The Learning Rep magazine - Spring 2010

01 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

16:40

Page 1

the

learningrep Âť Spring 2010

Climbing the stairway to skills heaven Meet NHS ULR Giannina Maina

ULF Awards in pictures Packaging firm wraps up historic learning deal Forces sweetheart rallies the Cityclean troops World-famous film studio premieres blockbuster training scheme

www.unionlearn.org.uk

02-03 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

16:41

Page 2

» Comment

Celebrating success and election fever It’s been a period of celebrating success and of looking forward, which is reflected in this edition of The Learning Rep. We were very pleased to be able to celebrate this year’s World Book Day with a trip to Downing Street for a celebration of reading and literacy hosted by Sarah Brown. It was an additionally exciting event for unionlearn this year as we were able to launch our contribution to the Quick Reads series with Life’s Too Short, a series of short stories written by union members, some of whom came to Downing Street to celebrate workplace learning.

The union members were able to mix and discuss their work with a range of authors and literary champions such as the children’s laureate, Anthony Browne. There was high praise as well for the work of unionlearn and the achievements of the newest stars of the Quick Reads series from Sarah Brown.

We have also been celebrating a decade of success with the Union Learning Fund. Over the last 12 years, over £80 million has been invested and over 750,000 people have received training.

The ULF Awards, which you can see more about inside this edition, was a way of celebrating that success and also looking forward to further success with the ULF. Hosted by Channel 4 News’s Alex Thompson, the event also featured another old friend of unionlearn, Lenny Henry.

With BIS minister Pat McFadden present too, the ceremony was able to highlight the real achievements of the ULF. We are also looking forward to the next Parliament. A week may be a long time in politics but five years have passed and we are back in an election period. In this edition we look at the importance of the Union Learning Fund over the next parliament, its successes so far and offer some thoughts on the learning and skills agenda for the next five years. By our summer edition the political dust will have settled and we'll be able to look in more detail at the future for learning and skills.

Tom Wilson Director, unionlearn The Learning Rep spring 2010 Editor: James Asser jasser@tuc.org.uk Writers: Astrid Stubbs, Martin Moriarty Cover photo: West London Mental Health Trust ULR Giannina Maina by Jess Hurd Design: wave.coop Print: Ancient House Printing Group Distribution: Cavalier mailing

2 » spring 2010

8 12

19

23

20

27

Contents: 3 4 8 10 12 14 15 18 20 22 24 25 30 31 32

Dame Vera Lynn visits Brighton News World Book Day at Number 10 General election Celebrating the ULF Awards Lenny Henry laughs for learning Packaging firms wraps up deal Closing up the digital divide Apprenticeship week ULR Profiles Meet the TUC President TUC Education Contacts Jay knows Resources

28

14

02-03 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

16:41

Page 3

Brighton Cityclean « Roundup «

Brighton Cityclean learners share a joke with Dame Vera Lynn on her visit to their learning centre

We’ll

learn again…

Forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn rallied the troops at Brighton Cityclean when she visited the workplace learning centre.

Dame Vera Lynn accepts a welcoming cake from Brighton & Hove City Council Chief Executive John Barradell at the Cityclean learning centre

When GMB ULR Wes Lee Emond got chatting to Dame Vera Lynn at a book-signing in Brighton last year, he invited her to come and see the workplace learning project at Brighton Cityclean, the council’s refuse and recycling operation.

“We got chatting and I told her all about our learning centre,” says Wes Lee. “She seemed really interested so I invited her to visit and gave her my card.”

Just days later, Dame Vera’s daughter Virginia

telephoned to make the arrangements for her mother’s visit in the run-up to Christmas (she lives nearby) and on the day, Dame Vera congratulated learners who had achieved qualifications in 2009, and met new Council Chief Executive John Barradell (who called the encounter “inspirational”) and GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny.

“The visit was a great success and brought together a mix of staff from across the council and the GMB union,” explains UNISON ULR and Cityservices Learning and Development Officer Elaine Sweetman.

“Learners talked about how much using the learning centre at Cityclean had changed their lives, both at home and at work, and hoped that the visit by Dame Vera would encourage more staff into learning.”

Last year, a record number of Cityclean staff took up learning opportunities, with 110 enrolling on at least one course, an increase of 48 per cent on 2008.

spring 2010 «

3

04-05 LR SPRING 10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

16:42

Page 4

» News

Sunderland City Council’s team of ULRs has helped the authority win the £10 million first prize in a training competition run by computer giant Microsoft.

The Britain Works Challenge offered councils across the country up to 100,000 Microsoft Training Vouchers with which to devise effective programmes to address unemployment and provide digital skills.

“Sunderland was a clear winner for us because of its comprehensive understanding of its local unemployment challenges and having a very clear and strategic plan to tackle these issues,” commented Helen Gilroy, Head of Local and Regional Government, Microsoft UK. The first prize, which includes 100,000 Essential Skills vouchers, 5,000 Business Worker vouchers plus 2,500 exam fees and 2,500 Technical Specialist vouchers plus 1,000 exam fees, is worth around £10 million in total.

Sunderland, along with runners-up Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and third-placed Milton Keynes, will be able to use its vouchers through partnerships with NGOs, community learning centres and public authorities.

“Microsoft was clearly highly impressed with the contribution ULRs are making towards bridging the digital divide by promoting access to IT training for their colleagues in Sunderland City Council,” says unionlearn Regional Manger Elizabeth Killoran.

Sunderland UNISON ULR Coordinator Howard Fawcett was part of the team that presented the bid at Microsoft’s London headquarters in February.

“I was able to tell them that the 3,000 ULRs in the region, already responsible for 43 learning programmes in 100 organisations, would be able to sustain and take forward IT learning in the area if the prize money was won,” Howard says.

“As a union co-ordinator, I have been able to build up the will here that made the bid possible and it will be fantastic to be able to forge ahead with all this extra funding.”

Sunderland’s ULRs helped the council win the Britain Works Challenge

4 » spring 2010

Photo: Andy Aitchison/PCS

Sunderland ULRs help council scoop Microsoft millions

We must develop public sector talent for the future, say Charles Cochrane and Gill Hammond, who have signed an apprenticeships agreement for the Civil Service

Civil Service signs apprenticeships deal Charles Cochrane from the Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) and Government Skills interim Chief Executive Gill Hammond signed a framework agreement for the rollout of apprenticeships across the Civil Service during Apprenticeship Week in February.

Drawn up by the CCSU, Government Skills, and the Cabinet Office, the agreement ensures that apprentices are employed on standard Civil Service terms and conditions and get high quality training and support.

It builds on the successes of the Apprenticeship Pathfinder which led to nearly 1,400 people starting Civil Service apprenticeships training and follows Government pledges to increase the number of apprentices in the public sector.

“This joint agreement is good news for skills and apprenticeships in the Civil Service and its associated bodies,” said Charles.

“It will ensure that apprentices receive Civil Service terms and conditions as well as high quality training and support, and provides worthwhile opportunities for career development.”

The agreement supports the ‘Protocol for handling surplus staff situations’, which provides safeguards for surplus staff as well

as ensuring that equality and diversity underpin the recruitment of apprentices.

Unionlearn’s Apprenticeship Policy and Campaigns Officer Scarlet Harris called the protocol “a real coup” for the CCSU. “The protocol represents a real step forward in ensuring that new apprenticeships are not used to substitute for redundant staff; that existing staff are offered apprenticeship training opportunities; that the opportunities lead to real jobs; that the quality of the apprenticeships is maintained; and that unions are involved throughout the process,” she said.

Gill Hammond said that apprenticeships were a fantastic business solution, nurturing talent to fit the current and future needs of the public sector.

“Government Skills has worked with Civil Service unions and Government departments to ensure this framework agreement maximises benefits for Civil Service apprentices and the sector,” she said.

Find out more: www.government-skills. gov.uk/qualifications/ apprenticeships/index.asp

04-05 LR SPRING 10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

16:42

Page 5

News «

Helping young people into the world of work

Photo: Clint Randall/www.pixelphotography.co.uk

Unionlearn and Stephenson College in Leicester have signed a protocol that will help more young people prepare themselves for the world of work.

Through the partnership, young people will take an 18-week course introducing them to a range of different trades, improving their Skills for Life and learning the importance of workplace issues from health and safety to timekeeping and attendance.

At the same time, unionlearn will work with local companies to provide the students with work experience and interview opportunities for apprentice employment, and ensure that students learn about the advantages of joining a union, including support with their future training needs.

The partnership will: ❚ support workplace learning in organisations with union recognition; ❚ help young people entering the world of work; ❚ brief students/apprentices on unions and rights at work; ❚ promote success stories.

“I’m delighted to be signing this protocol which affirms a strong commitment to partnership working between the college, unionlearn and trade unions to open up learning and skills opportunities for those at, or entering, work,” commented unionlearn Regional Manager Mary Alys.

Stephenson College Principal Nigel Leigh said the partnership would improve the employability of union members and support the interests of employers.

Construction union UCATT National Project Worker Steve Craig said that the partnership between UCATT, unionlearn and Stephenson College would enable learners to benefit from an impressive mix of resources.

“This will contribute to learners’ academic and personal development while locating the training in the ‘real world’ context of the modern construction industry,” he pointed out.

Ice cream workers have learning licked Workers in a Unilever ice cream factory in Gloucester are taking up new opportunities to learn at work through a new onsite learning centre set up in a partnership between the company, Unite and Gloucester College.

“It used to be a training room but it was never utilised, especially not by shopfloor people: now it’s been opened up for individuals to come in and upgrade

themselves and make their prospects better within the company,” says Unite ULR Kevin Preest.

Unilever’s HR Business Partner Jo Kelly says developing the centre was “a no-brainer” for the company.

“We’re asking our operators to upskill in everything they do, so it benefits us to help them learn,” she says.

Unilever workers investigate learning opportunities onsite

Partnership working between unionlearn and Stephenson College will open up new opportunities for young people, say Mary Alys and Nigel Leigh

Seafarers need your support Maritime unions RMT and Nautilus need your help in their campaign to persuade the Government to support a joint training and employment package for UK seafarers.

Unions and shipowners have been waiting for more than two years for Downing Street to back the joint package of proposals they drew up together to improve support for maritime training and employment.

Their campaign has become even more urgent since the Maersk Company, one of the largest employers and trainers of British Merchant Navy seafarers, recently announced it was slashing UK officer jobs and reducing employment opportunities for newly qualified trainees.

You can help by signing the Downing Street petition and sending an e-postcard on the issue to your MP direct from the Nautilus website: www.nautilusint.org

spring 2010 « 5

06-07 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

16:44

Page 6

» News

Photo: Simon Kirwan

PCS ULRs at the Liverpool HMRC Contact Centre have been helping their co-workers develop themselves through a series of accountancy courses.

Originally set up to deal with tax credits, the Liverpool Contact Centre began to work on broader tax questions and problems a couple of years ago, which was when staff became really interested in professional development, according to ULR Liz Clare.

“We looked into what accountancy courses were available and found out that the private provider Kaplan could offer the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) course for free for anyone who didn’t already have a degree,” she says.

After attracting enormous interest by emailing staff about the course, the ULR team arranged for Kaplan to make a lunchtime presentation at the contact centre about what it would involve, which led to around 30 staff signing up for the foundation level.

Contact Centre Deputy Manager Paul Critchley was very supportive and recognised the importance of the course in the personal development of staff, Liz says.

The first course ran in autumn 2008 at Kaplan’s offices, where course manager Paul Cardwell was very considerate to the needs of HMRC staff, running classes after their shifts had finished and weekend revision classes as well.

The courses also gave staff the chance to improve their Skills for Life.

In all, 26 staff finished the foundation course and gained the certificate, equivalent to an NVQ Level 2. Of those, 14 have since completed the intermediate level (NVQ Level 3), with another ten taking the course at the moment and three studying at technician level (NVQ Level 4).

Feedback has been positive. “I did the course myself, and now I’m volunteering one day a week (and two of my colleagues are doing a morning each) to gain some practical experience in some of the parts of the course which we don’t deal with in our day-to-day jobs,” Liz says.

6 » spring 2010

Photo: Roy Peters

Liverpool tax staff do the math

UNISON ULR Andy Rawlinson (left) and Telford & Wrekin Council Organisational Development Assistant Joan Dawson discuss the skills agenda with Minister Ian Austin

Better skills are key to economic recovery The new joint TUC and unionlearn Skills: Recession and Recovery project is running a series of events across the country to help workers brighten their job prospects by improving their skills.

Already, an East of England roadshow has spread the word about the funding available to help people facing redundancy; a West Midlands event has showcased the valuable work ULRs are doing to help colleagues gain skills for the future; and South-West unionlearn made skills and recovery the theme of its 2010 conference in March.

In addition, the project is working with the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the UK’s financial regulator, to provide practical help to people at risk of losing their jobs through a handbook and free workplace seminars.

“We support a policy that matches skills with an active industrial policy – giving a boost to the job-creating sectors in the economy where the UK is strong,” explains unionlearn Director Tom Wilson.

“Of course, governments can only supply the tools – it is trade unions that have to do the job: and it is thanks to the dedication of learning reps, tutors and partners that we have changed workers’ lives.”

West Midlands Minister Ian Austin told the West Midlands event at City of Wolverhampton College in March that skills were at the top of the regional agenda.

“The only way we’ll reverse the decline in the economy here is with better skills: there’s no other way we’ll be able to attract the new jobs and new industries on which our prosperity in the future will depend.”

The East of England Roadshow has called in Lowestoft, Peterborough and Harlow to give union officers and reps all the information they need to support members facing redundancy with sessions on consultation during the downturn; working with Rapid Response; and money matters.

The FSA Handbook provides useful information on everything from dealing with job worries and redundancy rights, to managing money and the entitlements you can claim. You can obtain your copy from www.unionlearn.org.uk/initiatives/ learn-3218-f0.cfm

If you want to arrange a free seminar with the FSA at your workplace, please contact your Regional Development Worker in the Skills: Recession and Recovery team. More details at www.unionlearn.org.uk/recovery

06-07 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

16:44

Page 7

Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

News « How partnership pays off

ULRs and project workers running workplace learning centres which are open to the community can improve their outreach work with the help of the new national support programme for Community Learning Champions (CLCs).

The programme has been set up by unionlearn, the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA), adult learning organisation NIACE and Martin Yarnit Associates with money from the Government as part of its informal learning strategy.

Inspired by the success of the union learning rep model, CLCs are volunteers who actively promote the value of learning in the community.

Whether they’re called learning ambassadors, mentors or advocates, CLCs usually speak from personal experience about the difference learning has made to their lives and look and sound like the people they aim to encourage to take up learning.

The Community Learning Champions National Support Programme comprises: ❚ a development fund to support up to 50 local projects over the next 12 months; ❚ a support package including training, regional networks, a toolkit and a website; ❚ a branding scheme and a national register for CLCs.

To find out more about linking ULRs and CLCs, contact Project Manager Liz Cousins (liz.cousins@niace.org.uk; 07976 153 775) or National unionlearn Union Development Officer Joe Fearnehough (jfearnehough@tuc.org.uk; 0151 243 2571). www.communitylearningchampions.org.uk

You can download Co-investing in Learning: Collective Learning Fund Pilots in the East Midlands from: http://tinyurl.com/ybxh5fq

New training right comes into law Unionlearn has launched a new project to promote greater awareness of the new right to request time off for training, which came into effect on 6 April.

The new project will: ❚ promote awareness and understanding of the new right; ❚ boost workers’ confidence about exercising their new right; ❚ provide resources for ULRs to support members; ❚ develop the union agenda on time to train.

This year, the time to train legislation only applies to organisations with 250 or more employees, but it will be extended to organisations of all sizes by this time next year.

Unionlearn will be providing information for unions and advice on our website.

Guidance for workers on how the right will work is also available from the Government’s direct.gov website: http://tinyurl.com/yb4ck2y

spring 2010 « 7

Photo: Paul Box/reportdigital.co.uk

Spreading the word in the local community

A new unionlearn report highlights how effective Collective Learning Funds (CLFs) can be when it comes to establishing learning partnerships between employers, unions and providers to open up learning opportunities in the workplace.

Co-investing In Learning examines the impact of a series of pilots run by unionlearn in the East Midlands to test different approaches to co-investment in the personal development of the workforce.

“The CLF has clearly kick-started learning opportunities that staff would not have had before,” says lead PCS ULR Graham Peck from Lincolnshire Jobcentre Plus, one of the eight pilots alongside Bombardier, Caledonian Building Systems, DHL Mothercare, East Midlands Airport, East Midlands Trains, RF Brookes and Stagecoach.

By increasing funding from employers, securing greater support from unions and enhancing employee commitment, CLFs have helped tackle skills shortages and provided training for hard-toreach groups within the region, the report says.

08-09 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:45

Page 8

» Feature » World Book Day

Book yourself in at Sarah Brown paid special tribute to the contributors to the unionlearn Quick Read Life’s Too Short at a reception in Downing Street on World Book Day. Union members who contributed their stories to the Quick Reads book Life’s Too Short in a unionlearn competition met a range of distinguished literary guests when Sarah Brown hosted a Number 10 reception to mark World Book Day. They rubbed shoulders with Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne, Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, playwrights Sir Tom Stoppard and Sir David Hare, author Lola Jaye and comedian Jo Brand.

“I want to pay a special tribute to the people from unionlearn: today’s winners are an example of all that can be achieved,” Sarah said.

Life’s Too Short includes stories from builders, bakers, care workers and the driver of a bus full of unruly schoolchildren!

All the authors at the Downing Street reception can thank their union for giving them a second chance in life to improve their education and gain new skills.

8 » spring 2010

In A Brief History of Typing, PCS member Demelza Burrell gives a hilarious account of her job as a personal assistant in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where her typing skills took her to 12 countries in two years and she encountered bats, snakes, giant snails and eccentric ambassadors.

In Don’t Put Barney in the Bin Bag, Unite member Anthony Connolly tells of his days on the bins when he was asked to remove a dead family pet without the children noticing.

Fred Creamer, of Unite, recalls how he tried to quell a riot during the occupation of a factory; UNISON member Frank Kenny reveals the scams and hazards of the building game; and Esti Mardiani-Euers, of UCU, tells of her experiences finding work in England after arriving here from her native Indonesia.

Anthony Connolly, now a health and safety adviser at Merseytravel, left school

They’re hooked on books (from left): Anthony Connolly, ULR of the year Nicola Njie, Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, Esti Mardiani-Euers, Demelza Burrell, TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady and Frank Kenny

without any qualifications and it was through his union that he took a health and safety qualification that eventually led him on to degree-level studies.

“Many people have been victims of a poor education system and it has become an important role of unions to give their members the confidence and support to get back into learning and acquiring new skills,” he says.

Fred Creamer, a union learning organiser in Cambridgeshire and Essex left school with just a certificate for 25 yards breast stroke and his cycling proficiency test.

“It was when I got involved in the Employee Development Assistance Programme at Ford, organised through my union, that I later went on to get an A Level in English Literature,” he says.

08-09 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:45

Page 9

World Book Day « Feature «

All photos: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

Number ULRs vote for Quick Reads NIACE research from over 100 ULRs – representing at least 21,750 employees across the country – has found that: ❚ 82 per cent reported that their colleagues have felt encouraged to read in their free time (at work) since using Quick Reads; ❚ 65 per cent agreed that staff are now reading for pleasure as a result of Quick Reads and 63 per cent said staff are now reading different books; ❚ around half (49 per cent) reported that staff are more likely to engage in learning at work, reporting that 62 per cent of staff are now engaged in literacy, numeracy and English language learning and more than half (52 per cent) of staff are now engaged in both on-the-job learning and off-the-job training; ❚ 41 per cent have seen an improvement in employees’ communication skills; ❚ 68 per cent had observed positive changes in staff attitude and behaviour; and ❚ in 52 per cent of workplaces, Quick Reads has improved workplace morale.

Quick Reads are invaluable tools for teaching literacy, according to tutors interviewed by NIACE. This year’s Quick Reads The Perfect Holiday

by Cathy Kelly (HarperCollins) Last Night Another Soldier

by Andy McNab (Corgi Books) Traitors of the Tower

by Alison Weir (Vintage) The Perfect Murder

by Peter James (Pan) Doctor Who: Code of the Krillitanes

by Justin Richards (BBC Books) Hello Mum

by Bernardine Evaristo (Penguin) Life's Too Short: True Stories About Life at Work with foreword

by Val McDermid (Bantam Books) Buster Fleabags

by Rolf Harris (Corgi Books) Money Magic: Seven Simple Steps to True Financial Freedom

by Alvin Hall (Hodder) We Won the Lottery: Real Life Winner Stories

by Danny Buckland (Accent Press)

Anthony Connolly (top) presents a signed copy of Life’s Too Short to Sarah Brown and joins fellow contributors (below, from left) Fred Creamer, Frank Kenny, Esti Mardiani-Euers and Demelza Burrell meeting the Prime Minister’s wife

“Several of my learners had never read a book before in their lives. They are now regular readers.

This is a direct result of using the Quick Reads series. It has given them the confidence to continue their English studies and achieve both qualifications and improved literacy skills.”

“They are more willing to encourage their children’s reading and some have even signed up at the library as a family.”

“I now use Quick Reads in every lesson. The series has proved to be an invaluable tool for both English learners and Creative Writing students. I discover so many different things every time I use them. They are the most popular books I have ever used. I am delighted to have the possibility to have them available. Well done to Quick Reads!” spring 2010 «

9

10-11 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:46

Page 10

» Feature » General election The Union Learning Fund has been one of the success stories of the last decade or so.

We need to preserve it in the years ahead, argues unionlearn Director Tom Wilson.

The Union Learning Fund has been a massive success for the UK economy since it was launched in 1998, pumping huge investment into the workplace to boost the vital skills that business needs to remain competitive.

As a direct result of the ULF, three quarters of a million employees have benefited from training at all levels from literacy, numeracy and IT skills to advanced skills and degrees, many of them gaining their first positive experiences of learning.

Such iconic British brands as Boots, Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems have benefited from the ULF, as have crucial components of the public sector such as the Fire Brigade, Prison Service and Royal Mail.

And the ULF has secured wide support from the business community including the CBI, British Chambers of Commerce and Business in the Community, as well as a host of FTSE 100 companies working with their unions.

Businesses and unions have

signed over 2,000 learning agreements to provide time for staff to train and ULF money has helped train over 23,000 union learning reps to promote learning in the workplace.

The work funded by the ULF has been delivered by colleges and a network of over 400 learning centres based in the community and in workplaces, with locations ranging from bus garages and the Olympic park to prisons and a Sikh temple.

Despite this economic success story, some elements of the media have been critical of the value of the ULF and its effectiveness.

The facts tell a different story: contracts agreed with the unions have clearly defined targets and outcomes and the work is overseen by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council as well as being independently audited.

And the reality is that if we are to have a competitive economy, we need a well-educated, well-trained workforce: improving the skills of people is transformative for employees and their employers alike.

Countless case studies have shown how workplace learning has improved company performance,

reduced rates of absence and staff turnover and increased productivity – crucial returns on the investment by the Government and business.

The case and the benefits for union-led workplace learning is clear; the unions support it, the employers support it and the workforce supports it.

We have an excellent relationship with business and business organisations and want to continue working closely with the Government after the election to build on those successes to deliver positive change in the workplace through lifelong learning.

Vote for union 10 » spring 2010

10-11 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:46

Page 11

General election « Feature « We asked some key figures from the world of workplace learning how they would like to see things develop after the forthcoming general election.

“Millions of families are feeling very worried about the future. New skills are no substitute for secure jobs but they can help get the unemployed back into decent work and young people get a first foot on the ladder. The number one TUC skills priority is winning agreements with employers to make the most of the new right to request training, ensure all apprentices get a fair wage and everyone gets the chance to progress to their full potential.”

Frances O’Grady, Deputy General Secretary, TUC “A powerful infrastructure has been created to support trade union involvement in workplace learning. We want to see the next Government consolidate that infrastructure, develop it and work with it.

Unions have worked very hard within present structures to stimulate and sustain employer engagement, to make an ‘employer demand-led’ system work. But Government must acknowledge that this system needs to be supported by an approach to individual employee demand, including time, resources and IAG entitlements.”

Pam Johnson, Head of UNISON Learning and Organising Services

“Any incoming government, irrespective of political persuasion, should view union learning representatives as an asset to both the organisations where they work and, more generally, to the wider economy.

At Kier, we work with ULRs from a number of trade unions and they ‘add value’ to our organisation by helping people access learning and skills to improve their lives, prospects and employability.

Their work makes a positive contribution to vocational training; workforce morale; employee engagement activity; and even improvements in productivity: the contribution they make, in both the workplace and community, is worthy of high praise and recognition at all levels.”

Martin Rooney, Head of Human Resources, Kier Building Maintenance “We want to see future commitment to unionlearn by the next Government. Through this, unionlearn can focus on increasing the support from employers to engage with the learning agenda.”

Kate Quigley, Learning and Development Manager, Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Delivery for the future

The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) and other organisations are working to put lifelong learning at the heart of the election. A Speak Up for Lifelong Learning campaign pack is available to download at www.wea.org.uk/pdf/ speakupforlifelonglearningpack.pdf

learning Photos: Tom Wilson and Kate Quigley by Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk Frances O’Grady by Joanne O’Brien/reportdigital.co.uk

Roy Wildgoose, the former manager of ULF and now manager of POA Learning, has insight on both sides of the ULF debate. Here are his views on what a future government needs to deliver for union learning: ❚ Immediate approval of the second year of funding for the 2010 round 13 of ULF. ❚ A continuation of the ULF for at least the full next Parliament. ❚ An end to the short termism of two year funding for projects so that unions can plan for the long term. ❚ A right for all employees to time off for training linked to employers needs but recognising transferable skills. ❚ A change to ULF which moves away from Themes to the sustainability of projects within reasonable timescales. ❚ Government to recognise that unions work with learners who find great difficulty in accessing learning through the normal channels. ❚ An overhall of funding which is restricting access to training.

spring 2010 «

11

12-14 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

17:37

Page 12

» Feature » ULF Awards

Twelve more years!

A unique double act of business minister Pat McFadden and actorcomedian Lenny Henry presented the awards when the Union Learning Fund hosted a glittering ceremony in March to recognise the contributions of 12 key projects and people it has worked with since its launch 12 years ago.

UNISON Branch Secretary Roger Irvine and Director of Corporate Development Liz Chandler pick up the award for employer engagement, in recognition of Merseytravel’s enormously successful workplace learning partnership.

Employer engagement Merseylearn joint union project

USDAW President Jeff Broom and Boots UK Head of Operations Judith Lyons collect their skilling for change award, marking the way both sides worked to prepare staff for restructuring.

CWU Head of Education and Training Trish Lavelle receives the ULR award, recognising the union’s successful integration of its ULRs into the wider union structures.

Union learning reps CWU

Skilling for change USDAW/Boots UK

Information, advice and guidance Entertainment Unions

Unite’s National Union Learning Organiser Steve Rowlatt and ULR Kwasi Agyempre collect the equality and diversity award for the union’s migrant workers project which has helped migrant workers and domestic cleaners overcome barriers to learning and participation at work and in their communities.

12 » spring 2010

NUJ National Project manager Linda King and Project Manager Frances Dredge celebrate their Information Advice and Guidance award for the FEU’s comprehensive IAG service to freelancers across the media and entertainment sectors.

12-14 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

17:38

Page 13

ULF Awards « Feature « UNISON’s national ULF project manager Jo Cain picks up UNISON’s award for the way it has promoted participation in informal adult learning in the workplace.

Informal adult learning UNISON

Apprenticeships and young workers UCATT UCATT General Secretary Alan Ritchie (left) and National Project Coordinator Steve Craig have a lot to smile about picking up the apprenticeships and young workers award.

FBU Regional ULF Coordinator Bob Fitzgerald and Skills for Life Adviser Lorna Taylor enjoy the award for the union’s Skills for Life work across the country which has evolved a whole-organisational approach to the issue in the fire and rescue service.

Collecting the learning centres award are POA Deputy General Secretary Mark Freeman and Learning Centre Co-ordinator Alison Manion. The union’s network of learning centres and satellite centres has helped huge numbers of its members access high quality e-learning.

Skills for Life FBU

Learning centres POA

ATL Learning and Development Manager Kate Quigley (right) and ULR Diana Manville celebrate the award marking the union’s continuing professional development programme for its members.

Progression and professional development ATL

Working with sectors PCS PCS National Learning Officer David McEvoy and Bargaining Unit Learning Officer Laura Lloyd receive their working with sectors award, marking the successful relationships the union has built with the Government Skills and Skills for Justice Sector Skills Councils, and support for PCS members on SCC Boards.

Vision and commitment Liz Smith spring 2010 « 13

All photos: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

Former unionlearn Director Liz Smith was honoured with a special award for the vision and commitment she showed throughout her leadership of unionlearn (and TUC Learning Services before it), presented by her successor Tom Wilson.

12-14 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

17:38

Page 14

That’s Lenny Henry to you!

M.A.

Lifelong learning is all about setting yourself new challenges, Lenny Henry told the ULF awards ceremony at Congress House in March.

The actor, comedian and onetime apprentice welder reported how he had continued on his learning journey after famously completing a degree in English Literature through the Open University in 2006.

“I think it’s important to remember that the learning experience goes on forever, so after I graduated I looked around for a new challenge, because you’ve got to, and enrolled on a master’s degree in screenwriting for film and television at Royal Holloway College,” he said.

14 » spring 2010

Channel 4 News Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson didn't complain about us spelling his name wrong when he hosted the ULF awards ceremony

“I got my MA results last week – I got a distinction!” he revealed to warm applause from the audience.

In a gag-packed speech before helping present the awards with Business, Innovation and Skills Minister Pat McFadden, Lenny said that he’d struggled with maths at school and asked a grammar school teacher who lived nearby for help.

“I said I’d do any odd jobs for him in return for some maths tuition. He said: ‘If a man has to mow a lawn 20 foot by 40 foot using a petrol-driven lawn mower with a two-stroke engine, how long will it take him to complete the task?’ I said: ‘I don’t know’. He said: ‘There’s a lawn mower – find out!’

“When I finished, I knocked on his door and said: ‘Two hours and 13 minutes.’ He said: ‘Wrong – come back in a month and try again!’

Seven years I was mowing that lawn – I never got it right once!”

At least he made the effort, he said. “I knew I wanted to learn: what I needed was someone to give me the opportunity, and that’s exactly what you’re doing in unionlearn – you’re giving people the opportunity to improve their lives through education and training – and that’s worth celebrating, am I right?”

Pat McFadden pointed out that the ULF had helped around 750,000 people improve their skills in everything from literacy, numeracy and IT to professional development.

“Improving skills at work in this way helps to reduce rates of absence, helps to reduce staff turnover and it helps motivate workers to do their jobs better and to increase productivity – and it’s therefore no surprise that the ULF has received such strong support from employers,” he said.

It was vital to preserve the ULF in the years ahead, he argued. “Across the parties, we should resist the temptation to attack a programme just because it has the words ‘trade union’ associated with it,” he said.

“That would do no good for the companies and employers who have praised the work of the ULF or the 750,000 workers who have been encouraged to increase their skills, raise their ambitions and make progress through this programme.”

All photos: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

» Feature » ULF Awards

15-17 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:50

Page 1

Learning agreements « Feature «

Thin king out side

of t he b ox

Photo: Jon Super

Packaging firm Smurfit Kappa has signed a ground-breaking national learning agreement with Unite to give its UK workforce the chance to develop themselves.

By Martin Moriarty

spring 2010 «

15

15-17 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:50

Page 2

» Feature » Learning agreements

All agreed (front, from left): General Manager Garrett Quinn, FOC Alan Alcock, HR Manager Geraint Bowers and Unite’s Bernard Rutter display the learning agreement, watched by (back, from left) Training Manager Dale Roberts, ULRs Wesley Weir and Mick Pollard and Unite’s Geoff Southern

Workers who wouldn’t go to college on their own to study will happily take a course with colleagues onsite, says ULR Mick Pollard (below)

Between them, they helped spread the word about the new opportunities that were on offer onsite (“a lot of the work they do is unseen and in their own time”, Alan points out).

“A lot of blokes wouldn’t fancy going to college on their own, but if you say the course is here onsite and these other blokes are doing it as well, they say ‘I’ll have some of that’,” Mick explains.

“People realise now that they need computer skills to help their sons, daughters and grandchildren with their schoolwork – you can’t do that with a pencil and paper any more!”

With an average age of 46, Stalybridge workers (like many throughout the sector) tended to have high skills but few qualifications – not the best combination when jobs are disappearing at the rate they are at the moment in manufacturing.

“I tell people you never know what’s round the corner with people in manufacturing losing jobs left, right and centre,” says Alan. “But if you’ve got a qualification, that could make the difference between getting a new job on decent pay and ending up on a job on minimum wage.”

The new suite was formally opened 18 months ago by the then Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, with an open day serviced by every college in the area and managers agreeing to shut down the machines for an hour at a time to enable their staff to find out what was on offer.

Tameside College conducted a key skills analysis on the day which helped people see where they needed help.

The learning suite is currently used to help workers develop Key Skills and improve their computer knowhow, and also hosts a range of company-wide courses. The union is looking to develop the learning offer by adding courses in foreign languages and digital photography.

Photos: Jon Super

Unless you work in the packaging industry, you probably don’t know the name Smurfit Kappa, but you’re almost certainly familiar with its products, since the company produces packaging for some of the leading food and drink brands and the major supermarkets in the UK. And now the company’s star is also rising in the world of learning, after it signed a national learning agreement with Unite at the end of last year offering employees the chance to develop themselves at work.

As well as the learning agreement, both sides also put their signatures to the first Skills Pledge Certificate put together by the Proskills Sector Skills Council.

Like many an initiative in days gone by, the origins of the groundbreaking deal can be traced to what was once – quite literally – a smokefilled room: in this case, the smoking room next to the staff canteen in the company’s Stalybridge plant in Cheshire.

When it was closed in line with recent workplace legislation, Unite Senior Convenor Alan Alcock spotted the chance to convert a space that probably didn’t offer long-term benefits to its users into a learning suite where all 130plus shopfloor staff could really improve themselves.

He persuaded Regional Director Andrew Burrows to finance the refurbishment and the union’s Regional Learning Organiser Geoff Southern used his expertise to involve local learning providers and provide the computers.

Alan and Geoff recruited three new union learning reps to cover each of the three shifts (the plant operates 24 hours, five days a week) – Mick Pollard, Wesley Weir and Anthony Wray.

16 » spring 2010

15-17 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:51

Page 3

Smurfit Kappa

facts

Learning agreements « Feature « Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) is a world player in paper-based packaging with leading market positions in Europe and in Latin America, and around 40,000 employees in 31 countries throughout the world.

The group operates in 22 countries in Europe and is the European leader in containerboard, solidboard, corrugated and solidboard packaging and has a key position in several other paper and packaging market segments.

The company’s long history stretches back over 70 years to 1934, when Jefferson Smurfit started out as a small boxmaker in Ireland, expanding first in Ireland in the 1960s and then from the ’70s into the UK, Europe, Latin America and the USA. Kappa Packaging was formed by a

Photos: Jon Super

“It’s pleasing that Unite, Proskills and Smurfit Kappa are so linked in thought process on such an important topic as employee development.”

In addition to the courses in the centre, many union members are taking NVQs: the dozen who have completed the qualification have been positive about the experience, which means it has good word-ofmouth out on the shopfloor, and it’s helped that the NVQ assessors provided by Woodlands Training Services are former paperworkers themselves.

The factory directly benefits, says General Manager Garrett Quinn.

“We’ve shown that we are committed to the personal development of our employees in the past, but having this document is a reflection of this commitment,” he says.

“All of our competitors have access to the same machinery, the same tools and the same systems: the one thing that separates us is our people.

It is for this reason that we are dedicated to the training of all our employees,” he explains.

“The more knowledge they have, then the better they can perform, which will only help the factory in the long term. It also helps the morale of our employees to know that we will support them where possible if they wish to further themselves through training.”

Next up, Alan and Service & Support Team Manager Dale Roberts (himself a former ULR) are keen to begin using the unionlearn Climbing Frame at the plant (they’ve both recently attended the unionlearn training course to find out what the development tool can do).

“I want the ULRs to go on the course and use the Climbing Frame to help individuals and the company,” Alan explains.

It was the success of the Stalybridge initiative that convinced the union that they could work in partnership with the company to ensure there were learning opportunities available at all of the company’s 31 sites in the UK. “The hard work that Alan Alcock and Geoff Southern have undertaken together has meant that the Stalybridge project is an example to the other Smurfit Kappa plants in the UK for learning opportunities,” says Unite National Sector Skills Coordinator Bernard Rutter (who also represents the union on the Proskills board).

Smurfit Kappa Chief Executive Officer Clive Bowers (who worked with Alan while general manager at Stalybridge) needed little convincing about workforce development.

management buyout of the paper and packaging parts of Dutch firms KNP and BT in 1998, eventually merging with JSG in 2005 to form Smurfit Kappa Group.

Smurfit Kappa UK is one of the country’s leading corrugated packaging manufacturers, and also operates a recycling division complete with paper mills.

Smurfit Kappa UK is made up of 36 facilities, including five regional corrugated divisions, each twinned with sheet plants, as well as a range of specialist plants.

Its papermaking facility supplies the majority of the paper used within the group and regional recycling plants cater for waste generated by both the company and its customers.

“I’m happy to promote and make available resources to enhance our employee skill base which will improve business performance and individual personal development, and it’s pleasing that Unite, Proskills and Smurfit Kappa are so linked in thought process on such an important topic as employee development,” Clive says.

“This initiative allows all employees the freedom of choice to pursue personal development programmes; and gives them the appetite to improve their well-being; the opportunity to connect with the company, union and Proskills; and the courage to explore more opportunities: it allows everyone to face the future with confidence.”

Garrett Quinn says fellow managers are aware of the developments at Stalybridge.

“Positive industrial relations are important to our business and so other Smurfit Kappa plants look to foster this through various approaches and projects,” he explains.

Unite Assistant General Secretary Tony Burke says that in challenging times like these, it’s encouraging to see such a big player in the packaging sector getting together with Unite to invest in its workforce.

“Unite believes that if we are to come out of the current difficulties with a strong and skilled industrial base, this is a model for the way forward,” Tony argues.

spring 2010 «

17

18-19 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:52

Page 18

» Feature » IT skills

p u g n i s o l C

l a t i g i d the

We’re on the move John Williams, a tutor at CWU learning centres in Swindon and Gloucester and a Unite centre in Swindon, has helped lots of learners to get back into learning.

“Many of them have not done any learning since they left school. Lots of the learners have overcome their fear of Maths, English and IT and have gone on to gain qualifications in all of these areas.

“Some of our learners are quite apprehensive about starting a course but they find the learning centre is a good place to get started and then when they feel more confident they can access their course online from home.”

Adds John: “The flexibility of courses means that we can enrol people who would not normally be able to attend a college-based evening course. We have learners who work shifts so they access their learning from home and pop into the learning centre on their work breaks to go over any questions they may have.”

John and colleagues like him are in the second wave of learning in the South West, which began when laptops were taken to workplaces.

Mary Scott, manager of U-Net centres in Swindon and St Austell and Trade Union Studies Coordinator, says the original mobile programme was designed to help people improve Skills for Life and give them IT skills.

“People tend not to want to travel far so our original project involved taking laptops to them at work. This project has reaped huge rewards – so much so that we have achieved what we set out to and have worked closely with unions to set up workbased learning centres, which cover the whole region,” she explains.

18 » spring 2010

divide

John Williams and David O’Brien demonstrate learndirect courses

“As learners increasingly gain access to computers at work and home, the focus of the project has now switched to helping them access learning at work and at home through learndirect courses.”

U-Net Support Officer Elaine Dobson says UK online courses are used as an introduction to computers for complete beginners. “UK online provides people with access to computers and the internet, along with help and advice on how to use them. The aim is to connect people to

digital skills and opportunities, using technology to improve lives and this is exactly what our U-Net centres are trying to do in the South West.”

She adds: “We intend to develop work-based learning in St Austell by taking learning to the workplace as this has proved to be so successful in the rest of the South West region, with a new ‘mobile’ tutor to ensure that all learners throughout Cornwall are able to access U-Net courses and skills – should they be needed in this time of economic uncertainty.”

Elaine’s top tips for ULRs ❚ Contact the U-Net centres to discuss how the tutors can help your union members and their families. ❚ Ask if learning can be brought into the workplace rather than people going to a college. It is surprising how many unexpected people are happy to learn at work with their friends. ❚ Introduce learners to UK online courses available at some U-Net centres – they are a great way to get people started on the learning road.

18-19 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:52

Page 19

IT skills « Feature « Almost everything happ ens online these days, from banking and shopping to networking and TV watching. That’s why it’ s vital to reach out to the 10 million-plus adults in the UK who risk social and economic exclusion by not accessing the internet.

Shoppers in Stockport are able to add literacy, numeracy and other skills to their shopping lists, thanks to the Learning Store which has opened in the busy Merseyway Shopping Centre.

The trade union education and learndirect centre is part of Stockport College.

Mobile learning takes off in Luton Despite masses of technology at Luton airport, ULRs came across a big problem when they tried to organise a learning day – no internet access.

But they took a flexible approach to learning, using a Unite mobile learning facility.

“We were able to introduce laptops with remote internet access to enable learners to experience the full benefit of elearning,” says Christine Brooks, Manager at the unionlearn Quality Award-winning Herts Trade Union Learning Centre (HTULC) in Watford. ULRs are now planning a series of learning days.

Unite is also involved in building learning activity among staff at Stansted Airport – many of whom have not been involved in learning since leaving school.

ULRs Diane Dash and Tony Gogay carried out a learning needs survey of security personnel and identified a larger than expected potential for learning.

As a result, the union has secured regular release time for the ULRs and a permanent union help desk in the Stansted Academy office and a successful learning programme through HTULC. “My involvement has really been a reminder of why I became a ULR,” says Diane.

Picking up those new skills at the shops

“It’s about removing barriers to learning and being part of the online democracy.”

Stuart Banks, lifelong learning tutor at the store, says people are invited to make an appointment then pop in for an assessment and receive a diagnosis to help them improve their skills.

“It’s about removing barriers to learning and overcoming the digital divide,” he explains.

“We’re also open late night, which is all part of overcoming barriers to

learning and being part of what Al Gore calls ‘the online democracy’.”

The centre attracts a high percentage of priority learners and is successful in engaging them onto a variety of courses, helping them gain employment, prepare for redundancy, progress in their existing employment and build future career and learning plans.

The centre also operates three unionised workplace outreach stores at local employers, including McVities and Coop Bank, providing access to learning to members with low-level skills. The centre works with a large number of unions by providing a wide range of TU Ed courses and to provide training for ULRs, who promote the centre and engage learners.

Hardly surprising then that it has received a clutch of awards for its innovation and succesful partnership work with employers.

Following a successful bid submission to the ULF in 2010, the centre plans to expand its work.

Pop to the shops takes on a different meaning for visitors to the Stockport Learning Store and its workplace outreach stores

spring 2010 «

19

20-21 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:54

Page 20

» Feature » Apprenticeship Week

Give youth a chance A unionlearn SERTUC seminar during Apprenticeships Week in February showcased a wide range of initiatives to promote quality workplace-based training for young people.

A framework agreement for the rollout of apprenticeships across the Civil Service was set to be signed during Apprenticeships Week, Prospect Deputy General Secretary Dai Hudd told a unionlearn SERTUC seminar at Congress House during Apprenticeships Week.

The agreement, reported in detail in the news pages of this issue, built on a successful pathfinder programme which had led to nearly 1,400 people starting apprenticeships in the Civil Service, which had been the biggest employer of apprentices in the UK 25 years ago.

Dai said the agreement ensured apprentices were employed on standard Civil Service terms and conditions and received high quality training and support; it also provided safeguards for surplus staff and ensured that equality and diversity underpinned apprentice recruitment.

UK Skills Chief Executive Simon Bartley said that WorldSkills London 2011 represented another opportunity to raise the profile of apprenticeships.

Of the 846 UK competitors who had taken part in 40 competitions to date, over 820 had trained as apprentices, he pointed out. “The best people at skills in this country are taking apprenticeships,” he said.

Team UK at WorldSkills 2011 would be drawn from the approximately 8,000 individuals who would enter skills competitions over the two-year cycle, most of them apprentices.

The event offered an opportunity to showcase how developing high skills could lead young people into fulfilling careers, would promote excellence not competence and provide a new generation of role models.

Cogent’s apprenticeship expansion programme had proved a big success, with 46 new places across the industries covered by the SSC, explained Cogent’s Apprenticeships Manager Ian Lockhart, who started his working life as an apprentice himself.

Apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships would provide the solution to the sector’s problem of having too few technicians, just as Cogent Career Pathways would

“By the end of this year, 350 apprentices will have started their training in a range of trades on the site for the London 2012 Games.”

20 » spring 2010

encourage more young people to choose the sector for their careers, he said.

The London Games site was set to have started 350 apprentices by the end of the current calendar year, explained Loraine Martins, the Head of Equality, Inclusion, Employment and Skills at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the body responsible for building the venues and infrastructure for the London Games and their use after 2012.

In addition, new ODA contractors were committed to ensuring at least 3 per cent of their Olympic Park workforces were apprentices, she pointed out.

Apprentice electrician Lucas Campbell gets to work on the London Games VeloPark, which will host track cycling and BMX events in 2012

20-21 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:55

Page 21

Apprenticeship Week « Feature « Film Minister Siôn Simon meets trainee drapesmaster Sam Healey at the launch of the new Pinewood Studios apprentice scheme

The home of the Harry Potter franchise has launched a new apprenticeship scheme to train a new generation of behind-the-scenes magicians for the UK film industry.

Film studio premieres

Photo: Olympic Delivery Authority

blockbuster skills scheme Ten young people have seized the chance to start work in the UK film industry through a blockbusting new apprenticeship scheme launched at the world-famous Pinewood Studios during Apprenticeship Week.

They have joined a dozen other apprentices at the production and post-production group (which comprises Pinewood, Shepperton and Teddington studios) already enrolled on a separate scheme run by Skillset, the creative media industries Sector Skills Council.

Film Minister Siôn Simon met some of the new intake when he visited the studios in February to launch the scheme, including drapes apprentice Sam Healey (drapesmasters are responsible for every kind of soft furnishing on film sets).

“The film industry can be incredibly tough to break into, but Pinewood’s apprenticeship scheme is a welcome route into this exciting and highly creative industry,” Siôn said.

“Sam and the other apprentices I met today are employed for their ability and potential, and I am sure they will do extremely well.

Pinewood Studios is working hard to address any skills gaps while providing a great start for some enthusiastic young people.”

The Minister also met four Skillset Set Craft Apprentices currently working on the new Harry Potter film.

This is the second year of this highly successful apprenticeship scheme which gives opportunities for emerging talent to work on the sets of some of Pinewood’s biggest productions, including Harry Potter, James Bond, Batman and the

forthcoming adventure movie John Carter Of Mars.

The Set Craft Apprenticeship Scheme trains new entrants from diverse backgrounds in carpentry, painting and decorating or fibrous plastering and will enable them to become highly skilled craftspeople in film set construction.

It was set up when Skillset research identified an urgent need to attract new entrants into set crafts who could acquire their skills while working alongside experienced professionals.

“Pinewood’s apprenticeship scheme demonstrates

the group’s ongoing investment in the skills and infrastructure that is essential to the future of the UK’s creative industries,” commented Pinewood Studios Chief Executive Ivan Dunleavy.

The new Pinewood scheme runs for two years in collaboration with Aylesbury College.

The apprenticeships – one in drapes and nine in business roles – combine work and training with an NVQ Level 2 & 3 qualification.

Who said training was a piece of cake?

Derby College Executive Chef Shirley Sweeney and apprentices James Barradell (left) and Harvey Watkins baked a cake for the East Midlands Launch of National Apprenticeship Week at the Business and Skills Conference in Nottingham.

spring 2010 «

21

22-23 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:55

Page 22

» ULR Profiles » Giannina Maina

Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

Prison Officers’ Association ULR Giannina Maina is determined to help West London Mental Health Trust staff access learning at work.

Opening the learning centre is my number one priority I became interested in union learning when I was union convenor at West London Mental Health Trust.

Ever since Agenda for Change was introduced in 2004, I’ve listened to members and managers discussing skills deficits in different areas.

But it was only when I resigned as union convenor last year that I could commit the time to union learning: I decided I would become a ULR and focus solely on opening a learning centre at the Hammersmith and Fulham service delivery unit.

The training and development provided by the Trust is very good, we have excellent programmes, but I wanted to set up a centre where we could encourage people to take up learning to meet their own personal aspirations.

Opening the learning centre is my number one goal – to help staff access learning, develop themselves, and progress their careers. I just want to see people get on: I know there’s hundreds of people out there that could really do with this.

The Trust doesn’t have the money available at the moment to build a new centre, but the Director of Hammersmith & Fulham is dead keen to get workplace

22 » spring 2010

learning off the ground so she’s offered me a room that I can use that will have computers and internet facilities.

I’m aiming to have that room open by May with the ULRs helping me to get it off the ground. I’ve recruited 24 ULRs in the past three months – I’m just one of those people that’s really motivated: when I get an idea in my head I don’t stop until I’ve done it.

Giannina Maina is project manager, union learning, West London Mental Health Trust and a Prison Officers’ Association ULR. She has served on her branch committee in one way or another for the past 21 years, including nine years as branch secretary, and also spent several years as staff side chair and full-time union convenor.

West London Mental Health Trust employs 4,000 staff at five service delivery units: Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hounslow, West London Forensic and High Secure Services (Broadmoor).

22-23 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:56

Page 23

Sue Beeston « ULR Profiles «

If I can do it, anyone can do it!

I came into work one morning and saw a poster that said: “Would you like to learn new skills and build your confidence?”

I used to be a quiet sort of thing, so I thought I could do with that. I’d been working as a cleaner for a number of years and although I wanted to apply for a supervisor’s job, I didn’t have the confidence, so I thought the course might take me somewhere.

Then my mum died just as the course started, but the tutor Diane Sawyer, who was a wonderful person, said she knew it would be hard but I needed something to fill the time, and that was so inspiring.

After that I went on to do a creative writing course, and Women’s Lives and Return to Learn through UNISON. Return to Learn was the cherry on the cake: I thought I wouldn’t be able to get to Level 3 but I surprised myself and the next thing I knew I’d got Learner of the Year from Norwich College in 2004.

I enjoy the ULR role: to see people bettering themselves is wonderful. I signposted a cleaner we used to have onto a computer course, then she did Literacy Level 1 and 2 and after that applied for a supervisor’s job. She was over the moon when she got it – she told me: “I wouldn’t have got this job if it wasn’t for you!”

Our branch used to be a bit dormant but we’ve been building it up over the past two or three years: we have a branch secretary, a health and safety rep and two ULRs including me and we’ve got our own office we can work from which is great, plus membership is going up: I’ve recruited quite a few, and other people are recruiting as well and I think we’re doing quite well.

I’m a much more outgoing person now. If I get a free day and have some course work to do, I take myself off to the library which I would never done before. I can’t thank UNISON enough – I want to shout from the rooftops that if I can do it, anyone can do it!

Sue Beeston is a housekeeper at Ipswich Hospital and a UNISON ULR

Do you know a ULR we could profile in The Learning Rep? Send us a brief outline of what they’ve achieved and they could feature in a future edition. Email your outlines to the editor: jasser@tuc.org.uk

Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

UNISON ULR Sue Beeston used to be a very quiet cleaner at Ipswich Hospital.

Then she started learning and hasn’t looked back.

spring 2010 «

23

24 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1

8/4/10

17:36

Page 24

» Update » Unionlearn Board New TUC President and unionlearn board member Dougie Rooney is on a mission to persuade the next Government that continued support of union learning is absolutely essential.

Let’s hear it for union learning Unionlearn must convince all the major political parties to back union-led learning, argues Board member Dougie Rooney, the Unite national officer who is also TUC president this year.

“We need to get the message across that union learning must be supported and the union learning campaign is a number one priority,” he says.

“I’m keen to get the message to Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats that union learning is a vehicle that has a unique way of getting to people that a normal college, school or other education institution cannot,” says Dougie.

Having left school at 15 without qualifications, Dougie started an apprenticeship as a mechanical fitter in Edinburgh and went on to become shop steward and convenor of 50 shop stewards, representing 2,500 members.

With training inculcated into the company culture, Dougie has always wanted to see people develop to their fullest extent, he says – hence his support for unionlearn.

“Unionlearn has doggedly got on with its work with many projects, tackling areas in society where few other institutions involved in training or learning can reach.

“And that’s all because they have linked into industry and trade union organisation with managements that are receptive to having an

24 » spring 2010

organisation assisting their employees to take up learning opportunities – that is quite unique and I’m keen to do all I can to support it,” he says.

Dougie is particularly concerned to see more done for the young generation failed by the recession.

“They are getting hit hardest in terms of jobs going and we need to be working with industry and engage more companies in union learning and try and see if there are initiatives we can take to get more people into employment as soon as the recession is over,” he says.

With so much on his plate, Dougie is unlikely to have much time for his own personal learning.

But he’d like to devote more time to improving his computer skills, and would also love to learn a language with the aim of one day speaking up for union learning in French or Spanish.

“Unionlearn has doggedly got on with its work with many projects, tackling areas in society where few other institutions involved in training or learning can reach.”

25-29 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:57

Page 25

TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «

Photo: Roy Peters

Moving on

in the Midlands

Unionlearn’s Midlands region is at the heart of the country and at the centre of the recession.

But its wide range of learning opportunities is helping union members rise to the challenge.

The creation of more than 20 workplace learning centres is playing a crucial role in providing new skills to workers in the West Midlands, helping them to survive the current recession and preparing them for the jobs of the future.

With the help of funding from the Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands, unionlearn has been able to offer employers in the West Midlands the chance to improve the performance of their businesses by boosting the skills level of their workforce.

The scheme has led to the creation of 22 workplace learning centres and 1,400 employees are expected to benefit.

Such centres can be found at Birmingham New Street Station, Chamberlin & Hill foundry, Walsall and Barclays Wealth. More than 60 union learning reps have been recruited to act as advocates in the workplace, offering advice to colleagues, and working with employers to ensure the right courses are provided.

“Unions working together with forward-thinking employers can create a powerful team which can

contribute significantly, not only to the prosperity of the workplace, but to the local and regional economy as we emerge out of the recession ready to embrace the challenges ahead,” says unionlearn Regional Manager Mary Alys.

According to a study by the West Midlands Regional Observatory, the region has been particularly hard hit by the downturn and has the highest unemployment rate in the country.

However, recruitment difficulties and skill shortages have persisted – particularly in sectors such as engineering and manufacturing where firms are struggling to replace an aging workforce.

The West Midlands has the second lowest proportion of adults with high-level skills and the highest proportion with no qualifications at all.

Young people need to be provided with the necessary skills to join the workforce and more investment is required to retrain current employees, so they can rise to the challenges that business and industry face in the future.

These were some of the pressing issues under discussion when Midlands unionlearn organised its Skills for Recovery conference at City of Wolverhampton College in March.

Skills were at the top of the regional agenda, commented Minister for the West Midlands Ian Austin.

“We are committed to ensuring that we equip businesses and their workforce with the capabilities and skills to take advantage of opportunities in the new growth areas such as advanced manufacturing and lowcarbon technologies,” he said.

Gerald Crookes and Lyndon Peach from Better West Midlands, a union-backed project to support workers at risk of redundancy, discuss the issues with West Midlands Minister Ian Austin (centre) at unionlearn’s Skills for Recovery conference.

spring 2010 «

25

25-29 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:57

Page 26

» Roundup » TUC Education with unionlearn

Calling all activists

Cara (left) with fellow PCS rep Lucy Robinson

Cara Nurse decided to sign up to the Activist Academy at South Nottingham College TU Centre because she wanted more challenges than she got working at the Driving Standards Agency.

Cara, who works at the DSA as an admin officer, says the course also helped boost her confidence.

“I went on to organise a day for reps to meet and to get members talking to reps – as a result, more people are now more open with each other,” she says.

As well as taking her Union Reps Stage 2 course, Cara is also involved with nearby schools, her trades council and a local anti-fascist organisation.

The Activist Academy programme from the TUC and unionlearn is aimed at union reps and activists. By linking training to activity and action, the Academy helps reps develop their skills and provides additional support and resources so that they can build a stronger union in their branch or workplace.

Courses are delivered via a national network of Centres of Organising and Recruitment Excellence based at specially selected trade union education centres like South Nottingham College.

“We have quite a variety of reps and it’s fantastic,” says Colin Nolan, Course Coordinator for the College TU Centre.

“They have a lot of energy and the course has given them the confidence to be more assertive and involved in a variety of projects.”

Learners at Derby Trade Union Education Centre take the opportunity to improve their lives and their careers

Long, short and free – the centre has courses to suit all needs

It’s all about progression Unionlearn is looking to establish progression routes out of the TUC Education programme for union officers and workplace reps and the Foundation degree in trade union studies at Birmingham Trade Union Education Centre is one route to do this.

“It should be possible for trade unions to see Foundation degrees as development routes for their own staff as well as their members across the Midlands,” says REO Pete Try. “Foundation degrees will provide important ways to help trade unions and their members meet the challenges of worker representation in a new Midlands economy,” he adds.

26 » spring 2010

Derby gives Michelle a career boost Michelle Welsh enrolled on a learndirect course at Derby Trade Union Education Centre when she wanted to give her career a kickstart.

“I teach in a further education college in Nottingham.

I am looking at moving into primary education, but wanted to brush up my literacy and numeracy skills.

“I called Derby Trade Union Education Centre and after an informative conversation with course tutor Sue Long I committed to the Level 2 Adult Literacy and Numeracy Course.

“The literacy part of the course was far more challenging than I had imagined, working through grammatical terms that I hadn’t heard of for 20 years! Through various online teaching methods and revision tests I completed my Level 2 Adult Literacy.

“The numeracy was challenging but enjoyable. I sat a test paper which, to my surprise, I passed and then put in to sit my online test. Passing the online test was a relief; it seemed far harder than my practice test.

“I would never have passed either course without the help and guidance I received throughout from Sue Long.

“I would consider doing more courses with learndirect and would prefer to come through the College Trade Union Education Centre; the support was invaluable – highly recommended.”

Derby Trade Union Education Centre provides training for union members like Michelle and reps in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and East Staffordshire.

Based at Derby College, it has centres in Leicester and Kettering.

It also provides training on union and employers’ premises throughout its region as well as offering the TUC’s core programme for union, health and safety and learning reps as well as a short course and certificate programme.

The centre’s learndirect facility offers free courses for union members leading to the national English and Maths qualifications. Computer courses leading to qualifications are also available.

25-29 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

17:45

Page 27

TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «

Apprentices give Stoke the edge

Samantha Rawlins has joined the The National Learner Panel as one of the volunteer further education (FE) learners working with the Government, FE organisations and other partners to ensure the voice of learners is placed at the heart of emerging policies and initiatives. She explains how she came to be involved.

Speaking up for learners Where do you work?

I work at Stoke-on-Trent City Council as a Business Systems Officer in the Housing Department. When I started the course I was unemployed having been made redundant from my previous job.

What union are you in?

National Association of Cooperative Officials (NACO).

What courses are you doing?

I am on the Employment Law Diploma. I was involved heavily with NACO as Branch Secretary, in my previous role prior to being made redundant, so my interest came from there. Doing the Union Reps Stages 2 & 3, and the Employment Law Diploma was the natural followon to those courses, plus I had an interest in the subject of the diploma anyway.

What did it mean for you?

It meant I had a focus during my period of unemployment and also introduced me to people from other unions and gave me a valuable insight into how other unions within other industries operate. I didn’t want to just do nothing so the course was a valuable outlet for me to increase my knowledge while I was time-rich.

How did you get on the panel?

I applied for the panel as I felt it would involve me with people I wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to interact with again. I think with returning to studying after such a long time, it made me aware of the things that could be improved upon in order to encourage more mature learners back into the classroom.

What have meetings been like?

The two panel meetings I’ve attended have shown me just what an impact the panel can have on the future of adult learning and other areas which affect learners in further education. The diversity of the panel allows for some lively and useful discussions on a wide range of topics, including Ofsted’s Single Equality Scheme and the Framework for Excellence. We also met Lord Young, Minister for Students, at our first panel meeting, which was both interesting and informative.

What are your learning plans?

To complete my current course and attain at least a Level 2. From there, I would need to look into the possibility of furthering that learning by completing a degree at Keele University, but any studying would have to be on a part-time basis.

Stoke-on-Trent had already been hard hit by the decimation of the pottery industry and associated suppliers before the recession hit.

“As the economy starts to recover, it’s important that there are well trained people to help that recovery,” says John Urwin, TU Education Centre course coordinator at Stoke on Trent College.

“One way of ensuring this is the Government’s policy, supported by the TUC, to encourage employers to take on apprentices.

“Our part in this is to offer courses for union reps to explain the importance of apprentices, give them the skills to negotiate with their employers to take on apprentices, and make sure that apprentices are paid fairly and treated fairly, that they have the time they need to do their theoretical learning, and, of course, that they should join the appropriate trade union.

“We have already run one course last summer specifically for UCATT, and we have a general one planned in the next academic year. Of course we will react to the needs of the local union movement when called upon.”

John says the college is fully committed to apprenticeships, offering a huge range of courses from construction, catering, hairdressing, accounting, payroll, business and IT, to customer care, travel and leisure, engineering and electrical, vehicle and transport.

Employers should be encouraged to take on apprentices

“As a trade union education centre, we are uniquely placed to act as a focal point for the local trade unions. We train the ULRs; they too will have an important role. We have a good relationship with them. Should they require contacts within the college, the first port of call is with us. We can then facilitate meetings with the appropriate contacts across college.

“Many years ago I was an apprentice too and I know the importance of good apprenticeships with good employers protected by good union reps. We all have a part to play,” adds John.

spring 2010 «

27

25-29 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:59

Page 28

Photo: Rod Leon

» Roundup » TUC Education with unionlearn

Lola Jaye encourages an Olympic Park worker to try her Quick Read at the launch of the Community and Trade Union Learning Centre on the site

Olympic centre goes for gold The unionlearn centre persuading workers on the Olympic site to improve their skills has been recognised as an innovative and exceptional project inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Community and Trade Union Learning Centre, at Pudding Mill Lane, East London, has been granted the Inspire Mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme.

The centre is open to workers on the site and members of the local community. There are free courses in literacy, numeracy and computer skills and the centre provides free lessons in how to write reports and job applications and one supporting employees with dyslexia. A free internet café is open to all. A whole range of paid-for courses, such as languages, will also be available depending upon demand.

Unionlearn Regional Manager Barry Francis said he was very proud the centre had gained the Inspire Mark badge.

“Unionlearn is working with unions to promote learning and training in this exciting site in the lee of the Olympic stadium. We hope that it will provide a cultural legacy for the local community long after the games are over,” he said.

Bob Blackman, national secretary for the construction sector for Unite, said the centre offered building workers

28 » spring 2010

vital opportunities to learn onsite. “Lots of construction workers do not have a chance to use a computer when they spend most of the day with a shovel or trowel in their hands,” he said.

“We are very enthusiastic about persuading our members to make full use of the courses on offer here.”

The centre was enabling local people and workers on the Olympic site to make positive changes, said Lord (Seb) Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

“It is well deserving of an Inspire Mark award for the work it is doing now and its role as part of the Olympic legacy,” he said.

The centre will also be working with the National Union of Teachers to bring laptops to local schools so that parents can improve their literacy, numeracy and computer skills after they have dropped off their children.

It has made links with organisations such as the local Tesco superstore to promote the centre to the community.

The local fire services will be using the centre for its training. Fire Brigades Union ULR Steve Fay said his members at the nearby Stratford fire station had already signed up for computer courses. “We paid a visit to the centre in our fire engine: the facilities are very good and we are looking forward to training here,” he said.

25-29 LR SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 2

8/4/10

16:59

Page 29

TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «

Karl is a star turn UCATT rep Karl Stephenson is a rising star in his union – thanks to union learning.

Karl, who works for Kier Group as a joiner mainly on council house maintenance, took the Health and Safety Stage 1 course at East Riding College in 2008 to help him carry out his role as union safety rep.

It was his first college course since he had left school, and he was so inspired he took on the additional role of union rep, later returning to the college to complete the Union Representatives Stage 1.

“Karl had taken a Skills for Life initial assessment and recognised he had difficulty with written English and told us that he did not have a qualification from school,” explains Dave Parr, Head of Curriculum Area in Trade Unions Studies at the college.

“While very keen to progress with his trade union education, Karl recognised that this gap in his skills needed to be filled if he was to be a successful and effective trade union rep. In the spring term of 2009, he negotiated time off from work with

pay to attend our college on a literacy course achieving first his Level 1 national qualification and then his Level 2.

“The following term he successfully completed the Union Representatives Stage 2 Stepping Up course and is now studying on our Level 3 Employment Law Diploma course.

“As union reps go, Karl is young at 34. In a short time he has become recognised by his union’s regional officer as a rising star with potential to become an officer himself,” says Dave.

“In this time he has also addressed major issues with his literacy skills and grown in confidence from a reluctant student to somebody with a love for learning.

What Karl has achieved in less than two years has the potential to change his life should he wish to take up opportunities which are now within his grasp.

Stow celebrates success Over 20 union reps who successfully completed their studies on the TUC Diploma in Employment Law and the TUC Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety recently attended the Stow College, Glasgow, graduation ceremony in the Royal Concert Hall Glasgow. Four Stow TUC tutors also graduated at the ceremony after being awarded Advanced Diplomas in Teaching in Further Education.

Stow College Section Leader in TU Education Hugh Higgins presented students with their diplomas, alongside TUC Regional Education Officer for Scotland Harry Cunningham.

Karl Stephenson has grown from a reluctant student to someone with a love for learning – all because he wanted to be an effective rep

“What makes Karl’s journey remarkable is the way he decided he did not just want to be any old union rep, he wanted to be an effective one, and realised that to do this he needed to address his issues with English. He then used his skills to arrange a way to do this and successfully achieved his Level 2 qualification in just 12 weeks,” adds Dave.

The pride of Paisley After successfully completing their studies for the TUC Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety and the TUC Diploma in Employment Law at Reid Kerr College, union reps graduated in a caremony at the prestigious Paisley Abbey, with TUC tutor Billy Caldwell (second right).

spring 2010 «

29

30-31 SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 4

8/4/10

17:02

Page 30

» 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 Informal Adult Learning Joe Fearnehough Tel: 0151 236 7678 jfearnehough@tuc.org.uk

» U-Net centres Helen Gagliasso Tel: 0191 227 5567 hgagliasso@tuc.org.uk

» Website Jay Sreedharan Tel: 020 7079 6943 jsreedharan@tuc.org.uk

30 » spring 2010

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

» 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 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

» South West Regional Manager Helen Cole Tel: 0117 947 0521 Union Development Coordinator Ros Etheridge

» 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 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 FDA Martin Furlong Tel: 020 7401 5555 martin@fda.org.uk

30-31 SPR10 ART.qxd:Layout 1 copy 4

8/4/10

17:02

Page 31

Resources «

Jay knows 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 TSSA Sal Morawetz Tel: 020 7529 8049 morawetzs@tssa.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 I have worked full time in the same role in a supermarket for too long and have not had any training opportunities for a few years. Is it worth exercising the right to request time to train?

A The first thing is to consider what training you want to do and why. The regulations state that the training you request should make a contribution to your personal development or the productivity of the business. It should also be relevant to “your job, workplace or business” which is quite a wide scope.

Is there some training that you could do that would make you better at what you do or perhaps take up new responsibilities?

Perhaps you would like to progress to be a supervisor or a manager and need to think about the training that would help you fulfil those responsibilities?

Secondly, talk this over with someone. A trade union representative can help you consider the training that you could do but also how best to get it.

The regulations state that the introduction of the right doesn’t mean you should not raise training needs in any other way, if there is another way to do it in your workplace (especially if that is more straightforward).

For example, the rep may suggest that you talk to your manager about your interest in more training, perhaps as part of an appraisal or training review. Or the rep may want to speak to HR on your behalf, as the employer already provides the training that interests you or there is a learning agreement with your employer from which you could benefit.

Finally, if you are clear about the training that you would like to do and why, and you are agreed with your rep that there is no other way to raise your training aspirations with the employer, then why not exercise your right to request time to train?

Ask your rep to download unionlearn guidance on the right to request time to train and a template letter from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills website for you to complete together to send to your employer.

Completing the letter will probably take more than one meeting with the rep. You will have to do your research and make a solid proposal regarding: ❚ the training you would like to do; ❚ how it will contribute to your development in work and/or the performance of the business; ❚ who will provide the training and where it will take place; ❚ how much the training will cost; ❚ fitting the training in to your paid working hours.

The more time that you put in to this, the more likely that your employer will agree your training request. Your employer is required to either respond to you in writing within 28 days or ask to meet you and your union representative to discuss it further. It’s definitely worth a try.

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

spring 2010 «

31

32 SPRING 10 ART:Layout 1

8/4/10

17:04

Page 1

Resources « Roundup «

Fmrateerieals

Order now from www.unionlearn.org.uk/freebooks And postage and packing is also free

Union professional development programme 2010 The professional development programme brings high quality, accredited education and training to union officers locally. The Union Professional Development Programme prospectus clearly shows which courses are inter-linked, helping candidates to identify the most appropriate training for their needs.

FSA Redundancy Handbook This handbook produced by new Financial Service Authority (FSA) is a useful information resource for those whose job is under threat of redundancy. The handbook covers questions from dealing with job worries and redundancy rights to managing money and the entitlements you can claim.

Making a difference – The impact of trade union education on Britain’s workplaces This is the report of the new 2009 TUC Education survey of union representatives attending TUC courses. It is the largest survey of trade union education ever conducted and the first to solely use online data collection methods.

Learning rep initiatives in the UK and New Zealand The learning representative concept is now being adopted by unions in other countries. One such country is New Zealand. This research paper, written by Dr Bill Lee and Professor Catherine Cassell, compares and contrasts ULRs in the UK with learning representatives in New Zealand through the use of case studies.

Working for learners This handbook has been updated and is a major source of information and advice for trade unions and their representatives who are, or want to be, involved in accessing training for their members.

new The unionlearn offer to the Sector Skills Councils The 2003 White Paper, 21st Century Skills – Realising Our Potential gave a commitment to union representation on the boards of SSCs. This has been achieved with the nomination by unionlearn of a senior official from one of the relevant TUC-affiliated trade unions for each SSC. In some cases SSCs have elected to have more than one trade union board member.

Your rights as an apprentice This is an essential advice leaflet for apprentices on their rights at work, training opportunities and advice on joining a trade union.

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.