Learning Rep Autumn 2014

unionlearn.org.uk | Autumn 2014

Union courses for migrants win awards • Readers’ survey: win £20 • Unionlearn conference • Six Book Challenge • Community learning • Apprenticeships

SUPPORTING OLDER WORKERS

Time for a check up

POPULATION TRENDS AND CHANGES TO the state retirement age mean that increasing numbers of older workers will be part of the UK workforce in the years ahead. In fact, one-third of the workforce will be over 50 by the year 2020, while a quarter of the population as a whole will be over 65 by 2033.

One of the big positives about these developments is that older workers have a huge amount of experience and skills to offer the organisations that employ them, and it’s good to hear more and more politicians and opinion-formers recognise the often untapped potential they can offer.

“One of the big positives about these developments is that older workers have a huge amount of experience and skills to offer the organisations that employ them.”

It’s to help identify and develop that untapped potential that we have developed the mid-life career review, in which trained union learning reps (ULRs) work with their older colleagues to pinpoint transferable skills that can help them remain productive in later life, progress their careers and develop their ideas for new initiatives, as NAPO member Charlene Douglas has (see pages 8 and 9).

We are already receiving positive feedback about the wide range of resources and materials we have produced to help ULRs conduct effective mid-life reviews, including our new eNote and the Value My Skills cards, which are going down well wherever people use them. We will be doing more in the years ahead, but this campaign is a really good start.

Tom Wilson is Director of unionlearn

Funded by the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the European Social Fund. Learning Rep magazine is published three times a year by unionlearn, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS. Written and edited by Astrid Stubbs and Martin Moriarty | Designed by TUC | © unionlearn, 2014 Cover photo of Unite Regional Learning Organiser Orlando Martins by Peter Everard Smith

“It’s a fantastic way to communicate around learning and how to work jointly together,” says Kay Nicholls, Family Support Worker, UNISON Assistant Branch Secretary and ULR of Plymouth City Council’s new learning agreement.

“I think it is crucial that the employers and unions have an understanding that a learning agreement benefits all. I think it is essential to highlight the need for all staff to refresh and improve on their basic skills,” says Kay, pictured above left with Unite ULR Sam Quiqley and Lorraine Steer from Plymouth Adult and Community Learning Services.

Kay herself hadn’t done any maths tests since 1986, and when she completed her own assessment, it showed that she was at Level 1.

“I am taking my maths exam and when successful will move on to take my Level 2, which will mean that I have done what I can to remain employable in this very uncertain job climate.”

Kay is happy to see the council investing in its staff.

“People go to the doctor for health check-ups: why should learning be any different? It’s taking care of yourself and investing in your employment,” she says.

There has been a significant increase in the

numbers of workers signing up to learn new skills within the council – as well as English, Maths and IT – since the agreement was signed, says Unite Regional Learning Organiser Nigel Jones.

“This allows them to be more flexible, which benefits the council, and can also increase employability and the earning potential of individuals,” he says.

Challenging racism conference Fifty representatives from more than 10 trade unions attended the ‘Challenging Racism in the Workplace’ conference at Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light in April.

Organised by the TUC, unionlearn and Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC), the event kicked off with a plenary discussion to identify the barriers to challenging racism, with SRtRC staff sharing strategies for ensuring positive and productive discussions.

There were keynote speeches from Riz Rehman of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), and former Sunderland AFC captain Gary Bennett, who spoke about their personal and professional battles to challenge racism.

There were also interactive workshops on challenging racist incidents at work and the myths surrounding immigration.

Parallel to the main sessions, former Newcastle

United players Olivier Bernard and Richard Offiong, now educators with SRtRC, led more than 70 school pupils in a separate workshop about the dangers of stereotyping; while Linda Hughes (Unite) showed them how unions could help them make the move from school to work.

The event wound up with a Q&A session in which the young people asked questions about racism, the trade union movement and the relationship between the two to a panel of guests that included TUC Race Equality Officer Wilf Sullivan, Linda Hughes and Unite Transport Officer Fazia Hussain-Brown.

• Click here to email SRtRC about how it can help you challenge racism in your workplace

Adventure for midwives Midwives and maternity support workers from Poole Maternity Hospital took part in an outdoor adventure team building day, trying their hand at kayaking and windsurfing in Portland Marina.

The day was organised by Poole Branch RCM ULR Sara Fripp with Weymouth & Portland College.

The team was also treated to an exhilarating high speed powerboat trip around the harbour to end the day.

“This was a great opportunity to learn a new skill and have a go at something new, and a great

lesson in team work and coping with being outside your comfort zone,” said Sara.

Compassionate Midwifery was the theme of a CPD event arranged by ULR Sally Goodwin from King’s Mill Hospital in Mansfield.

Sally set up the event with Mia Scotland, a clinical psychologist and hypnobirth practitioner. “I felt as a profession we are not kind to ourselves and each other.

Mia’s day celebrates what we do well and gives useful relaxation tips to help us cope with the usual stresses of the job,” Sally said. The day proved so popular that Sally and branch colleagues are hoping to run it again.

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Theatricals for young learners BECTU Training Organising Official Martin Roberts delivered a two-day course in backstage theatrical skills to a dozen young unemployed people on a pioneering performing arts training programme earlier this year.

Project Phakama’s Spotlight programme offers a six-month paid internship to young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and keen to explore a behind-the-scenes career in the performing arts.

Arts youth employment organisation CCSkills, which helps fund the programme, invited Martin to deliver the hands-on course at its Backstage Centre in Purfleet, Essex.

“We’ve done health and safety training for CCSkills in the past, and on this occasion they wanted someone who had been in the business, as I have, so that’s why they came to us,” Martin explains.

“Most of the interns came from media backgrounds, not theatre, so I showed them basics of how to put staging, scenery and lighting together to make a show; how to work with the different backstage crew; and what they should ask for when bringing people in.”

The workshop went down very well with the diverse group. “Martin was very helpful, patient and understanding in helping us throughout the process,” commented intern Abu Jafor.

Bob Crow Centre

Rail union RMT has named a new training centre at Euston station after former general secretary Bob Crow, who died suddenly earlier this year.

Opened by Bob’s partner Nicky Hoarau, the room includes a plaque inscribed with Bob’s words: “The only way we can have equality is if everyone has got the same opportunity to get an education.”

The centre will be used to run courses for Network Rail staff and their friends and families.

REPTECH Hear my thunder Thunderclap helps people get their message across loud and clear by saying it together. And it’s proved a useful tool for unions, as CWU’s youth section can testify.

Jo Thair, PA, says the union used Thunderclap to promote its Youth Day in April.

Thunderclap works by asking you to set a number of supporters to reach. Then, if you reach your supporter goal, it blasts out a timed Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr post from all your supporters, creating a wave of attention.

“I came across it by accident,” says Jo. “We decided to use it to promote Youth Day. It was very simple to set up. The whole process was a good way of involving lots of people you don’t normally reach, such as MPs and third parties. It helps to keep the subject not too specific so that you draw in more people.”

And Jo says the union was delighted with the response. “We were absolutely staggered with the numbers of retweets and followers.

It was a real success.”

• Click here to visit Thunderclap

LEARNING REP AUTUMN 2014

03

Tolpuddle photo © Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

FIRE LEARNING CENTRE MARKS 10TH BIRTHDAY The FBU National Learning Centre has celebrated its 10th anniversary.

The centre was originally located at Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service HQ in Morpeth and then moved to Cramlington. It has continually been supported by a partnership between the FBU, NFRS and ULF and, over the last two years, has generated funding through a sub-contract with Leeds City College (LCC).

Despite changes in learning provision, the centre has survived and thrived, offering a range of courses from vocational qualifications to maths, English and ICT. It delivers around 500 courses with qualifications including ECDL, Functional Skills (maths and English), Mental Health Awareness, Exercise Studies, H&S and Equality and Diversity.

The vast majority of the available courses are completed using distance learning through a workbook or an e-learning platform.

The centre also provides courses for families and friends and is currently delivering Functional Skills to an unemployed people’s community centre in the north-east. The FBU also has three satellite centres in London Fire Brigade, Avon FRS and Merseyside FRS. “The centre is a great asset for the union and continues to deliver at a very high level,” says FBU National ULF Manager Trevor Shanahan.

“The dedication of the staff and union learning committee is there for all to see and the increasing take-up of courses by our members and their families and friends makes it all worthwhile.”

Tolpuddle warms to learning Unionlearn South West team ran a stall in the Martyrs Marquee, during this year’s sun-filled Tolpuddle Festival to let people know what union learning is all about and encourage them to become ULRs or get in contact with one in their workplace.

Visitors had a chance to try the USE-IT app on iPads to give them an idea of what level of skills courses they may want to sign up for, while information on reps’ courses and eNotes from TUC Education was also available.

“Tolpuddle is always a great opportunity to meet members and reps from the region and beyond,” says unionlearn Union Support Officer Keith Hatch.

“A couple of years ago a new ULR from Poole Royal College of Midwives dropped by the info stall at the festival to ask for information. Since then we have done a lot of work with them and last year a community choir the ULR has set up through the maternity unit performed at the festival, while another learning rep ran a song writing workshop.”

Other learning opportunities at the festival included the South West TUC Radical History School, this year exploring working lives in the build up to World War I and a workshop from PCS Learning Organiser, Jack Davis, about how to research workplace history.

Fringe events speakers

covered everything from Health and Safety at work and Green Skills to working in the sports sector and how music can change the world – there was also an Education Question Time.

Unions at the festival were also keen to promote the role of union learning, including materials on their stalls to encourage members to sign up to courses, with staff on hand to discuss the role of a ULR and how to get involved in learning at work.

“Tolpuddle is a great opportunity for trade union members to get together and it’s important we are there to promote the role of learning,” says SW TUC Education Officer Marie Hughes. “There are so many workshops to choose from and the Radical History School is more popular than ever.”

Partners meeting Union reps representing members of three new Industrial Partnerships covering the energy, creative and science industries have been meeting to discuss the future.

The Energy and Efficiency Industrial Partnership was the first new IP to be officially launched under Round 2 of the Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot.

This was followed in the summer by the Creative Industries sector and an IP for the Science sector.

A key focus of all these IPs is to drive up employer investment and to establish

an industry-led approach to skills provision, with clear outputs, e.g. targets for the number of Apprenticeships and traineeships created as a result of the funding from government and co-funding by employers.

The TUC is broadly supportive of the new Industrial Partnerships and unionlearn is working closely with affiliated unions to develop a coherent and effective approach to boosting union engagement, including through connections with union learning initiatives, collective bargaining on skills and union representation in the governance of the IPs.

“This is the culmination of three years’ work,” explains branch ULR coordinator Roger Pakeman. “It’s great to see Bury Council and UNISON plus other partner unions coming together to make learning happen here.”

The agreement crowns a successful 12 months for Bury Local Government, which has led a digital inclusion campaign with Union Learning Fund (ULF) backing, and other learning activities.

“I want to expand the number of ULRs to get a good spread around the borough, and make sure we reach all the membership, particularly those who don’t have access to email,” Roger says.

• Click here to find out more

Bury staff take top billing

After a productive year of workplace learning activity, UNISON Bury Local Government branch has signed a new learning agreement with the northwest local authority that is designed to place staff development at the top of the council agenda.

At the signing ceremony in June, UNISON branch secretary Steve Morton signed the agreement with Chief Executive Mike Kelly, Council Leader Mike Connolly and Councillor Trevor Holt, Chair of Human Resources.

Web kit works wonders for NHS Learning for Life, the set of web-based resources to help promote workplace learning across the NHS, is helping union learning reps (ULRs) spread the message, according to a new evaluation by Bang Communications.

The Learning for Life toolkit is highly valued by the ULRs, who have used it in a range of ways, including informing local campaigns, shaping whole workplace learning campaigns and creating presentations Learnin g for Life: to senior Toolkit management.

“The survey shows that health service ULRs who are early in the journey to get workplace learning underway found the resources particularly

useful,” explains unionlearn Policy Officer Kirsi Kekki.

“Because the toolkit is targeted at HR professionals in the main, it also helps ULRs use the best kind of language to make the business case for workplace learning in the NHS.” However, the evaluation points out that awareness of Learning for Life is relatively low, with between 25 and 30 per cent of the survey sample familiar with the resources.

“There is scope to place greater emphasis on making workforce development professionals and union/ staff side learning representatives aware of the resources through a variety of channels, which could form part of a wider campaign to promote workplace learning,” the evaluation suggests.

• Click here to access the resources online

Learning manifesto A manifesto detailing the crucial role that lifelong learning can play in a prosperous society and a vibrant economy was launched at NIACE’s Annual Adult Learners’ Week Policy Conference.

The manifesto urges political parties to forge a new skills strategy for all, which reflects the challenges we face and makes the most of

the opportunities we have as people live longer.

Stronger communities, better attainment by children, a more tolerant society, more volunteering, better health and higher levels of wellbeing would all be achieved if we could be a true lifelong learning society, it states.

Manife

sto General Elec tion 2015 Skills for Prosp erity Building Susta inable Recovery for All

The Nationa for Lifelong l Voice Learning

• Click here to download the manifesto

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• Click here to complete the Learning Rep online • Click here to complete the readers’rep survey Learning online readers’ survey

LEARNING REP AUTUMN 2014

All photos © Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk except Matthew Hancock MP © Jeff Spicer/Alpha Press/Rex Features

Stand up for a skills rise

More than 400 union learning reps and other stakeholders helped unionlearn map out a strategy for the year ahead at the annual conference in Congress House this summer. ✒ Martin Moriarty

A

s the next general election looms, unions should focus on tackling youth unemployment, extending quality Apprenticeships and improving intermediate and higher level skills, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady told this year’s national unionlearn conference in June.

“Unions are helping young people gain a foothold in work, ULF projects have supported almost 6,000 Apprenticeships and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is helping workers move on and up to the next level,” she said.

The theme of the TUC’s national demonstration on Saturday 18 October would be Britain Needs A Pay Rise,” she said. “Our job is to give all working people the chance to fulfil their true potential at work and in life – a genuinely noble cause,” she said.

Frances urged the 400-plus

participants to continue to spread the word about union-led learning, after all their hard work through some difficult times in the past 12 months.

“Together, let’s build a recovery where we win fair shares for all,” she said.

The then Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said the government continued to back unionlearn with more than £15m in funding. “We support unionlearn because 30,000 union learning reps (ULRs) work to reach deep into the UK workforce to drive up skills,” he said.

Improving the UK’s skills was more than a matter of simple economics, he argued. “If I have a central message about why we care about this, it is this: yes, it is an important economic goal, yes, it is part of our long-term economic plan, but it is so much more than that – it is part of a broader moral mission for social progress and social justice,” he said.

“Adult education takes people from being prisoners of circumstance to captains of their economic fate.”

“Education adds value to the union card and adds value to the organisations concerned.”

The narrow economic benefits of adult learning were obvious, he argued: improving skills enhanced people’s ability to stay in work for longer, which in turn paid off for those individuals, their employers and the public purse.

But there was more to the skills debate than boosting national productivity. “Adult education takes people from being prisoners of circumstance to captains of their economic fate: and it’s for these purposes that we get out of bed in the morning, whether as a ULR or a minister, in order to give people the opportunities to make the most of their lives,” he said.

Matthew revealed that he had spotted the live tweet from the event quoting unionlearn Director Tom Wilson: “What I hope to hear from Matthew Hancock is his commitment to social partnership.”

He definitely subscribed to it when it came to Apprenticeships.

“Apprenticeships are a partnership between employers, employees and the state, often designed with the support of unions: I am delighted to describe this as a social partnership and support it in that way.”

Like Frances, UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) Commissioner Valerie Todd argued that tackling youth unemployment should be a key priority.

“Youth unemployment remains at 13.3 per cent, which is above the European Union (EU) average, although it is falling,” she pointed out.

“It is more than three times the adult employment rate, and has been that way for over a decade.”

With the reduction in entry-level jobs removing traditional entry points for young people and the rise in managerial, professional

and technical jobs calling for the very experience young people lack simply because they are young, Valerie said it was time to remove the structural barriers young people faced when trying to find work.

After a short video featuring primary school pupils from East London, which showed how children acquire their ideas about the world of work when very young, Valerie argued that we should not wait until pupils were at school leaving age to talk to them about employment and commended unions and unionlearn for working with Inspiring Futures.

Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) used the power and influence of football and footballers to challenge racism, explained Stephen Cavalier.

The Spurs supporter pointed out that London’s diversity meant it was harder for UKIP-inspired racism against Eastern Europeans to gain much traction on the terraces.

“A few days after Nigel Farage said on TV that he wouldn’t live next door to a Romanian family, there was no sign at White Hart Lane of people saying, ‘Look at these Romanians, coming over here, taking our corners’!’’ he pointed out.

Unite the union spends £4m every year on its education programme, Unite Director of Education Jim Mowatt told the conference.

“Trade union education has changed the lives of people: education adds value to the union card and adds value to the organisations concerned,” he said.

Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) Chief Executive Ruth Spellman spelled out how much needed to be done to develop the adult learning agenda in the UK. Only 19 per cent of UK adults learned after leaving school, compared to the European Union average of 60 per cent. Women continue to face barriers to participation, reflected in the figure that the current snail’s pace towards pay equality will still take another 57 years to achieve parity. And the disability employment rate was a stain on our society, she argued.

Top left, Quick Reads author Harriet Evans signed copies of her novels for conference participants Top right, unionlearn signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Science Council, the National Extension College and Birkbeck, University of London Middle right, Matthew Hancock and Frances O’Grady presented Quality Awards to The Learning Centre (pictured), North West Community Services Training and the USDAW/ DHL Learning Centre Bottom right, Lesley Giles, Deputy Director at the UK Commission for Employment & Skills, took part in a panel discussion with UKCES Commissioner Valerie Todd and Birkbeck Pro-Vice-Master (Strategic Engagement) Tricia King

LEARNING REP AUTUMN 2014

All photos © Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

After her mid-life career review, Charlene Douglas (right) decided to launch a youth initiative with an event addressed by London Ambulance Service education officer John Wright (below)

Helping everyone move on

Union learning reps throughout the country are helping their members take a fresh loo careers through the mid-life career review programme. ✒ Martin Moriarty

S

ix months after a mid-life career review with her union learning rep (ULR) earlier this year, Napo member Charlene Douglas (above) has launched her own community initiative to combat youth crime on the streets where she lives in south London.

Charlene, who works as a probation service officer in the London Borough of Southwark, had originally been thinking about trying to work with young people in prison, but took the idea in a slightly different direction after her review.

“The review was important because it happened at the right time, just when I needed that input and that extra push,” Charlene recalls.

“My ULR was able to ask me some important questions, give me pointers about organisations to contact and direct me to some project management training, which I have taken: she has been really excellent,” she says.

Charlene has now set up Words Of Wisdom 4 Young People (WOW4YP), which aims to reduce youth crime among 10- to 17-year-olds in Greenwich by giving them crucial information to help them make better life choices.

More than a dozen young people attended the first WOW4YP workshop in August, called Street Life versus Real Life.

As well as presentations by motivational speakers, the event included a graphic session on knife crime by London Ambulance Service Education Officer John Wright (right), who seriously affected participants by playing a knife-related 999 call, showing the impact of knife wounds on internal organs and demonstrating how quickly blood loss can kill.

At HMRC Salford, PCS learning rep Matty Greenhalgh and his fellow ULRs have already helped 40 of their colleagues with the mid-life

“The review was important because it happened at the right time, just when I needed that input and that extra push.”

n up

ook at their

RESOURCES FOR ULRs There is now a wide range of resources available to help ULRs conduct mid-life career reviews, which can be used with members of any age who want to identify their skills in order to move on or make a fresh start.

Climbing Frame

The union learning Climbing Frame includes Learning Themes that are particularly helpful to ULRs conducting mid-life reviews, including: Supporting Learners, Supporting Mid-life Career Development, Health and Well-being in the Workplace and Bargaining for Skills.

PCS learning reps Matty Greenhalgh (right) and Waiyee Chan (left) try out the Value My Skills cards with joint learning co-coordinator Nigel Cawley (seated) and Nigel’s predecessor Mike Bennett (standing)

career reviews they have been running in the building.

The ULRs have been using the new Value My Skills card game to help structure the reviews, which they tend to conduct in small groups with people who know each other and can work together in pairs.

“When people mark themselves on their skills, they tend to under-mark, so it helps to be able to ask someone who knows them, ‘Do you think they are merely competent at this, or are they better than that?’” Matty explains.

After a pilot last November demonstrated the value of the reviews to the senior leadership team at the office, management agreed that everyone was entitled to an hour off to complete their review.

Feedback has been very positive, Matty says.

One colleague told him: “It was such a breath of fresh air to be spoken to as an individual with promise, in stark contrast to the ‘get with the programme or get out approach’ of some of the management,” he says.

Matty himself will be leaving the office shortly when his temporary contract comes to a close. “My first love is photography: I have a degree in the subject and I have a PGCE so I can teach it – so I am going to practise what I preach and give that a go,” he says.

But he and his team have made sure mid-life career reviews continue long after his departure. “The idea is that the mid-life review is embedded in the culture in this building,” he says.

• Click here to log onto or register with the Climbing Frame

Value My Skills cards (transferable skills card game) ULRs are using these cards to help their colleagues think about their skills, both one-to-one and in groups. You can start a discussion, plan for the future or find the right words to describe a colleague’s skills in a CV, application form or covering letter.

• Click here to order your pack of Value My Skills cards

TUC Education eNotes

The new eNote on Supporting Mid-life Development shows a typical learning rep putting together an action plan for a learner. And earlier eNotes, such as Using the Climbing Frame and Supporting Learners, also help ULRs with mid-life reviews.

• Click here to sign up for eNotes

Mid-life career reviews evaluation report The evaluation report for the mid-life career review project was launched at this year’s unionlearn annual conference. It sets out what was learned from the unionlearn pilot and includes several individual case studies.

• Click here to download your copy

National Careers Service Skills Health Check Tools The Skills Health Check Tools is a set of online questionnaires, which is designed to give you information about your skills, interests and motivations in the workplace. The tools help you to think about the kinds of jobs that might be best for you in future.

• Click here to check your skills

LEARNING REP AUTUMN 2014

Something to celebrate © Peter Everard Smith

Astrid Stubbs discovers how Learning at Work Day, Adult Learners’ Week and the Festival of Learning brought in crowds of new learners to events all over the country.

Winners in any language

H

ow do you make learning available for migrant workers who work different shifts and sometimes don’t have access to the internet?

That’s the challenge Unite set the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) and the result has netted the team regional and national project accolades in the annual Adult Learners’ Week awards.

The project got underway after research by Unite found that large groups of migrant workers were being excluded from entering and receiving education, and the WEA’s brief was to develop an innovative software package to enrol and engage them in learning.

As many migrants struggle to attend classroom-based sessions due to changing shift patterns and other issues, the WEA ensured its software allowed students to access the ESOL provision online 24/7. The software can also be run from a USB drive without the need for the internet.

This means the course can be fully delivered in even the most rural of areas, allowing a greater number of students to participate.

The project has helped the learners develop English language skills that help them in their working environment and give them the confidence to lead fuller lives within their community. Many of the students have gone on to further courses within the

Unite’s migrant members can improve their English skills for free, says Regional Learning Organiser Orlando Martins (left)

WEA and through Unite and other providers. Several have gone on to either get a job for the first time since arriving in the UK or have received a promotion at work.

“As a migrant worker myself I feel very grateful that Unite is helping migrant workers to improve their language skills and find their voice!” says Unite Regional Learning Organiser Orlando Martins.

“For learners, this is a unique opportunity to improve their English in a flexible way.

They can study online and can also attend one of our classes when they can, not missing any information if they are working in shifts or need to work long hours.

“As members of our union they will have access to the courses for free, which, for many with low-paid jobs

“For learners, this is a unique opportunity to improve their English in a flexible way.” and families, will make a difference between being able to do an ESOL course or not.”

One learner from Lithuania reveals that their poor communications skills made it difficult to find a job.

“However, because of this course I have now written a CV in English and have found a new job that makes me a lot happier.”

• Click here to watch a video of the project

Stockport CWU reaches out to retired staff

A

n award-winning learning centre continues to enjoy success with retired and older postal workers.

Two years ago Graham Kingston, Lead ULR at the CWU Learning Centre based at the branch office in Stockport, decided that retired and employed older members were missing out on many things as a result of not being computer literate.

“So I sent all our retired members a flyer inviting them to a coffee morning in the learning centre to show them what was on offer,” he says.

Since then a core group has attended weekly sessions, winning an ALW certificate. “They either learn something new from one of my presentations, or just informally discuss between them what they have been doing on the internet the previous week at home,” says Graham.

“These guys love being online and they come religiously snow, flood, rain or shine. And although I am 63 myself, they certainly make me feel much younger when I am with them!”

Museum hosts Merseyside festival The annual Merseyside Cross-sector event for LAWD was held in the World Museum in central Liverpool.

Now in its fourth year, the event was organised by the cross-sector learning group in the region led by NW unionlearn, Merseytravel and other learning partners in the area.

The free event was open to everyone in Merseyside, with colleges, other learning providers and unions all offering information and opportunities to take up learning.

There were demonstrations of Tai Chi and other activities and the Merseytravel Choir (pictured above) serenaded the event.

NORTH-EAST KNOW-HOW • UNISON ULR Jane Yugire (left) was the driving force behind Newcastle City Branch’s joint learning stalls, with the branch education team using a theme of promoting learning for all with an emphasis on health and wellbeing as part of ALW.

event to mark the achievements of staff members who have completed training.

Highlight of the week was a successful health awareness session facilitated by The Open University.

• South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the Bridges to Learning Project organised a Celebration of Success

• And Bridges to Learning project workers Andy Goodchild and Janice Featherstone from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation

• Newcastle Hospital Trust also held a Celebration of Success.

Trust organised drop-in sessions for staff, with personality tests, massages and advisers on hand to talk about stopping smoking and healthy eating/safe drinking.

F E S T I VA L OF L E A R N EV E N T S I NG CON T I N U T H RO U G E T H E Y E A HOU T R.

• Click her e to check o ut what’s hap pening nea r you

LIGHT ON LEARNING Prospect union at Diamond Light Source science facility in Oxfordshire celebrated ALW with a range of seminars, training and taster sessions in everything from technician registration to geocaching and jogging for beginners.

Led by ULR Lloyd Collier, events were a joint activity involving the union branch committee, management and local training and education providers.

Over 500 employees from Diamond and across the Harwell Campus took part, with lots of positive feedback.

Kirsi Kekki from unionlearn joined the day, talking about the unionlearn technician pathways project and unions’ interest in technician registration. “I thought it was a helpful discussion on how registration can help technicians to access continuous professional development and raise their status in the workforce.

It was also a good opportunity to hear from the professional bodies and link them with the work unions do,” she commented.

Learning At Work Week gave the branch the chance to spread its events over several days, Lloyd explains.

“Holding an event like this allows us to showcase the positive benefits of having a trade union in the workplace. The event is now our main interaction with all staff and allows us to engage with non-members in a really positive way.”

• Click here to find out more about the technician pathways

LEARNING REP AUTUMN 2014

© Roy Peters

Give that man a medal!

Learning rep Andrew Jennison is being honoured for his hard work encouraging everyone from cleaners and porters to English professors at the university where he works to take part in the Six Book Challenge. ✒ Martin Moriarty

I

t took UNISON learning rep Andrew Jennison (below) several minutes to fully absorb what the letter from the Cabinet Office actually said: he was being awarded the British Empire Medal in recognition of his hard work promoting literacy at De Montfort University.

“I was extremely surprised: I just couldn’t believe it and I sat looking at it for at least 10 minutes, no word of a lie,” he recalls in a snatched moment away from the demands of a very busy graduation week on campus.

“At first I thought, ‘I don’t deserve this…’ and then I looked around me and I could see all the Six Book Challenge materials, all the certificates, everything that needed to be printed out and I thought, ‘Well… maybe!’”

With the support of the rest of the ULR team on campus, Andrew has been running the Six Book Challenge every year since 2011, and has encouraged more than 500 members of staff to take part by reading six books and keeping a diary about their experiences.

He might have run the Challenge four years in a row, but it’s never business as usual for Andrew: this year he came up with the new idea of encouraging participants to sign up their children and grandchildren as well.

“It has been a real success: 37 children completed the Challenge with their parents or grandparents, and we organised a half-term celebration lunch for them at our new Confucius Centre, with a Chinese buffet, a Chinese lesson and Chinese dragons,” Andrew explains.

Despite losing a number of people to voluntary severance in the last year, Andrew and the ULR team at DMU have still managed to

“Staff and students at DMU could not be more proud that he has been recognised in this way.”

increase the number of participants once more, up from 167 to 173 completers this year.

DMU Vice-Chancellor and Professor of English Dominic Shellard, who himself takes part in the Six Book Challenge each year, believes Andrew’s medal is thoroughly well-deserved.

“Andrew is one of the most selfless, generous and enthusiastic people I have ever had the privilege to meet. He has dedicated an incredible amount of his spare time to promoting reading among staff at DMU and we have seen first-hand how his efforts have inspired so many people and had a positive impact on their lives,” he says.

“Staff and students at DMU could not be more proud that he has been recognised in this way.”

Andrew himself pays tribute to Lorraine Mirham, who originally encouraged him to become a ULR when she was Lifelong Learning Coordinator at the DMU branch (she’s now part of the UNISON national lifelong learning team).

“It was Lorraine who got me into being a ULR and she deserves a lot of the credit for getting all this started six years ago,” Andrew says.

© Image Source/Rex Features

It’s Andy McNab!

W

orld-famous author and former SAS soldier Andy McNab has supported union learners by visiting a transport depot in Leicester and a Royal Mail office in Swindon to talk about his books and hand out reading certificates.

“For security reasons, we were not allowed to do any publicity before the event, which proved to be the icing on the cake as it created an element of suspense,” says UNISON learning rep Mayank Pandit, who enrolled more than 40 colleagues at Leicester City Transport on this year’s Six Book Challenge.

In Swindon Royal Mail office, Andy

“For security reasons, we were not allowed to do any publicity before the event.”

also handed out certificates to the 14 CWU members who had already completed by the time he visited in early June.

“In all, we had around 50 people at the event and they loved it, they thought it was extremely good,” says CWU learning rep Sandra Absalom, who ran the Challenge through the union workplace learning centre for the first time this year.

“It gave everyone a bit of a boost to have someone important like that come to the learning centre, hand out certificates and give a very interesting talk as well: it was a really good morale-building event.”

• Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust won this year’s Six Book Challenge workplace prize draw, which is offered in association with the Campaign for Learning’s Learning at Work Week and Transworld Publishers, which offers a visit by one of its authors.

GET SET FOR 2015 You can already order packs and incentives from The Reading Agency shop and find guidance and templates on its resources page to help you run the Six Book Challenge next year.

A single pack consists of: 50 x reading diaries, 50 x certificates, 100 bookmarks, 10 x advocacy leaflets, 5 each x A3 and A4 portrait posters.

Order your packs before Tuesday 7 October and take advantage of ‘early bird’ prices: One pack for 50 participants: £70; 2–9 packs: £62.50 each; 10–19 packs: £60 each; 20 packs and above: £55 each.

THE GIFT OF SIGHT ✒ Albert Rollinson

(retired GMB member)

It was market day in the busy street With noisy traffic and hurried feet.

“Help me across the road,” said the man who was blind.

He thanked me saying, “You are very kind.”

So, I held his arm, and became his guide We safely crossed to the other side.

A gap in the traffic, we crossed together And, as people do, I mentioned the weather.

“There may be rain, there’s a cloud overhead.”

“What kind of cloud?” the old man said…

I looked and saw: it was silver-lined…

Yes, I had learned to see from a man who was blind!

• Click here to order your packs • Click here to order t-shirts, tote bags, mugs and more

LEARNING REP AUTUMN 2014

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Scoring with City photos © Paul Herrmann

Scoring with City A

nthony Geldard (above left) was unemployed with four children and another on the way but knew his prospects with no skills were few.

That’s when he heard about the UCATT learning centre attached to building work at Manchester City Football Club’s new football academy.

Anthony was given support and help to gain the all-important Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card and from there was able to get work as a labourer, fitting windows and panels on the site.

As well as his CSCS card he’s also improved his CV writing skills and is now hoping to take an NVQ and progress further.

“It’s been great,” he says. “I love it. I’m working as an agency worker but hoping to get taken on full time. Without the skills I learned I wouldn’t have been allowed on the site.”

Now as well as supporting his growing family Anthony has been able to take out a mortgage and hopes that with more learning he can improve his prospects further.

Fellow worker Edward McKenna (above right) faced similar problems – out of work and with three children to support he had few prospects until he visited the centre and got help to acquire his CSCS card. “I got my card on a Friday and by Monday I had a job. I really hope it works out,” says Edward, who now hopes to upgrade to a skilled labourer’s card. “This means everything to me,” he says UCATT’s ULF Reaching Out in the Workplace

and the Community runs until March and is helping to transform the lives of people like Anthony and Edward working on the academy next to the Etihad Stadium.

BAM Construction is building the new facility for up to 400 young players on an 80-acre site adjacent to the stadium. Work is due to be finished for the beginning of the new season with around 3,000 construction workers expected on the site over the life of the project.

Chris Clarke (below right) is UCATT’s Onsite Learning Organiser. In addition to carrying out health and safety inductions with new workers, he also coordinates workforce and community learning in the onsite learning centre.

The centre is kitted out with 10 laptops and operates as an induction room in the morning and a workplace learning centre in the afternoon. Chris is on hand to help people like Anthony living nearby to access training and gain qualifications in order to get back to work.

Chris says that in the last month alone, nearly

“I have had over 50 pass and obtain their CSCS card, and seven have gained fulltime employment onsite through passing their CSCS test in the centre.”

During that time the ULF helped 38 unions to deliver 44 projects at a total cost of just over £13m.

ULF projects recorded over 42,000 learners taking up opportunities in informal adult and community learning in the workplace and in community learning centres.

And with the help of ULF, unions signed over 200 new learning agreements with employers and learning providers.

“With the support of ULF and unionlearn, unions and their ULRs continue to reach the parts of the workplace and their communities that mainstream education and workplace training are unable to reach, thereby extending and strengthening the influence and VALUE MY SKILLS relevance of unions,” says Mary Bousted, chair of the unionlearn board.

• Click here to see unionlearn’s annual report, Value My Skills, in full

interested. “I was at my wits’ end,” says Jayne, “so I sat down and had a think about what I could do differently.”

And the answer was Facebook.

“I thought why not advertise the courses on Facebook? All it took was asking a simple question... would anyone be interested in a distance learning course? Please get in touch.

“I don’t know what I was expecting but it really seemed to do the trick.

I was flooded with responses, around 40 comments with other people personal messaging.”

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E

veryone involved in learning knows that sometimes things go well and at other times it’s a really hard slog.

It was that kind of time for Usdaw mobile union learning rep (MULR) Jayne Chapman (far right). After weeks of promoting learning in various Tesco stores in the northeast she just couldn’t get anybody

With a total 220,000 learners and over 3,000 trained ULRs during 2013/2014, the ULF has outstripped its expectations by nearly 50 per cent.

ort ep al R nu An

Promoting learning on Facebook

THE ULF IN FIGURES

rn lea ion Un

200 people have completed a Health and Safety Awareness course, which is a Level 1 qualification and will be mandatory on all sites covered under United Kingdom Contractors Group. A further 12 have completed the Site Managers Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS).

“We have held an employment rights and responsibilities course for apprentices on this site and carried out a men’s health awareness course in partnership with Macmillan Cancer, where all 650 operatives attended a talk and watched a video,” says Chris.

He added that the local community still comes for CSCS training daily. “I have had over 50 pass and obtain their CSCS card, and seven have gained full-time employment onsite through passing their CSCS test in the centre.”

UCATT works with its partners in the project through a steering committee with representatives from BAM, Manchester City Council, Manchester College, Skill Solutions and the Greater Manchester Construction Group Training Association (GTA).

In addition, Chris provides informal information, advice and guidance sessions in the canteen and holds advice surgeries in the learning centre to signpost learners to courses on offer in local colleges. He also points workers and local residents who want literacy and numeracy courses in the direction of the nearby Northwards Housing Association Learning Centre.

BAM has links with organisations that help local homeless people to rebuild their lives and a programme for ex-offenders.

Chris has also built links with Breakthrough, which supports disabled people into employment and training.

Merseylearn celebrated its 10th birthday with the help of Project Manager Andy Thornton and ULF Coordinator Julia Jones.

The project has helped 30,000 learners over the past decade

As a result Jayne secured 12 new learners. “It was fantastic and I will certainly be using Facebook as part of my promotions the next time.”

• Click here to follow unionlearn on Facebook

LEARNING REP AUTUMN 2014

© John Harris/reportdigital.co.uk

Still making a difference

B

ritain is better for the work of unions and their reps who continue to make a difference, says a new survey by unionlearn.

Still Making a Difference presents the results of extensive research into the profile and activity of trade union representatives taking courses in the TUC Education programme, including those provided with affiliated unions.

The report builds on Making a Difference: The impact of trade union education on Britain’s workplaces, published in 2010.

A key aim was to follow up on the earlier survey and to see what trends, if any, had emerged in the intervening four years.

The results are impressive. Almost two in three union reps came back with concrete examples of what they have done back at work as a result of being trained.

This was in spite of the worsened external environment, showing that union reps continue to apply the lessons of the TUC courses to make positive changes in their workplace and union.

For example, one PCS learning rep organised CV-writing sessions

“Almost two in three union reps came back with concrete examples of what they have done back at work as a result of being trained.” for colleagues in her Revenue & Customs (HMRC) workplace, when a work reorganisation meant everyone needed to draw up their own CV. More than 60 people attended the three sessions, which helped them improve their skills and boosted their morale.

The research showed examples of recruitment taking place and recognition by employers being won. It also reveals: • TUC courses continue to be highly valued, with most participants believing them to be essential to their role. The skills developed on the courses closely match the reps’ priorities.

• The profile of the reps is far from the media stereotype. Two out of five are women and one in six

•

•

has a disability. Many are working part-time or on a variety of shifts and rotas. There is no evidence from the survey that union reps are an ageing group.

Online courses are growing in popularity, chiefly because of their flexibility. The report calls for more discussion of flexibility, e.g. in the form of blended learning.

Information technology has grown in importance for reps. Seven out of ten believe the use of the internet and email is essential; email is the most frequently used form of post-course networking.

A review should be made of how learning technology is used across all TUC courses.

“In 2010, TUC Education said that the real test of the value of the education programme is that its lessons could be put into practice,” says TUC Assistant General Secretary Paul Nowak.

“This report is emphatic evidence that TUC Education passes that test.

The updated evidence shows that there is no need to revise that.”

• Click here to download ‘Still Making A Difference’

PROJECT TRAINING Liz Rees, National Manager for TUC Education, addressed participants attending a European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) training course in Edinburgh.The course was aimed at assisting trade union officers develop their project management skills. The event drew participants from across Europe and the exchange of ideas as well as skills development will benefit unions in many workplaces across the European community.

Planting seeds in the community After training as Community Learning Champions (CLCs) with unionlearn two years ago, Jenny Cavanagh and Val Schollar have been engaging tenants and residents of all ages on their Newcastle estate.

J

enny Cavanagh and Val Schollar trained to be learning champions so they could offer more help to local residents in Kenton Bar, Newcastle. “The course was fantastic, we thoroughly enjoyed it and we have put into practice a lot of what we learned.”

For Jenny, the most significant part of the course was how to identify and remove the barriers that prevent people from getting involved in learning and other activities on the Kenton Bar estate, where they help run the Tenants

© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk

“Ours is a small community, a small estate, but there are still lots of people who don’t come forward.”

and Residents Association (TARA).

“Ours is a small community, a small estate, but there are still lots of people who don’t come forward, so we organise different activities to entice people – and then we get to know them and that gives them confidence,” Jenny explains.

For Val, it was her own selfconfidence that grew through the course. “I’m not frightened of approaching people and speaking to them, or inviting anyone who might be passing our office door to come and join in what we’re doing,” she says.

Since completing the CLC course, both women have progressed onto more learning opportunities. They have recently completed the ECDL computer course at Level 2 and have also taken courses on mentoring, project management, health and safety and food hygiene.

“We used to have people in to do catering but doing the food hygiene course means we can do that now, which saves money because we’re not paying somebody to do something we can do ourselves,” Jenny explains.

Jenny is also thinking about taking English and maths courses with unionlearn. “We are hoping to start an after-school club for the kids, so if I could do maths and English, I might be able to help them with their homework!” she says.

Earlier this year, Jenny and Val bought some new computers for the TARA office and are encouraging tenants and residents to use them to get online, with the majority

of people logging on so they can track their applications to get on the council housing list or apply for an exchange.

The two are well-equipped to help new users get to grips with the online world. “We had one woman who couldn’t even use a computer when she first came in to our office and now she thinks it’s great: she says, ‘I don’t know what I was frightened of’,” Jenny says.

The pair have also started a Facebook page for the association, which helps them spread the word about events and activities without having to spend money on printing leaflets.

In addition, they have started to run breakfast clubs for children this summer, with arts and crafts activities and entertainers after toast and cereal, and have started a book club, which is attracting a lot of interest from older people.

The duo have also set up a gardening club with the children to help look after the new plants and planters TARA bought this summer to help brighten up the shopping area on the estate where the office is located.

“We have promised the children that if they look after them, we will take them paintballing, so one little boy has just come and watered them all for us this morning,” Val explains.

“Involving them like this means most of the plants are being left alone: there is the odd one that has been pulled out, which means there will be a couple of children not going paintballing with us!”

• Click here to visit the Kenton Bar TARA Facebook page

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Photos © John Harris and Philip Wolmuth/reportdigital.co.uk

Breaking down the barriers We need to overhaul many aspects of the Apprenticeship system to ensure all young people have the chance to take the vocational route, regardless of gender, race or disability.

✒ Martin Moriarty

W

e need to take action to ensure high-quality Apprenticeships are open to all young people, regardless or gender, race or disability. That was the key message at unionlearn’s Apprenticeships conference in April.

“What is missing in Apprenticeships is equality – it was missing in the Richard review,” argued TUC Assistant General Secretary Kay Carberry (below).

“It is six years since we published our pamphlet that exposed gender segregation in Apprenticeships and highlighted the concentration of young women in the lowest-paid Apprenticeships and I’m very sorry to say that we haven’t made much progress since then.”

The latest research by unionlearn and the Skills Funding Agency confirmed that women apprentices were still more likely to end up in low-paid jobs and underlined the low numbers of black people starting Apprenticeships, especially in higher-paid sectors such as engineering and construction, Kay pointed out.

“Even though there is genuine political will to tackle this, there are still huge inequalities,” she said.

As did many speakers, Kay argued that schools

could do much more to challenge gender stereotypes at an earlier age, by providing better and more targeted careers guidance, more taster courses and more work experience.

Becci Newton (right), Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies, and co-author of unionlearn’s recent research paper on Apprenticeships, agreed that progress towards genuine equality has been slow.

Overall, the number of black and minority ethnic (BME) apprentices has not significantly changed over the past decade, with similarly slow progress in the numbers of apprentices with disabilities and learning differences.

“There are far higher numbers of ethnic minority people wanting an Apprenticeship than actually successfully achieve one and we need to understand the blockages,” Becci argued.

It was vital to dismantle two different sets of barriers, Becci suggested. On the demand side, too many young people remained under the influence of their teachers’ and parents’ often outdated ideas about Apprenticeships, and made choices influenced by their own lack of confidence and guidance.

On the supply side, it was vital to create more role models, overhaul recruitment

“Even though there is genuine political will to tackle this, there are still huge inequalities.”

CAUTIOUS WELCOME FOR TRAILBLAZER NETWORKS Unionlearn has conditionally welcomed the government’s introduction of Trailblazers, which are employer-driven networks that are solely responsible for developing Apprenticeship occupational frameworks.

The first group of eight Trailblazers were launched last October, with groups of employers coming together from the following sectors: aerospace, automotive, digital, electrotechnical, energy and utilities, financial services, food and drink and life sciences/industrial sciences.

They have already drawn up and consulted on a set of draft standards setting out the knowledge and skills required for full competence in their occupations.

Phase 2 of the project involves 29 sets of employers, and the government is planning to announce the Phase 3 participants at some point this autumn.

The TUC believes Trailblazers should:

practices (especially those shaped by direct and indirect discrimination), improve careers guidance, enhance work experience and pre-Apprenticeship support and offer better in-work support.

Black Training and Enterprise Group Director Jeremy Crook echoed Becci’s points. “We used to be told there were so few BME people in Apprenticeships because they don’t apply, but if you analyse the figures, you’ll find actually a quarter of people applying online are from BME backgrounds but only 13 per cent are getting through,” he said.

Comparing the ratio of applications to Apprenticeship starts revealed that there were two applications to every one start for white applicants; but there were six applications for every BME start and nine applications for every Bangladeshi start, Jeremy said.

Disability consultant Peter Little said he believed things were beginning to move in the right direction. While the proportion of young people disclosing a disability was in steep decline between 2007 and 2012, latest figures published just before the conference showed the numbers were beginning to rise again.

It’s vital to challenge employers on myths

•

replace today’s employer-led approach with the social partnership model

•

offer a mandatory place to unions (as do Industrial Partnerships)

•

offer an inclusive approach

•

work for greater diversity of employers to ensure genuinely transferable standards

•

specify union involvement in the reform of assessments (now conducted at the end of an Apprenticeship framework).

about disabled Apprentices, Peter argued.

“It’s not the case that you’ll be taking on someone who won’t get there in the end,” he pointed out.

UCATT National Project Worker Steve Craig argued that it was vital to dismantle the barriers some young people continue to face when applying for or completing Apprenticeships. “Barriers don’t just happen: they happen for pernicious reasons, for financial reasons, for ignorance and lack of awareness,” he said.

The kind of overhaul needed in the construction industry required union facility time, he said. “Reps and ULRs are key to supporting, coaching, mentoring and workplace support but if our facility time is cut, we can’t contribute to that advance,” he pointed out. “Unions have a role to play: give us the chance and we can change lives.”

• Click here to read or download the summary report, Under-representation by gender and race in Apprenticeships

“There are far higher numbers of ethnic minority people wanting an Apprenticeship than actually successfully achieve one.”

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© David Magnus/Rex Features

Who really broke up The Beatles?

Most people blame the band’s collapse on that old rock critic cliché, irreconcilable musical differences. But Francis Kenny reckons the big break-up was really rooted in John Lennon’s difficult childhood.

I

n his new book on John Lennon, Liverpool UNISON member Francis Kenny (below right) identifies the Beatle’s surrogate mother as the origin of his social anxieties and unacknowledged mental health issues.

John’s aunt Mimi was the kind of ruthless social climber who would make Hyacinth Bucket (from classic sitcom Keeping Up Appearances) look like a rank amateur.

“When John came home one evening to their suburban home in Woolton, he was puzzled by the Scouse accents he had heard on the bus in Liverpool,” Francis explains.

“Mimi told him he should avoid people like that, he would never meet them except if someone came to the house to mend something.”

Later, when council-estate-born Paul McCartney first turned up at the house, she even demanded the future megastar use the so-called tradesmen’s entrance at the side.

But Mimi wasn’t simply a bit of a snob: she was also brutally controlling.

When John spent a weekend away from her clutches trying to rebuild his relationship with his mother as a teenager, Mimi punished him by killing his dog, explaining when he returned

home that she didn’t have time to walk her while he was away.

Paradoxically, John’s creativity almost certainly developed as a response to the bitterness of his domestic situation, Francis reckons. “His writing came about as a defence mechanism: this may sound really perverse, but in a way, no Mimi, no Beatles.”

With all his own experience supporting people with mental health issues into part-time and voluntary work, Francis was able to see the signs in his subject perhaps better than other commentators.

Francis argues that John’s depression would have been visible to anyone who cared to see it at the time, yet in the 1960s, when he openly spoke of suicidal feelings in interviews, nobody took it as a serious sign of profound unhappiness.

“Many a time he would say ‘I want to kill myself,’ but the people who were interviewing him didn’t hear it or didn’t want to hear it,” Francis says. “At that time, he was seriously ill but if there is a stigma about depression today, imagine what it was like 40 or 50 years ago.”

The Making of John Lennon is not the first time Francis has appeared in print.

Long-time readers of the Learning

Rep might well remember his name from the Quick Reads anthology Life’s Too Short (his contribution lent the collection its title). He has also written an autobiographical novel, Waiting For The Beatles, and has an MA in screenwriting.

John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” By starting out with no qualifications as an apprentice installation engineer, returning to learning as an adult and later starting a writing career, Francis has proved that Aunt Mimi’s little nephew didn’t get everything right.

• Click here to find out more about The Making of John Lennon: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of The Beatles and order your copy

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