work has ensured thousands of experienced but unqualified construction workers have secured recognition of their skills and knowledge by achieving NVQs and Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) accreditation. It’s also helped the union establish a network of ULRs to promote learning opportunities; provide information, advice and guidance to members; engage with employers on a wide range of learning and skills issues; and set up on-site learning centres in atypical learning environments. Learning partnerships like the one UCATT helped set up at the massive Kings Waterfront development in Liverpool have garnered praise as innovative models for meeting the learning needs of a fragmented and diverse workforce. “The ULF has had a dramatic and beneficial effect across the construction sector, helping to enhance the confidence, dignity and self-esteem of individual
workers; contribute to improvements in workforce productivity; and improve industrial relations with progressive construction companies,” explains National Project Worker Steve Craig. “ULF resources have helped UCATT secure qualifications for skilled but unqualified construction workers; bridge the digital divide that exists across the sector; improve awareness of health and safety through the CSCS Touch Screen Test scheme; improve the employability of members; and develop the confidence and selfesteem of individuals who didn’t think learning was for them.” The union has also been able to persuade employers to train more apprentices: Lincoln City Council has given a start to its first three apprentices in 20 years, and Nottingham City Homes has promised to employ one apprentice for every million pound spent on its huge investment programme across the city council’s housing stock. “Using the ULF, trade unions and their ULRs have added value to the lives of thousands of workers, to the communities where they live and to the companies where they work,” Steve points out.
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» Feature » Union Learning Fund
Takin’ it
to the stree
Frizlands Learning Centre in Dagenham has helped hundreds of street cleaning, refuse and recycling staff improve their skills, thanks to early support from the Union Learning Fund. Centre Manager Penny Robinson explains how it overcame a challenging start to become a byword for excellence. By Martin Moriarty and numeracy embedded – and it really took off. Within a year, I had about 300 people on a waiting list – it was amazing. And the manager who’d thrown me out said: “Look, this is obviously working, my health and safety is far better and the guys seem happy, so if I get a learning centre built at the end of the threeyear project, will you stay and manage it?” So I said “Yes!”
What sort of a reception did the project get when it was launched at the authority? When I first came, it was horrendous! I was thrown out of the building which now houses the learning centre twice by a manager who said they didn’t need any training organised for them. But we were really lucky because the chief executive was really behind the project, and that helped us get going. What courses did you offer in the beginning? Because there were loads of issues around health and safety in the workplace, the first course we did was health and safety with literacy
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What did the money from the ULF actually cover? The ULF money was used to pay the tutors from the College of North London (CONEL), to cover the expenses to set up the courses, and to pay my wages. As well as the health and safety courses, we ran English, maths, IT and equality and diversity courses written for us and delivered by CONEL. Now the council funds the courses and my wages. We use Train to Gain and we hire out the learning centre for corporate training and as a meeting venue which makes money for the centre. How did you prepare for the project to become self-sustaining? We tried to embed learning in the
Early support from the ULF has helped London Borough of Barking & Dagenham transform its workplace culture through a new emphasis on learning and skills
whole culture of the council. When we started, the culture was that staff in frontline services didn’t get any training. One manager told me: “My guys don’t need training – they know how to push a broom!” And there was another manager who would always go on about people on courses going on “another ULR jolly-up” so I said to him: “If you think it’s a jolly-up, you come and do the course.” And he did – which changed his mind big time! One thing we did wrong was that we put the guys on the courses before the supervisors, and I had a terrible problem with the supervisors: they were letting people come on the courses but they were giving them hell in front of everyone. But once we got them on the courses, it was amazing – they started pushing them for me! So how did the project change the workplace culture? Before the project started, the workforce was angry and apathetic – they’d say things like: “There’s no point telling you because no one’s going to do anything.” There never used to be staff meetings or one-toones. When the Transport Waste
Union Learning Fund « Feature « Photos: Rod Leon
» Case Study »
Driving ahead
ets and Street Scene Services Group Manager Mickey Neale started staff meetings, he said: “I want your ideas and your feedback” and one of the guys said: “That’s your bloody job – that’s what you get paid for!” So it was hard going at first. But what’s changed more than anything is that with the training staff have become more confident and they know that people will listen to them. Health and safety has improved, and sickness rates which used to be really bad have reduced, as well. Has the project helped staff progression? All the managers used to come from outside the borough but now we can grow our own. We’ve got a photograph in the learning centre of a course we ran for street cleaners and refuse workers – all of them are managers now and two are area managers. Chris Taylor is another one: he started off on a mechanical roadsweeper and couldn’t read or write before he came to the centre – now he’s got an Institute of Leadership and Management qualification and is an Area Manager and he says learning has really changed his life. Could you have got to where you are today without the ULF? Definitely not. Most management didn’t want to know in the
early days, so who would have funded me? And I couldn’t have done that work as a volunteer because it was so time-consuming, it was hours and hours, you couldn’t do that as well as another job. And I wouldn’t have had the tutors, and I wouldn’t have had any money to be able to pay for all the venues for learning (before we got the learning centre). So without the ULF, it wouldn’t have happened.
Transport company First Group will be running a total of 60 learning centres by the end of the current financial year, and won’t stop until 100 per cent of its employees have some kind of access to learning, according to Group Head of Learning and Development Linda Guthrie. After starting work with the Local MP Frank Field opens First TGWU (now part of Unite) back in Group's 2002, the company signed a Birkenhead national learning agreement with learning centre the union in 2006 and with South established a joint education Yorkshire MD Bob sub-committee to oversee the Hamilton (centre) direction of Skills for Life provision and TUC Regional and manage the learning centres, Secretary Alan Manning (right) project workers and the 100-plus union learning reps. The company and union work in partnership to ensure there is a diverse range of courses on offer, based on demand, at a combination of fixed and mobile learning centres across the country. “All our learning centres are striving to be the best – it’s not enough to put some PCs in a room,” Linda says. “We’ve used all sorts of attraction strategies to engage people in learning, including scuba diving and guitar lessons – our ULRs and project workers are very creative and organise and run some surprising courses, always aimed at getting people involved in learning in a fun and unthreatening way.” At its annual union learning reps conference, First recognises the achievements of the ULRs and learning centres of excellence by hosting a unique awards ceremony. It also runs a short story competition every year for employees and publishes the winning entries in a book in partnership with Unite and learning advocates NIACE. “The Union Learning Fund has totally contributed to our success – without it, we wouldn’t have got our workplace learning provision off the ground: we wouldn’t be where we are today if we hadn’t started early and we started early because we had support from the union,” Linda says.
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» Update » OU
Leading learning into the future The OU’s new Vice-Chancellor plans to merge the best in education and technology to improve services to learners. Combining a passion for education and technology to lead The Open University into the future is the pledge of Martin Bean, who became Vice-Chancellor in October following the retirement of Professor Brenda Gourley. Martin is a former Microsoft General Manager, who was responsible for product management, marketing and business development in the Worldwide Education Products Group. “I look forward to combining my passion for education and technology to lead The Open University over the coming years, as we continue to provide innovative and high-quality distance education solutions to meet the needs of the 21st century,” he says. Martin believes in supporting the acquisition of 21st century skills to help students become lifelong learners with critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills. And he’s keen to develop good working relationships with the trade union movement.
Broadening access means extending the reach of the best tutors and learning materials to anywhere they’re needed, including rural and undeveloped areas, effectively breaking down the barriers of time, distance, and cost. “There really isn’t any other vehicle in the world like technology with its ability to do that. Wikipedia and YouTube are proof points that show what technology can do to revolutionise the way content gets distributed and used by people,” he says. Tools and resources that allow for greater individualisation of learning and insight-driven software tools that enable teachers to guide students along their own learning paths are critical, he says. Equally important, he says, is connecting students, their supporters and administrators to share information and track student progress; and connecting classrooms with published content and subject experts from around the world.
Martin’s five key areas where technology has the greatest opportunity to improve the educational experience for everybody are: ● broadening access to education for all ● enabling student-centred learning ● enhancing learning with powerful software tools ● creating powerful learning communities at all levels ● improving the efficiency of education systems.
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By Astrid Stubbs
Students need 21st century skills like critical thinking and problem solving to help them become lifelong learners, says Martin Bean
Environment « Feature «
The team is also working with an evaluation team to generate some case studies of the benefits of the union approach to greening the workplace. The project is already working with the unions at workplaces including Bristol City Council, Western Power Distribution, Royal Mail and Dairy Crest to put teams of green reps in place, train them and identify initiatives they can get involved in. “In terms of what the reps see as the issues, the most common are energy-saving, travel and waste and recycling, and some unions also have representation on ISO 1401 committees, which oversee an organisation’s environmental management systems,” Andy says. “They’re also exploring ways to get time off for environmental duties because there’s currently no statutory right to facility time for green reps.” The project is appealing to both existing and new activists, Andy explains. “We’re getting a mix of younger and more established members coming to events and there are people coming forward who’ve not had a rep role before,” he says. The project is well aware of the learning opportunities involved, in terms of both upskilling activists and broadening members’ understanding of environmental issues.
“There’s clearly an element of new skills and new learning involved in the green agenda – people want the information to give themselves the confidence to discuss what needs to be changed with their managers and their employers,” he says. South West RDA Director of Planning, Transport and Environment Claire Gibson says the agency is backing the project because of its commitment to the green agenda. “We’re supporting the ‘Greening South West Workplaces’ project because we are leading the region’s transformation to a low-carbon economy by helping businesses embrace the opportunities of climate change and tackle the challenges of global warming,” she says.
Find out more The project website is at: www.greenworkplacessouthwest.org.uk. You can get in touch with the project to see how it can support you, or to share the work you’re doing. Contact Andy Moss amoss@tuc.org.uk or Frances Robertson froberston@tuc.org.uk. Tel: 0117 947 0521
Greening the West Country Workplaces across the South-West are reducing their environmental impact thanks to a regional TUC project. autumn 2009 «
21
Illustration: philosophyfootball.com
Harnessing union power to change environmental behaviour at work is becoming a reality in the South-West thanks to a new TUC project launched last year with the help of a grant from the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA). Greening South West Workplaces aims to get firms to reduce their energy use, set up recycling schemes and adopt flexible working so employees do not need to drive into work every day. “There are various groups promoting resource efficiency directly to business so the idea is that we can do something slightly different through the union route and, alongside that, the employee route, to try to move things forward as well,” explains Project Worker Andy Moss. “Because the unions have an interest in the whole agenda around the environment anyway, they’re well-placed to engage union reps and union members and get them involved in the workplace.” The three-strong project team of which Andy is a member aims to help businesses in the region improve their environmental performance principally through the union route, offering union reps training that will help them to identify opportunities, negotiate workplace agreements, and establish joint environment committees and a network of green reps.
Shedding
Photo: Rod Leon
on green
When British Museum trade union side chair Peter Clennell first heard about the TUC’s GreenWorkplaces Project (GWP), he immediately suggested to management that they join the initiative, which was funded by the Carbon Trust. The project aimed to show how union involvement could pay dividends when it came to reducing the environmental impact of a range of businesses and organisations. The museum readily agreed to become one of six “demonstration” workplaces for the one-year initiative, having already brought in the Carbon Trust a couple of years earlier to help it get to grips with the green agenda.
The only problem was that the museum’s keen interest in reducing its carbon footprint wasn’t exactly common knowledge among its 1,000 staff. “The management had brought in the Carbon Trust in 2004 – they just hadn’t told anyone else in the museum!” Peter recalls. To launch the GWP pilot at the museum, management and unions jointly organised a Green Day, with a range of organisations running stalls and workshops including the Carbon Trust, local authority Camden Council, Friends of the Earth, and the four unions themselves (PCS, Prospect, FDA and Unite). “We took the lead in getting the
Staff must get involved in workplace green issues to achieve long-term gains, argues British Museum trade union side chair Peter Clennell
“The British Museum green reps came up with a long list of improvements which management had not previously identified.”
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project off the ground, with the help of the TUC GWP team: we incorporated management and non-union people into it from the start – it was geared towards the whole museum,” Peter explains. The open day attracted everyone from curators to cleaning and security staff, 200 people in all, a turnout that was five times the average attendance at similar management-led events, according to the keynote speaker from the Carbon Trust. Most importantly, 100 staff expressed an interest in becoming environmental reps, and 25 of them covering every area or department within the museum went on to be trained. While most were union members and many union reps already, for some this was the first time they’d felt moved to become a workplace rep of any kind. The role of the new reps was to gather information about their departments and help managers and fellow work colleagues get the green message, by identifying how
Environment « Feature «
Why reps need rights
issues When the British Museum set about trying to reduce its impact on the environment, it was partnership with the unions that encouraged staff to buy in. By Martin Moriarty
each area could make efficiency savings. A key aspect of the first staff training workshop was a trial energy audit introduced by a Carbon Trust consultant which provided reps with the skills needed to undertake simplified energy audits in their own work area. Once they got down to work, the environmental reps came up with a long list of improvements which management had not previously identified, ranging from using energy-saving lightbulbs to re-organising exhibits to control the environment around vulnerable pieces in the most energy-efficient manner. The key was getting staff involved, Peter says. “If you can’t get the staff to turn off computers and lights when they’re not needed or report things that need doing, you’re not going to achieve any long-term gains.” The project was a major success, dramatically raising the profile of environmental issues throughout the museum and kick-starting a
process which has led to year-onyear reductions in the size of its carbon footprint. The project directly led to significant energy savings of 7 per cent in the first year (another 7.3 per cent cut has been achieved so far this year) and reductions in CO2 emission (another 5.3 per cent cut to date in 2009) and contributed towards a £700,000 cut in energy consumption. In addition, the recent reassessment of the museum’s Display Energy Certification has moved it up from G to F, making it the most energy-efficient building in the National Museums sector, and this summer it secured the Carbon Trust Standard, marking it out as an organisation taking real action to reduce its direct impact on climate change. Nowadays, environmental issues are overseen by the Green Workplace Group, which is primarily an information-sharing network. Peter says that unions interested in organising a Green Day to kickstart a workplace environmental initiative should follow the BM lead and invite everyone who’s got anything to do with their building, from the local council to the local energy suppliers, as well as obvious partners such as the Carbon Trust and Friends of the Earth. But they should also learn from the one big mistake Peter and his colleagues made and not forget to stock up on membership forms. “There were lots of people asking the various unions about membership because they saw the unions were interested in green issues – so make sure you bring plenty of membership forms so you can sign them up there and then,” Peter says.
The TUC wants legal rights for trade union environment reps – both in terms of training and facility time. Workplace environmental representatives should be able to take reasonable time off during working hours to: ● promote environmentally sustainable workplace initiatives and practices ● carry out environmental risk assessments and audits ● consult on workplace environmental policies, practices and management systems ● receive relevant training.
British Museum workers check out learning opportunities on the PCS stall at the BM’s Green Day
Help the planet in the workplace The TUC guide How To Green Your Workplace outlines some of the workplace issues where environmental improvements may be needed and summarises some of the key actions that union members can take to address these issues. www.tuc.org.uk/extras/greenworkplace.pdf You can find more detailed guidance and resources at the sustainable workplace website: www.sustainableworkplace.co.uk
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» Update » My Story
A new BBC website is encouraging everyone to tell their stories – and the best will get published in book form.
Find the
book They say there’s a book inside all of us and now the BBC wants to hear about yours, as the My Story booklet included with this edition of The Learning Rep explains. Up to 15 of the most compelling storytellers will get the chance to appear in a major TV series on BBC1 in 2010. Five of the storytellers will also get the chance to have their book published, which could see their work on bookshop shelves alongside their favourite authors. “My Story aims to get the whole nation reading, writing and telling their most remarkable stories. The BBC believes that the arts should be accessible to all and we’re proud as a publicly funded broadcaster to be at the heart of
the nation’s storytelling,” says BBC Arts Commissioner Mark Bell. Anyone over 18 can submit their true, untold real life stories in 300–1,500 words via the My Story website, which contains videos and interactive tools to help you plan and structure your story as well as tips on writing styles and skills. In addition, short videos presented by Nina Wadia (EastEnders) and Lenny Henry (returning to the role of Deakus) will show you how easy it is to get started and explore simple ideas to get the creative juices flowing. There are also cameo appearances from Peter Duncan, Tara Palmer Tomkinson, Stephen K Amos and Roland Rivron. Roadshows in September and
October encouraged people from all walks of life to tell their stories; gain inspiration and advice from story-gatherers from The Open University; take part in workshops with their local BBC team; and film their story with Video Nation. Each entry will be read by the production team. There will be two panels in the latter stages of the competition, which will be made up of professional storytellers and the television production company. The third and final panel – which decides the five winners – will be made up of storytelling experts. Send your story via the My Story website or by post using the entry form on the site. All entries must be received by Wednesday 16 December 2009.
www.bbc.co.uk/mystory
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TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «
a new
By Astrid Stubbs
Trevor Sargison, unionlearn’s regional education officer (REO) for Yorkshire and Humberside, first realised he needed some qualifications while working as a miner in North Derbyshire. “I left school at 15 with no qualifications at all and it was only when I moved to a pit where there were health and safety problems that I started getting involved as a NUM union rep and discovered a need to be educated,” he explains. Trevor started his education through the NUM’s day release programme at the University of Sheffield, eventually winning a scholarship to Ruskin College, Oxford, where he took the Labour Studies Diploma, followed by a degree in Economic History at Leeds University. “I am a practitioner in TUC Education and a product of it as well,” he proudly declares. “I love the whole education field. You can put something back in that can never be replaced.”
seam
Trevor became a TUC tutor at Bradford College, then course coordinator and finally REO four years ago, just when most people are thinking of retirement. “I tried retirement once – but you can only put up so many shelves,” he laughs. “I still really enjoy what I’m doing and want to keep going while I’m still doing a useful job on behalf of the TUC.” Trevor is proud that his region has been at the forefront of diploma courses through Hull, Park Lane and Bradford Colleges introducing the first one-year access certificate in Trade Union and Industrial Studies. “We still have a very good balanced programme of courses in
Union activists need all the educational opportunities they can get to help them in their union roles, says Trevor Sargison
different part of the region, from the two-day induction course, through core courses and onto all three oneyear diplomas,” he says. Trevor says a major bonus to the region is its teams of tutors in different centres, something he hopes to see consolidated in the future. “When you look at the way education has developed, you also see the need for a number of people in any one centre to validate what’s happening and just to support each other and develop courses,” he says. He also hopes to see the widest range of courses to support reps coming through, as well as online learning to enhance what’s happening in the classroom. “Those brave enough to take on the job of a voluntary officer need all the educational opportunities to support them in what they are doing,” says Trevor.
Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Mining
TUC-educated reps have a pivotal role to play helping find new ways to regenerate Yorkshire and Humberside’s major cities, devastated by recession and the loss of historic industries.
“Trevor is a brilliant tutor and negotiator who is respected within unions and loved by his colleagues.” Liz Rees, Head of TUC Education autumn 2009 «
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» Roundup » TUC Education with unionlearn
Coalfield centre burns bright Castleford Community Learning Centre hasn’t looked back since joining forces with the WEA three years ago, and now plays a crucial role in the union movement and local community.
Moving to CCLC was the best thing the WEA could have done, says course coordinator Brian Chadwick (above, with CCLC’s Margaret Handforth)
With the help of unionlearn, CCLC has been reinvigorated as a centre for adult and community learning since joining forces with the WEA
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Three years ago, Castleford Community Learning Centre (CCLC) was threatened with closure, but is now facing a brighter future after joining forces with the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA). In the aftermath of the miners’ strike, CCLC became one of the pioneers of community learning, establishing key partnerships with the University of Leeds and local education providers like the WEA. This led to a wide range of learning opportunities being offered to the people of Castleford and the surrounding area. But by 2006 cuts in adult education funding meant CCLC was facing the possibility of closure, while the WEA was at risk of losing its status as a TUC-approved provider in Yorkshire. The relocation of the WEA’s TUC activist provision to CCLC proved to be the perfect solution to a dire situation for both organisations, and there has been a dramatic turnaround over the last three years. Thanks to the support of unionlearn, the centre has been totally transformed and as a consequence the WEA’s TUC activist provision is going from strength to strength. The decision to accommodate
U-Net has added further value to what is on offer at CCLC, providing an opportunity for WEA and U-Net to work closer together for the benefit of trade union learners. “CCLC provides a very friendly and supportive environment which has had a positive impact on the overall quality of teaching and learning,” says WEA/TUC Course Coordinator Brian Chadwick. “WEA tutors and trade union learners are very comfortable here: they are made to feel at home and look forward to coming back and doing another course.” The WEA’s relocation to Castleford has helped it develop new union partnerships and a more diverse and interesting trade union curriculum. It has also opened up access to trade union education for new communities and the facilities and teaching resources have improved significantly. “Moving to CCLC was the best thing we could have done: it’s pleasing to see so many organisations pulling together in the same direction and sharing the same principles and values and providing a valuable service to unions, union reps and wider sections of the community,” says Brian. “I’m just glad that I’m part of what can only be described as a success story: the new learning partnership has attracted substantial investment and reinvigorated its whole purpose as a centre for adult and community learning.” REO Trevor Sargison says the centre is vitally important in ensuring the delivery of a TUC Education programme in the old mining towns of West Yorkshire. “CCLC is a safe and welcoming environment with wonderful resources and ever-helpful staff – and they do the best ham sandwiches in the county!” he says.
TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «
College that Leeds the way A vision of Leeds City College became a reality this year as Leeds College of Technology, Leeds Thomas Danby and Park Lane College Leeds & Keighley merged to form what is now one of the largest and most influential colleges in the country with over 60,000 students and a turnover of £70 million a year. The Trade Union Studies Centre at Leeds College of Technology offers the full range of TUC courses for union reps and officers. In addition, there is a new satellite centre, part of the University of York, engaging reps in the North Yorkshire area. The centre acts as a gateway to
college for trade union learners to access other college departments. Learners have been signposted to a variety of courses; languages, ESOL, ICT, Skills for Life, Tai Chi, guitar, wine-tasting, and aerobics. The Faculty of Adult & Community Education has taken an active part in Learning at Work Day events with various unions, including PCS at the Department of Work and Pensions in Leeds and the RMT at Leeds Railway Station. ICT courses have taken place at Stourton Mail Centre, Leeds, in partnership with the CWU; Darnell with the NUM; Skills for Life with the FBU; and the West Yorkshire Fire Service.
The centre has recently launched its own website: www.tradeunionstudiesleeds.org.uk
Home of the champions Like all staff at East Riding College, Dave Parr (standing, left) was once a student at the centre
High among the achievements of East Riding College Trade Union Department is its reputation as the originator of the successful Disability Champions course. Disability Champions are reps who are interested in working to gain genuine equality for disabled people in the world of work. A dedicated five-day training course written as part of the TUC training programme is now widely
available across the country and online, although it originally started as a 15-month project for Unite. “It was highly successful in terms of engaging people,” says Dave Parr, who taught the course and is now course coordinator at the college. So successful was the course that it has now been expanded across the country in a number of forms, including online, and there are now
Dave Prodham (below, left) with students on the Union Reps 1 course at East Riding College
more than 1,000 Disability Champions representing members in a wide cross-section of unions. As well as the Champions course, the centre offers a full programme of day release courses, including diplomas in Employment Law and Occupational Health and Safety plus the Equalities and online courses. And the centre continues to maintain a cutting edge presence with its own Facebook group linked via www.tradeunionstudies.com. And all staff – Dave Parr, Hazel Plunkett, Dave Prodham, Adie Toomey, Eddie Markey, Lesley Young and Angela Silcock – know what it’s like to be students as they were all reps on courses at the centre before becoming tutors.
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» Roundup » TUC Education with unionlearn
Bradford cuts its cloth to suit a new generation Bradford College and its historic trade union studies centre is pivotal to the regeneration of a city in massive decline with the loss of engineering and manufacturing jobs. “There used to be 100,000 textile workers in the area – now there are about 2,000,” says Steve Davison, TUC Education Course Coordinator. “The college has a vital role to play in upskilling. It also has all the challenges of providing education for a minority ethnic population of nearly one third,” says Steve. And this includes a new army of reps – many from the private sector – who still need the important training in core skills. “It’s about the core courses, about collective bargaining in a tough economic climate,” he says.
Visiting the college once a year to witness the work of the department is a group of Norwegian trade unionists, who have become twinned with the college through links established nearly 20 years ago by a former colleague of Steve’s. “We call them the Norwegian School and they call us the Yorkshire School!” he says. In addition, he’s proud of former students who have gone on to become big players in the labour movement. They include Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe, who studied at the college as a trade union rep for the print union SOGAT (now part of Unite), and Labour Party Chair Cath Speight.
Union reps learn core skills at Bradford to help them through tough economic times
Sheffield shows steely resolve The nature of work in and around Sheffield has changed massively but the need for reps with good quality learning remains the same. Sheffield College TU Studies Centre Manager Tony Fletcher says that trade union education has been part of the landscape of the region for decades. “But I’ve been in the job for 14 years and have seen quite big changes. There used to be so many places where people came from manufacturing and engineering but these jobs have disappeared,” he says.
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“Now our reps are more likely to come from the public sector, from the universities, hospital, local authorities and Government agencies around here.” The college offers a full range of courses for students, including online courses, which it has been involved with from the early days of online learning. And while the nature of the work people do has changed, the problems remain the same, Tony says. “People who have been elected to be reps still need to learn how to do it.”
The nature of the work has changed but the problems remain the same, says Tony Fletcher
TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «
Safety success An award-winning branch of PCS puts its success down to health and safety materials provided by TUC Education. Union reps from London Courts Branch of PCS started using the TUC Education materials when they set up a health and safety committee in 2007. As a result of the learning provided by the WEA, the branch signed up 10 people for Health and Safety courses, says Committee Chair Dave Putson. “I was winding down my involvement with the union but this was so inspirational that I found myself getting more involved,” he says . Dave praises the WEA’s Phil Hood, who ran the course. “He was so inspirational: he was able to put things into practical terms and he
inspired members and got people to take an active interest.” Dave says that the London Courts Branch has some 750 members across 38 offices and that as a result of learning, the committee organised quarterly health and safety inspections in 50 per cent of them within six months despite serious opposition from management. By the end of last year the branch had 19 reps at various stages of training and had organised quarterly inspections at all 38 sites. “We’ve now done 100 inspections in county and crown courts and, as a result, we have actively encouraged the Magistrates Court
London Courts Branch celebrates its safety award: (back row, from left) Dave Putson, Alan Evans, Paul Scully; (front row, from left) Elaine Bennett, Len Campling, Sin-Ping Leung
Branch to do the same,” he says, adding that he’s gone on to develop his own learning, starting a diploma in Occupational Health. And the branch has been awarded the union’s Ron Brown Health and Safety Trophy for its excellent work. “Without TUC Education and their knowledge and experience we would have been nowhere,” says Dave.
A former student writes … In a letter to Lewisham College, former student Joseph Sammut explains how taking a safety course helped him progress to higher level learning. degree in arded a BSc (Hons) I have just been aw y for Grad pl ap th and I can now Occupational Heal se thanks ur co is to get on th le ab ly on s wa I . IOSH urse at vel 3 TUC Safety co to attending the Le . pt De n TU Educatio Lewisham College excellent u ran gave me an yo at th The course d I often inue my studies an foundation to cont as a rk we did in class referenced the wo did at course work that I foundation for the university. e r students had mor Almost all the othe e fact th t bu f, el ls than mys think to academic credentia ht ug ta u yo ion course un e th g rin du at ou th alth gh I really helped me – around the issues es. really tough at tim must admit it was in the find work in safety My plan is now to ly making al re with the view to ntinue construction sector co to d workplace – an you a difference in the e or m e th ore you learn, my studies (the m !). tle you know understand how lit
I feel that class peo it is really crucial ple like m that unio n, y represen tative exp self, who have had working erience a the safety opportun re g ity to gain that acad iven the that they emic can Being mo make a difference knowledge so . ti v a te d and kee without th n is all ve e training ry we potential a for impro nd education I fee ll, but vement in l be limited the work that any a place wil complete t best and in som l e scenari ly stunted os . This was th e biggest o It takes s bstacle om change th eone from a unio that I found I had nb . e fuzzy cos culture of safety fr ack ground to metic ma o m th e warm and squeradin statistica ga ls organisati howmanship of w nd hypocritical hic o substanti ns are now guilty, h many to making al progre ss at grou nd level. real
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» Contacts
unionlearn contacts All TUC email addresses are first initial followed by surname@tuc.org.uk
» Unionlearn
» Southern and Eastern
Tel: 020 7079 6920 Fax: 020 7079 6921 unionlearn@tuc.org.uk www.unionlearn.org.uk Director Tom Wilson Tel: 020 7079 6922 twilson@tuc.org.uk
Tel: 020 7467 1251 Regional Manager Barry Francis Union Development Coordinator Jon Tennison Regional Education Officers Rob Hancock Angela Perry
» National unionlearn managers Standards and Quality Ian Borkett Tel: 020 7079 6940 iborkett@tuc.org.uk Research and Strategy Bert Clough Tel: 020 7079 6925 bclough@tuc.org.uk Business and Finance Matthew Fernandez-Graham Tel: 020 7079 6936 mfernandez-graham@tuc.org.uk Communications James Asser Tel: 020 7079 6942 jasser@tuc.org.uk Trade Union Education Liz Rees Tel: 020 7079 6923 lrees@tuc.org.uk Union Development Judith Swift Tel: 0151 243 2568 jswift@tuc.org.uk Development Officer (ULF) Catherine McClennan Tel: 07795 606 982 cmcclennan@tuc.org.uk
» Midlands Tel: 0121 236 4454 Regional Manager Mary Alys Union Development Coordinator Gary O’Donnell Regional Education Officer Pete Try
» Northern Regional Manager Elizabeth Killoran Tel: 0191 227 5557 Union Development Coordinator Beth Farhat Tel: 0191 227 5576 Regional Education Officer Ian West Tel: 0191 227 5572
» North West
Helen Gagliasso Tel: 0191 227 5567 hgagliasso@tuc.org.uk
Regional Manager Dave Eva Tel: 0151 236 2321 Union Development Coordinator Tony Saunders Liverpool office Tel: 0151 236 2321 Manchester office Tel: 0161 445 0077 Regional Education Officer Peter Holland Tel: 0151 243 2564
» Website
» South West
Jay Sreedharan Tel: 020 7079 6943 jsreedharan@tuc.org.uk
Regional Manager Tel: 0117 947 0521 Helen Cole Union Development Coordinator Ros Etheridge
» U-Net centres
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Regional Development Workers: Bristol Alan Shearn Tel: 0117 947 0521 Cornwall Geoff Hale Tel: 01209 611 604 Regional Education Officer Marie Hughes Tel: 0117 933 4443
» Yorkshire and the Humber Tel: 0113 245 4909 Regional Manager Alan Roe Union Development Coordinator Sharon Burke Regional Education Officer Trevor Sargison Tel: 0113 200 1071
» Union contacts Aspect Judith Hibbert Tel: 07968 322 969 judith.hibbert@ntlworld.com ATL Mark Holding Tel: 020 7782 1596 mholding@atl.org.uk BECTU Brian Kelly Tel: 020 7346 0900 bkelly@bectu.org.uk BFAWU Dorban Ippoma Tel: 020 8801 0980 dorban58@yahoo BSU Vikki Botham Tel: 07717 805 521 vikki.powell@britannia.co.uk Community Roy Rickhuss Tel: 020 7420 4000 rrickhuss@community-tu.org.uk Connect Kirsi Kekki Tel: 020 8971 6052 kirsi.kekki@connectuk.org CWU Trish Lavelle Tel: 020 8971 7340 tlavelle@cwu.org Equity Louise Grainger Tel: 020 7670 0214 lgrainger@equity.org.uk FBU Trevor Shanahan Tel: 07917 759 473 trevor.shanahan@fbu.org.uk
resources «
Jay knows FDA Martin Furlong Tel: 020 7401 5555 martin@fda.org.uk MU Pauline Dalby Tel: 020 7840 5516 pd1@musiciansunion.org.uk NAPO Ranjit Singh Tel: 07943 827 353 rsingh@napo.org.uk NASUWT Jennifer Moses, Stephen Smith Tel: 0121 453 6150 lifelong.learning@mail.nasuwt.org.uk NUJ Linda King Tel: 020 7843 3717 lindak@nuj.org.uk NUT Andrew Parry Williams Tel: 020 7380 4800/4780 learning.reps@nut.org.uk PCS David McEvoy Tel: 020 7801 2727 ext 2360 david.mcevoy@pcs.org.uk PFA Alan Irwin Tel: 07717 467 718 ieteuk@yahoo.co.uk POA Andy Rowett Tel: 07917 699 210 poaulf@yahoo.co.uk Prospect Rachel Bennett Tel: 020 7902 6687 Rachel.Bennett@prospect.org.uk RCN Linda McBride Tel: 020 7647 3855 linda.mcbride@rcn.org.uk UCATT Jeff Hopewell Tel: 01302 360 725 jhopewell@ucatt.org.uk Unison Pam Johnson Tel: 020 7551 1267 pam.johnson@unison.co.uk Unite Tom Beattie Tel: 020 8462 7755 tom.beattie@unitetheunion.org Jim Mowatt Tel: 020 7611 2628 jmowatt@unitetheunion.org Unity Gerald Crookes Tel: 01782 280 588 geraldcrookes@unitytheunion.org.uk URTU Graham Cooper Tel: 07795 562 874 grahamcurtu@yahoo.co.uk USDAW Ann Murphy Tel: 0161 224 2804 ann.murphy@usdaw.org.uk
Jay Sreedharan, unionlearn’s website officer, answers some recent questions raised by site visitors Q As a rep I’ve completed several TUC courses but now I’m thinking of doing some online courses. Can you explain how they work and do I have to be at home at certain times of the day? A Online courses are a good alternative to classroom courses but the learning is very different from traditional classroom education. If you want a convenient and flexibly delivered course, then online learning could be the answer. TUC Education online courses are delivered through a web-based learning environment. Similar to classroom courses, they involve a mixture of discussion-based activities, workplace tasks and individual project work. Although you’re not required to log in at specific times, you do need to complete online activities on a frequent basis and you will need to have regular access to the internet either at home, at work or in a learning centre. In order to benefit from the online course, you will be expected to access the learning environment at least three times a week, study between three and five hours a week, work with the group you are assigned to and complete workplace activities and coursework on time. A new online course brochure containing information on all the courses, how to apply, some handy FAQs, and three brand new online courses can be ordered from www.unionlearn.org.uk/online. Many reps who have taken the online route have found this method of learning very rewarding. I hope you have the same experience. Good luck.
Q I’m a ULR and an apprentice has approached me for some advice on pay. She’s currently getting £80 per week. This seems really low to me and well below minimum wage. Can you tell me if apprentices are covered by the National Minimum Wage (NMW)? A Well the bad news is that many apprentices are currently exempt from the NMW. Apprentices under the age of 19 and apprentices who are in the first 12 months of their apprenticeship are not currently entitled to the NMW. However, the good news is that the Low Pay Commission is currently reviewing this and the TUC and many trade unions have been lobbying hard to remove this exemption. In the meantime, all apprentices with a contract of employment are entitled to at least £95 per week. So you should tell the apprentice who came to you for advice that they are entitled to receive more than they’re getting. You and/or their union rep can help them to get the employer to pay them what they’re due. For more information, have a look at www.apprenticeships.org.uk and www.directgov.gov.uk or contact the TUC apprenticeships team on 0207 636 4030.
Ask questions, share information and create an online community Whatever problems you have, the chances are that there’s a ULR out there who has been there and solved it. The unionreps discussion forum has over 13,000 members registered at present. This is the perfect place for you to swap ideas, and get help and support from other reps. Join now at www.unionreps.org.uk
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Resources « Roundup «
Fmrateerieals
Order now from www.unionlearn.org.uk/freebooks And postage and packing is also free new
BBC My Story The BBC is looking for your story. You can write up to 1,500 words and the closing date is 16 December. This publication contains all the details for you, your learners and colleagues to take part. See page 24.
new
Leaders in learning This is a must-read for all ULRs, employers, union officers and politicians. It is packed with solid case study evidence of how employers and unions working in partnership can benefit both the organisation and the workforce.
Online learning with TUC Education This guide to TUC Education’s online courses shows how the service has expanded. There are some 18 courses now available – all are fully described in the guide. It also contains a helpful introduction to online learning, answers to some frequently asked questions, and a learner case study.
new Getting reading to work The Reading Agency has joined forces with unionlearn in Yorkshire and the Humber to promote reading in a range of different workplace. Here you can read case studies from: Royal Mail, Fox’s Biscuits, HMP Moorland, Corus Steelworks, Fletchers Bakeries and Tesco, and get ideas on how ULRs have got reading to work.
new Apprenticeships are Union Business This guide is for union negotiators and reps. Its purpose is to help full-time officers and union reps get apprenticeships on the bargaining agenda. The publication details what apprenticeships are, what makes a good one, and how to organise around them.
Apprenticeships Subtitled “a detailed overview for trade union negotiators and reps”, this publication provides an in-depth explanation of apprenticeships. Any rep or union member who has any contact, involvement or responsibility for apprentices will find this guide invaluable.
the
Unions opening up learning for all How will you tackle discrimination in learning and skills training? This new publication provide examples of unions dealing with equality in learning for retired members, migrant workers, people with mental health problems, disabled workers, women, black and Asian workers, apprentices, people needing Skills for Life courses, part-time workers, and LGBT people.
Spread the word about the work of ULRs and learning project workers by ordering more copies of The Learning Rep. Give them to colleagues at work, learners and anyone interested in union learning.
learning rep » Autumn 09
UL spec F ia issue l
“ The Union Learning Fund has totally contributed to our success at First Group”
Linda Guthrie First Group Head of Learning and Development
www.unionlearn.org .uk