the learning rep - summer 08

www.unionlearn.org.uk

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Lenny Henry stands up for learning

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Second yearsuccess story

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The Learning Rep, summer 08Editor: Mike [email protected]: Astrid Stubbs, MartinMoriartyDesign: Redhouse Lane CommunicationsPrint: Ancient House Printing GroupDistribution: Cavalier mailingCover photo: Lenny Henry at unionlearn’ssecond annual conference photographed byRod Leon.

We reported some remarkable successesat the unionlearn conference “Our SecondYear”. We have now trained over 20,500ULRs, and last year alone, more than200,000 people were trained through theunion route. TUC Education also chalkedup some major successes last year.We trained nearly 53,000 union reps.Incredibly this figure is double thenumber of union reps trained in 1997.We were able to tell our conference that

DIUS has agreed to continue its commitmentto unionlearn and the Union Learning Funduntil 2011.And Secretary of State John Denham

recognised the ongoing commitment ofthe trade union movement to education,saying ULRs “can be, and often are, moreeffective than anyone else in overcomingall the natural fears that people have instarting again.”John also used our conference platform to

launch the consultation on the proposed newright to ask for time to train, saying: “Unions,and union learning reps in particular, are goingto have a really important role to play inrealising the potential of time to train.”We know that one-third of employers don’t

train their workforce. It is, therefore, essentialthat this message gets across to thoseemployers who are not using the funding oradvice available through Train to Gain. AndJohn Denham is right, unions and ULRs havea vital role to play.

Liz SmithDirector, unionlearn

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Contents:3 John Denham and Brendan

Barber in conference4 News8 Lenny Henry stands up11 Annual conference roundup13 Focus on learning agreements18 Liz Smith speaks out21 TUC Education26 Business in the Community awards28 Learning atWork Day regional reports30 Contacts31 Jay knows32 Free resources

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Annual conference « News «

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At unionlearn’s second annual conference this summer, John Denhamand Brendan Barber set out the key next steps we need to take todevelop workplace learning.

MovingonIfthere ever wasa time for

Government to back aninitiative or idea and give ita try then it was unionlearn– and, goodness, how youhave repaid us for thatsupport with yourtremendous achievements.We need a revolution in this

country's attitude to skills –and that is why theinvolvement of trade unionshelped and supported byunionlearn is so vital.We want to consult on a new

right at work: the right to askfor time to train. Givingemployees the right to aserious dialogue with theiremployer about their need fortraining and personaldevelopment will be a powerful

lever for bringing about theskills revolution we need.We need to be clear that

this is not a burden onbusiness. The CBI and Instituteof Directors know that. TheFederation of SmallBusinesses know that.I would like to thank you

all for your work and yourcontinuing commitment toimproving the skills of ourcountry – and in doing sochanging the lives ofthousands of people,which is a great thing tobe able to sayabout anybody.”

John DenhamSecretary of State,Department for Innovation,Universities and Skills

I believe we havereached a defining

moment here in the UK:learning and skills is nowright at the heart of ourpolitical debate.If we are to compete in a

global skills race which isbecoming more competitiveby the year, then all of us haveto raise our game.Our unique contribution has

been to take learning toordinary working people,including – as is widelyrecognised – to the mostdisadvantaged sections of theworkforce. Through collectiveaction, we have shown thatBritain really has got talent.One of the greatest

challenges we face is to makesure union learning is

permanently and irreversiblyembedded in Britishworkplaces.Our latest survey of learning

reps shows the best resultsare achieved when employersnegotiate and consult withunions on training; whenlearning agreements aresigned and learning centresdeveloped; when managersvalue and support the workthey do.And our ULRs also tell us

that when they are given thetools to do their job, employersreciprocate by investing morein training. This, then, is theideal all of us shouldstrive for.”

Brendan BarberGeneral Secretary, TUC

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Double act: John Denham(left) and Brendan Barber

share a joke before theconference gets underway

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Professionals’ union Prospectsigned its first learningagreement with the NationalTrust and offered its ULRs thechance to explore all aspects oftheir well-being at a special one-day event at a Midlands spahotel this spring.The agreement comes three years

after the union first gainedrecognition with the charity, and wassigned by the trust’s Head of Trainingand Development Martin Measuresand Prospect Assistant GeneralSecretary Dai Hudd.“The signing of this agreement

symbolises a joint workingcommitment to improve the life

chances of people working within theNational Trust, within the south-eastregion,” commented ProspectLearning Services Officer RachelBennett.After the signing, a series of

breakout sessions allowed the 40delegates to learn how to keep stressat bay with relaxation techniques,find out how colour therapy works,get to grips with the basics of signlanguage and even improve their golfon the hotel’s driving range with thehelp of a professional.As well as updates on the union’s

latest learning initiatives andthe chance to pick up tipsabout the ULR role, there

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NationalTrust conservesitsworkforce skills

Leeds Central MP, andEnvironment Secretary, HilaryBenn visited the LOGIK learningcentre at Leeds University earlierthis year to find out more abouthow some of his constituents atthe institution are benefitingfrom union-led learning.Accompanied by unionlearn

Regional Manager Alan Roe, andunioinlearn Director Liz Smith,Hilary met learners and learningreps from UCU, UNISON andUnite who explained how they

had improved their skills at thelearning centre.Originally launched three years

ago with support from theGovernment’s Union Learning Fund(ULF), the centre has been sosuccessful that the employer isnow funding its future from its ownresources.By a happy accident, the MP’s

visit coincided with his interview inthe spring issue of The LearningRep, when he revealed how he hadcome up with the idea of the ULF

Hilary sees the LOGIK of learning

were sessions by the Move On teamabout literacy and numeracy, theOpen University and the Institute ofField Archaeologists.“We used to have an annual ULR

conference following the standardtrade union format, where everyonesat down and listened to speakers,”explains Development Worker NikkiSimpson.“This time we wanted to do

something different to energiseULRS, especially some of them whomight have been feeling a bit de-motivated, and send them home fullof ideas of things to try in their ownworkplaces.”The overwhelmingly positive

feedback from delegates suggeststhe event did exactly that. Commentsfrom satisfied customers included:� “Much better than the ULRconference last year.”

� “Really helpful, positive stuff tohelp with the union role”

� “My least favourite part of theday was having to leave.”

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Met policego back toschool inBarking

We’re definitely not in Derby anymore: English ULRs admire a geyseron their study trip to Iceland

A study trip to the Icelandiccapital of Reykjavik has firedup ASLEF ULR Chris Nutty withlots of new ideas.“I came away with fresh ideas,

not only from looking at theIcelandic model of lifelonglearning, but also fromconversations with fellowdelegates about their countrieswhich have helped broaden myhorizons about what can beachieved,” he says.Organised by the Transversal

programme and the University ofIceland, the study visit gave thedelegates a chance to look athow Iceland organises itseducation system, with a focuson non-formal and informallearning.“Iceland’s education system

has clear routes of progression,from kindergarten to university,and it’s made it easy for adults tore-engage in education byproviding colleges and nineVocational Learning Centres,jointly owned by the IcelandicFederation of Labour and theConfederation of IcelandicEmployers,” Chris says.

Chris’s gone to Iceland!But although the country places

heavy emphasis on lifelonglearning, there were two areaswhere it remains behind the UK,according to Chris, lead ULR at EastMidlands Trains, based in Derby.“The first is that they have no

provision for Skills for Life deliveryas we know it and the second isthat there is no such thing as aUnion Learning Rep in Iceland. Inboth cases they already know theyhave a problem and are currentlylooking at the UK model foranswers, so it’s nice to know we doget some things right!”

� For more information aboutEducational Study Visits checkout the Transversal website at:www.transversal.org.uk

Metropolitan Police officers andGMB and Unite members fromBarking and Dagenham councilare taking an NVQ in customerservices together – the firsttime police and localenforcement officers have satdown beside each other in aclassroom.The launch of a pilot NVQ

scheme at the Frizlands learningcentre in the East London boroughhas brought together 15 learners inall – police and community supportofficers, traffic wardens, streetwardens and parks police. As it’srolled out, it aims to reach 120staff in all.The course is designed to equip

participants with the customer careskills they need when dealing withthe public, and the council and theMet hope it will also improvecommunication between the policeand the enforcement agencies onthe ground.With funding from the

Government’s Train To Gainprogramme and the support ofunionlearn in the Southern andEastern Region, the NVQ isdelivered by the College of NorthEast London (CONEL).

while working with the thenEducation Secretary David Blunkett.“By supporting this union

learning centre, Leeds University isopening its doors to a wider rangeof learners and offeringopportunities for more people tochange their lives throughlearning,” Hilary said.Alan Roe commented: “Leeds

University has always been aleader in increasing the skills ofthe workforce. I am sure that thesuccess of the trade union- ledLOGIK Centre will continue andthat working people in Leedswill benefit.”

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The first 50-plus City of Londoncleaners to complete English,maths and IT courses throughUnite the union’s new Learningfor Organising Migrant Workersproject picked up theircertificates at an open day inTransport House in May.And dozensmore of their

colleagues at the same event signedup to take the same coursesthemselves, as word of mouth hasspread through the union’s Justice forCleaners campaign.“Our biggest problem at the

moment is finding enough tutors androoms,” says Unite Union LearningOrganiser Andy Gilchrist. “By the timewe finished our two open days at theend of June, we had around 200people wanting to learn.And with another 16 ULRs about to

join the seven learning reps already inplace, demand is set to increase evenfurther, he points out.In addition to the courses at

Transport House, the union has set uppilot English and maths coursesthrough learndirect in Orpington,

First class of ‘08graduate frommigrantworkers project

Vicky Nelson happy to win

Migrant workers enjoy the Open Day

Martin Vince(right) getsSEEDA awardfrom BruceCavalier

Government plans to make local communitycohesion the focus for funding for Englishfor Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)courses would in fact undermine socialinclusion, the TUC argued in its submissionto the consultation on the changes inthe spring.“The proposals would afford one group of

very vulnerable people with ESOL priority status,primarily the non-working poor, while denyingit to another very vulnerable group – theworking poor – which would run counter tothe ambition to boost community cohesion,”Congress House argued.The new Government policy also argues that

employers who benefit from migration shouldbear some of the costs of training theirworkforce to the standard needed for safe andinclusive working.“The implication of the funding changes is that

the burden of paying for ESOL has shifted tovulnerable workers, particularly as mostemployers will not pay for English languagetraining,” the TUC argued.The Government’s response to the

consultation is expected later this summer.

� Download the TUC response from:http://tinyurl.com/6at6mp

ESOLplans coulddivide, not unite

USDAW mobile union learningrep Vicky Nelson has won anational Learning Works awardfrom the National Institute ofAdult Continuing Education(NIACE) for the series of eventsshe ran at Tesco’s Portobellobranch in West London duringAdult Learners’ Week last year.“I felt very happy to have been

picked and to have what I’ve donerecognised, although I felt humbleat the ceremony with some of thepeople there who’d started with noqualifications and were nowgetting degrees,” she said.Brighton street-sweeper Martin

Vince, who became a GMB unionlearning rep after taking adultliteracy classes at Brighton’sCityclean depot, won the NIACE

ULRs carry off ALW awards

Outstanding Regional Learner of theYear Award, as well as the unionlearner in the South-East award.“By taking the classes, I’ve proved

something to myself, and bybecoming a ULR, I’ve been able tohelp people in the same position as

me – I was very excited when I heardI’d got the two awards,” he said.And the Brighton Cityclean

learning centre itself won one of theNational Opening Doors to AdultLearners Awards from NIACE as well.“This really recognises the success

of partnership working and all thehard work put into the learningcentre at Cityclean by the employer –Brighton and Hove City Council – theGMB union andall the learners,”commentedLearning andDevelopmentOfficer ElaineSweetman.

Kent, for workers who can’t make itinto central London.As well as taking the chance to

improve their skills, a number of thecleaners are volunteering to becomeshop stewards and safety reps,especially those with unionexperience in the countries they’veleft to come to the UK.“We’re unashamedly seeking to

increase the membership of theunion, and being able to offer freecourses to improve IT skills, forexample, helps to show people whatjoining the union can do for them,”Andy says.

Photo:Jess

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Unions get togetherto help freelancersThe Federation of EntertainmentUnions (FEU) launched a newinformation, advice andguidance website and manualfor their freelance unionlearning reps and advisersthis summer.The broadcasting union BECTU,

actors’ Equity, the National Unionof Journalists and theMusicians’Union originally got together lastyear to run a joint projectexamining the challengesfreelancers face and the advice,guidance and training theymost need.It was this work that led to the

launch of the training hubwww.feutraining.org.uk (anextension of the NUJ trainingwebsite) and the newmanual ata highly successful event forfreelance learning reps andadvisers in London in June.“The training hub, themanual

and the event itself were all verywell received as freelance learningreps andmembers certainlyappreciate help and support withcareer development as well as theopportunity to get together anddiscuss common problems andpossible solutions,” says ProjectManager Frances Dredge.Project research showed that on

amulti-union basis, freelancersmost needed a range of businessskills to facilitate and supporttheir careers, including help with:calculating tax andVAT;

networking andmarketing; IT skills;professional development; andcopyright and rates.As a result of the project, the four

unions will continue to collaborateto provide information, advice andguidance and create the righttraining opportunities for theirfreelancemembers.“The project has demonstrated

that we can collaborate successfullyto benefit our freelance learning repsandmembers,” says NUJ Educationand Training Officer Linda King.“We intend to build on the

positive outcomes of this first stageto further assist our freelancers withthe skills development opportunitiesthat they need to ensure long-termemployability and success.”� Freelance learning rep from

BECTU, Equity, MU or NUJwantingmore information aboutthe FEU training hub can [email protected] [email protected]

ULRs from theFEU gottogether (below)to launch newsupport forfreelancers(above)

It’s an honourNewcastle City Council

Senior Learning and DevelopmentOfficer and UNISON ULR FelicityMendelson received an MBE forservices to skills training in localgovernment in the Queen’shonours list this summer. “Whilethis is a personal honour for me,I see it as recognition of thepositive contribution made byULRs across the country to theskills agenda and to the personaldevelopment of their colleaguesat the workplace,” she says.

All aboard!First Bus and Unite opened

a new learning centre at thecompany’s depot in Hayes, WestLondon, this summer, offering the200-plus staff the chance toimprove their skills with coursesrun by Uxbridge College. “Unitethe union believes in theprogression and enhancement ofits members through learning: byworking in partnership withemployers and learning providers,we can develop sustainableworkplace learning,” says UniteSenior Union Learning OrganiserNorman Murray.

Who goes there?Unionlearn hosted the first

virtual launch of a Quick Readbook when Terrance Dicksunveiled his Dr Who title Revengeof the Judoon on Union Island,the online community for tradeunionists across the globe in thevirtual world of Second Life. “It’soften said that unionlearn reacheslearners that others can’t reachand now we’re even reaching intovirtual worlds too,” commentedDirector Liz Smith.

News in brief

Photo:StefanoCagnoni/reportdigital

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Summer season, 1980 and Lenny Henry’scoming to terms with having to do thesame show, twice a day, for six months.In Blackpool. With Cannon and Ball.Tough break: the kind of thing that coulddrive a young comedian to drink or drugs.

But not Lenny. The brute reality of working at the less-than-completely-glamorous end of showbusiness is aboutto send him back to school.“I’d never thought: ‘I don’t need an education’ – my

brain was turning to mush and I knew I neededsomething else,” he recalls.So he contacted WR Tuson College (now Preston

College) to ask about taking his GCE O Levels at the age of22: he’d originally left school with seven CSEs, back in theday when there were still separate leaving qualificationsfor so-called “non-academic” children.“At school, particularly in my day, it was either sink or

swim: if you swam, great; if you didn’t, somebody mightgive you a hand-up if you were lucky – but you’d betterpray you’d get some luck,” he says.When it came to the 11-Plus, Lenny and his classmates

got no luck – the sum total of their preparation for theexam that would seal their educational fate was one day’snotice that they’d be taking it.Almost inevitably, the future graduate student failed,

going on to Bluecoat Secondary Modern, which he left fiveyears later with seven CSEs to get apprenticed at BritishFederal Welding in Dudley.A winning streak as a comedian on ITV’s New Faces

talent show in 1975 took him out of the factory to begin ashowbusiness career that’s now lasted 33 years andcounting, but back in 1980 there was still the urgent

matter of getting a new challenge.Enter David Emery, “a brilliant bloke” who

worked at WR Tuson College and helped Lennywith the O Level course.“We studied all the way through the summer

season – Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part One,Tam o’Shanter by Robbie Burns and AlanPaton’s Cry The Beloved Country,” he says.“I’d finish the show, come home, read a

chapter before bed, wake up in the morningand do some more reading and I really did itmyself with this guy once a week tutoring me –so I would say my real education began inBlackpool.”He passed the exams as the summer season

came to an end, but his education came to ahalt again when David showed him the A LevelEnglish syllabus.“It seemed immense, there seemed to be so

many subjects and I just I freaked out,” he says.“And that must happen with older people learning

through their unions or unionlearn – but you mustn’tbe daunted: it’s like someone said to me: ‘How do youeat an elephant? You don’t eat it all at once, you do it alittle bit at a time’.”It was his mother’s death eight years later that made

him think about return to learning once more.“I thought to myself ‘I’m 40, my mum’s dead, I’m going

to do something I’ve always been frightened of’. What’sthe main thing I’ve been frightened of in my life? Doing adegree. And what’s the main thing I’ve been intimidatedby? That everybody’s got a degree except me.”The obvious route was the Open University, so he sent

A major hit at the unionlearn second annual conference, LennyHenry reveals what it was like tackling a degree in his 40s, andhints that his learning journey won’t be finishing anytime soon.

ByMartinMoriarty

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» Interview » Lenny Henry

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Lenny Henry CVBorn in Dudley in theWestMidlands in 1958, Lenny firstappeared on TV as a comic on theNew Faces talent show in 1975, andthen began appearing on theanarchic Saturday morningchildren’s TV show, Tiswas.Beginning on BBC TV comedyprogramme Three of a Kind in the early1980s and later on his own shows,Lenny developed a string of

memorable comic characters,including Brixton wideboy DelbertWilkins, Guinness-supping GrandpaDeakus and one-man sex machineTheophilus P. Wildebeeste.In the 1990s, he ran his ownproduction company, Crucial Films,acted in “straight” roles including adrug dealer in Alive and Kicking anda headteacher in Hope and Glory,presented documentaries on funk forThe South Bank Show and soul musicfor Channel 4 as well as continuing toproduce his own comedy shows liveand on TV and becoming one of thefaces of Comic Relief.Since completing his Open

University degree in English last yearhe has moved on to an MA inScreenwriting.Lenny lives with his wife, DawnFrench, daughter Billie and dog inBerkshire.

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Minority ethnic programming on specialist channelswasn’t the answer, he argued. “I’ve never wanted to live inthe ghetto. I don’t know anybody who does. You nevermeet people from the Home Counties going: ‘I’m thinkingof relocating to the ghetto, there are some marvellousopportunities there, apparently – one can purchase crackcocaine and set fire to a police car: what larks!’”

Affirmative action had to be the name ofthe game, he argued (cue prolonged andstormy applause from his own generalsecretary, Equity’s Christine Payne).And he even name-checked broadcasting

union BECTU’s Move On Up networkinginitiative as one of the reasons why BBCnews has achieved onscreen diversity,

although probably no one else would think of describingit as “like speed dating but with a career at the end, nota shag.”What made the massive media coverage even sweeter

was that the speech was all his own work – something hecouldn’t have done before getting his degree. “I wrote itmyself – I had a script editor called John Irvine whohelped me shape it, but all those words are mine, andI wouldn’t have been able to do that if I hadn’t got myBA,” he says.He’s also learned a lot about the writing process itself.

“What I’ve realised is that writing is re-writing: the essaysyou really thought about, worked really hard on and cutdown to the right word count – those are the ones thatmake an impact,” he says.He was even making cuts to his unionlearn conference

speech just before he went on – and “it really helpedactually” (he certainly went down a storm with thedelegates).“I’ve learnt so much from doing the BA and I’m learning

so much from doing the MA that I think when I get my MAat the end of it next year I’ll be thinking ‘What next?’ Sothe journey has only just begun.”

off for a brochure. “Within a day they’d sent me back thesyllabus and they said: ‘Don’t worry, it is like doing yourA Levels, and we’ll hold your hand through the first year’and they were brilliant – really, really good,” he says.He freely admits to being riven by self-doubt when

confronted by the first assignment on the BA course – theFirst World War poets. “Then I thought: these guys wrotesome of the best poetry of the 20th century while beingshelled by heavy artillery – I think I can do one day a weekin Reading Library!”The entire six years remained something of a challenge.

“It was hard combining four hours of study a day withgoing onstage, writing scripts, appearing on televisionshows, doing radio, doing tours,” he says.But it wasn’t all that different from studying for his

O Levels before and after shows back in Blackpool. “You’dhave to read all these textbooks before you’d go onstageat some gig – people would be doing the soundcheckand I’d be reading a feminist literary theory textbook.”Having a mentor (first David Emery again and later

novelist Neil Gaiman) definitely helped. “I would say toanybody thinking about learning – find somebody who’sgoing to help you through the process, who’s going tomentor you – I’m big on mentoring: I think that’s how itworks with ULRs.”And learning about learning itself also paid off.“I don’t think a lot of us were taught how to learn at

school – it was only when I began my Open Universitycourse that I began to investigate learning strategies bypeople like Tony Buzan (who invented Mind Mapping)and Dominic O’Brien (the memory expert),”he says.Completing the degree has already

begun to make a difference to hisprofessional life, he says. Take his widely-reported speech to the Royal TelevisionSociety earlier this year calling for action toimprove diversity in broadcasting.

“I would like to say a bigthank you to unionlearnfor helping people tohelp themselves”

The many faces of Lenny Henry(from the top): celebrating anaward for Three Of A Kind withfellow performers DavidCopperfield and Tracey Ullman;promoting Red Nose Day;collecting his BA at TheBarbican

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Closer ties with NIACE, more Quality Awards, newpublications: our second annual conference had it all.

employee; and the workers stillretain ownership of it – totrade unionists like me thatseems a good deal.”Leeds University LOGIK

centre manager Jo Westermansaid she was very proud that thelearning centre picked up aunionlearn Quality Award at the

conference.“It gives us officialrecognition that we havemet the good practicecriteria for our workwith unions in additionto maintaining highstandards in teachingand learning,” she said.Like Learning on the

Move, LOGIK benefited fromearly ULF support to set up the

centre in 2005 and is now thrivingwith backing from the university.“Now that the ULF project has

ended, the university has madea commitment to continue to

support the centre, anda learning agreementhas been signedbetween the threecampus unions and theuniversity,” Jo said.

� Unionlearn QualityAwards also went to: City CollegeNorwich TUC Education Unit,Lewisham College TUC EducationUnit, Solihull College TUC EducationUnit, Workers’ EducationalAssociation (Cumbria), CWU’sCharlie Elliot Learning Centre atPudsey, Strode College, FiltonCollege, Sellafield Union LearningCentre, Gilfillan Associates, RiversideCollege and Warrington CollegiatePartnership (their second).

Building

that lastlearning projects

We can do anything, says ValCrime novelist Val McDermid said it was “amazing” thatunions had “stepped into the breach” to ensure that theirmembers could take up learning opportunities they hadbeen denied earlier in life.

“The notion of expanding the horizons of our membersjust wasn’t there when I was active in the union,” she said(she was an NUJ activist while working in the newspaperindustry).

“I look forward to the time when‘People like us don’t do that sortof thing’ becomes ‘people likeus can do anything’,” she said.� Val signed 500 copies of her

novel Union Jack (about themurder of a generalsecretary at a unionconference) for delegates.

Get yourself organisedUnionlearn launched a new pack, Organising forLearning, at the conference, with seven case studiesshowing how the learning and organising agendas canhelp build the movement.

The case studies show how:� Learning has become a key part of union organising

campaigns, (eg, Unite the union’s Justice forCleaners campaign).

� Unions are integrating learning into wider unionstructures.

� Unions are developing a vision of learning forpersonal development.

� Learning is offering a new route into union activism.The pack also includes the A5 booklet Organising for

Learning, a resources designed to help ULRs buildtheir organisation in the workplace.

ULF support hashelped launchsustainableprojects, say TomO’Callaghan (left)and Jo Westerman(above)

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Catch up onlineYou can watch the whole conference on theweb. Just visit: http://tinyurl.com/6l7jgt

London bus companyMetroline signed alearning agreement

with the union side justdays before theunionlearn second annualconference, Unite the unionULR Tom O’Callaghan toldthe 400 delegates in the hall andanother 1,000 watchingthe live webcast.Six years since the

Learning on theMove projectstarted, with helpfrom the UnionLearning Fund, thecompany and theCollege of North EastLondon (CONEL), it’snow financially self-sustaining.“After the ULF funding ended,

Metroline picked up the tab – itrecognised that the project benefitsboth the company and the

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Adding electronics to theULR toolboxUnionlearn launched a new booklet aimed at encouragingmore ULRs, companies and Sector Skills Councils to usethe Climbing Frame electronic tool at the conference.With its characteristic “Blockbusters” style grid, theClimbing Frame has already been piloted by PCS, Prospectand USDAW – and the case studies of ULRs who have triedit out show just howmuch potential it has to help.“If I want to arrange an interviewwith a new learner tolook at their future learning, that’s the tool I would use,”says PCS ULR Colin Turner. “If we didn’t have the ClimbingFrame, we’d have to invent something else!”“If you’re a ULRworking on your own, or coveringseveral different workplaces without support we have, ora new ULRwithout a background in training, I think theClimbing Frame is going to be a great resource,” saysProspect ULR Val Marshall.

NIACE to see you …TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber and NIACE DirectorAlan Tuckett signed a newMemorandum of Understandingsetting out how the organisations will work together to furtherextend workplace learning opportunities in the years aheadjust before the conference got underway.“ULRs are more effective than anyone else in encouragingpeople to take part in learning,” commented NIACE Directorfor Lifelong Learning Carol Taylor.

We’re training more ULRsThe number of ULRs is up from 18,000 last year to over20,500 today.

Bosses must value ULR workOnly one-third of ULRs feel their managers value theirwork, and under half have regular discussions with theboss about training, according to the latest ULR survey,launched at the conference.“Our latest survey of learning reps – with responsesfrom 1,400 reps right across the country – offers real foodfor thought,” commented TUC General Secretary BrendanBarber.“The results show what needs to happen if the fullpotential of our work on learning and skills is to berealised, if the government is to maximise the return onits investment in us.”The survey says the best results are achieved when:

� Employers negotiate and consult with unions on training.�Managers value and support the work ULRs do.�Both sides sign learning agreements and developlearning centres in partnership.

...and starting more learnersThe number of union learners is now well over 200,000,up from 150,000 last year.

This is why we do what we doTV presenter Robin Ross asked a group of ULRs: what’sthe best thing about being a ULR? This is what they said.Kanta Patel, BFAWU ULR at RF Brookes, Leicester:“For me personally, it’s getting to do more courses,training, and learning more!”Conrad Gayle, PCS ULR at the Crown ProsecutionService: “Engaging with people, finding out what theiraspirations are and helping them reach their goals – that’sa good feeling.”Elizabeth Bullen, UNISON ULR at Blackpool Council:

“Watching people, seeing them develop from having noaspirations to having real aspirations and saying thingslike: ‘I don’t just want a job anymore, I want a career’.”Clive Burge, Unite ULR at Horstmann’s Group, Bristol:“Providing your members with a valuable service andseeing the joy and delight they get in gaining certificatesand collecting awards and passing tests – that givesyou a terrific buzz.”

TV presenterRobin Rosspops thequestions toULRs Conrad,Kanta, CliveandElizabeth

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ndre

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iard

11-12 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 17:04

Asample of learningagreements fromcompanies large and

small, public and private,demonstrates just how learningis being embedded intomainstream union business.

“We’re finding that where learningis a core part of union business, thefuture for union organisinglooks extremely bright,”says unionlearnOrganising OfficerAnna Burton.

In 2007/8, over216 such agreementswere signed – andthat’s just the tip of theiceberg, she reckons.

“We have fantasticexamples of best practice, anddraft legislation on time offpresents an excellent opportunity forunion officers and representatives toput learning high up on thebargaining agenda,” she says.

In turn, the learning agreementsoffer greater organising potentialboth in terms of positively re-engaging with management and also

in revitalising branch structures anddeveloping new organising strategieswith learning and skills at the fore.“Learning agreements are a very

positive tool in the toolkit fororganisers and officers. All unionmembers know that skills as well asindustrial muscle are the key tohigher pay or a better job.”

As most ULRs know,workplaces with unionrecognition report higherlevels of training, andare more likely to haveULRs with facility timetalking to people aboutwhat the union is doingand getting more people

engaged in learning.And because women are

more likely to take part inlearning than men, learning

agreements offer unions a way tobuilding a bargaining strategy whichappeals equally to everyone.

“Having a learning agreement inplace means more reps, more facilitytime and, hopefully, anotheropportunity to promote the unionpresence in workplaces,” adds Anna.

We can do it

together

When unions and managementsign a learning agreement in theworkplace, they can help each otherscale new heights. Over the next fivepages, we showcase some of thebest practice around the country.

By Astrid Stubbs

Anna Burton

Learning agreements « Focus «

summer 2008 « 13

“Having a learning agreement meansmore reps, more facility time and another

opportunity to promote the unionpresence in workplaces”

12-17 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 17:15

14 » summer 2008

» Focus » Learning agreements

“Employers will buy into the learningagenda to improve industrial relations”

The Public and CommercialServices union (PCS) andthe Crown Prosecution

Service (CPS) have signed one ofthe best learning agreements inthe country.It enables ULRs to carry out their

functions with management supportand allows for one ULR per 50members.In addition, the union can appoint

Branch Learning Co-ordinators, whowill receive extra facility time inaddition to their statutory right tocarry out branch ULR duties.“This agreement has been

recognised nationally as one of thebest in the country and has beenflagged up to be used as anexample in the justice sector,”explains CPS Group ULR CoordinatorConrad Gayle.Although the ULR role was first

launched in the CPS four years agoas part of a Governmentinitiative, learning repsoriginally found it difficult toget management to recognisethe importance of their work.Last year, the CPS signed

the Skills Pledge, whichundertakes to addressessential skills, and promisesrelevant, valuable qualifications,up to at least Level 2, to meetthe sector skills needs.The CPS will have access to a skills

broker, through whom it can accessfree literacy, numeracy and first fullLevel 2 qualification courses. This willtie in with the Move On project,which addresses skills.Meetings are taking place with the

Leadership and Learning Departmentto devise a work plan to carry out theSkills Pledge. The agreementreinforces this and will provideadditional benefits for members inthe justice sector through a co-ordinated approach to skills issues.“Learning is something that

attracts many of us and when we can

CPS Group ULRCoordinatorConrad Gayle(top) is delightedhis members canimprove theirskills at work(below)

gain this privilegefrom our place ofwork, it’s imperativethat there’s a structure

whereby employees becomelearners to carry forward thisculture,” says Conrad.“And our employers must be seen

to invest in this same culture andgive a commitment to help achievethis success. Our agreement not onlystates what the union wants to getout of this but links in with theemployer the full benefit of workingtogether to achieve a greater aim.”

Conrad urges fellow ULRsto be persistent in getting anagreement.“You must show the

employer how it benefitsthem and there must be aconduit to link in with theemployer’s learningagenda,” he says.“Stay focused and

enthusiastic: the employerwill see that and want tobuy in to it, to create betterindustrial relations.”

It’s a criminally good agreement

12-17 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 17:15

summer 2008 « 15


Northern Foods, whichmakes pizzas, readymeals, salads and

sandwiches, has signed amulti-union national learningagreement combining a rangeof ingredients from existingdeals which will benefitthousands of employees.A number of local agreements

were in place when learning gotunderway at the company, whichemploys staff in sites across theNorth West and the Midlands.The agreement is down to the

hard work of partners NorthernFoods, USDAW, BFAWU and Unitethe union.Dorban Ippoma, National Project

Manager for BFAWU, says it aimsto make learning anddevelopment opportunitiesaccessible to all by supporting thedevelopment of a learning culturein the workplace and by buildingon the successful development ofonsite learning centres.Northern Foods has five onsite

learning centres with a furtherthree under development. Inaddition, the company pledges tomake best use of Government andunion learning Initiatives, such asSkills for Life and work withorganisations like unionlearn,college providers and Sector SkillsCouncils to ensure that theagreement is a success.The agreement was developed

by a national learning committee,a group initiated by NorthernFoods and made up of key ULRs.

Jim Mowatt, Director of Educationat Unite the union, commented:“This is one of the biggest learningagreements we have ever signed,covering 20,000 workers in 36 sitesacross the country. It will open upwide-ranging opportunities forworkers to improve their skills inareas from literacy to languages, andgives members the chance to buildtheir confidence in learning for theneeds of the changing workplace.”Added James Rees, Head of

Education and Training at Usdaw:“It has consolidated a workplacelearning committee and a workplacelearning fund. It’s been a great helpin making learning accessible andaffordable for our members.”A major spin-off of the deal has

been an improvement in industrialrelations resulting from unionsengaging regularly with theworkforce.“This has been productive at the

company’s inductions of newemployees, by including the union’sstructure and learning agendainto the inductions criteria. Thisgives the lay officials a moreconstructive route whenengaging new employees andpromoting the union benefitsin a more positive light,”explains Dorban.The agreement helps to

negotiate paid release for ULRsand learners and gives the ULRa more structured approach tolearning. Union officials haveclearly stated that a structuredand productive learning agenda

ULRs GilbertGreene, DebbieLoy, AndrewScrivens, LuqmanBrown and LeeBarringer (below)and the NorthernFoods MooreLearning Centreand library(above)

Getting apizza the actionenables the union to engage non-members through adult educationin the workplace.“It’s very clear that the agenda

gives the union a catalyst to builda recruitment campaign usingsuch a positive tool as the learningagenda.“This can and will be a fantastic

recruitment and organising tool forunions and enhance the quality ofthe business unit in terms ofproductivity, efficiency and staffdevelopment for employers andemployees,” he adds.Norman Pickavance, Northern

Foods’ former Corporate ServicesDirector, says that succeeding withthe learning agreement forms avital part of the company’s widerproductivity agenda.“Providing access to knowledge,

learning and development is a keystrand of our corporateresponsibility commitment to builda good place to work for ouremployees,” he says.

12-17 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 17:16

16 » summer 2008

» Focus » Learning agreements

overall employee engagement andthe development of our site. The ULRis a key facilitator in this journey.”In practice, this means that the

agreement commits the company tohave a ULR in each business of theInchinnan plant, giving it 20 ULRs,with members having access to a ULRon each of its six different shifts.This agreement has now been

rolled out to the company’s other sitesin Scotland, the most recent signed inJune at the Dunfermline plant, wheremembership is much lower at 45 percent than at its traditionally highly-organised sister sites.Unite Regional Learning Organiser

Lyn Turner now hopes to use thenew agreement to organise theoffice staff.

“Traditionally they use IT but theydon’t have a recognised qualificationlike the European Computer DrivingLicence (ECDL) and we’re hoping wecan offer that qualification to newmembers through the union andorganise in that way,” he explains.Pat says that while membership of

the union is already high atInchinnan, the agreement haspromoted activism amongmembersand given them a greater desire toget involved.The plant’s first woman shop

steward Edith Kidd became soenamoured of learning on a basiccomputer course that she has nowstood for, and been elected, shopsteward and trained as a ULR, Patpoints out.

Roll-Roycemanagement andunions atInchinnan (below)agree thatworkplacelearning will helpdevelop theworkforce at theplant (top left).An agreement hasalso been signedat Dunfermline(top right)

Reach for the skiesWhen aerospace giant

Rolls-Royce officiallyopened its £85 million

state-of-the-art productionfacility in Inchinnan, Glasgow,in 2006, it was only a matter oftime before a similarly high-class commitment to learningwould follow.And two years later, a learning

agreement covering the 1,000 plusstaff on site was signed and has nowbeen deployed as a model for thecompany’s other three Scottish sites.Pat McIlvogue, Unite ULR at

Inchinnan, explains that there hadbeen a previous attempt tointroduce learning.“At that time the company wasn’t

keen on a formal agreement andpreferred an ad hoc arrangement butad hoc arrangements don’t work –faces change and memories fadeand custom and practice getsforgotten, so getting an agreementhas got to be a good thing.”Putting his signature to the new

learning agreement on behalf ofthe company, OperationsManager Les Carey agreed.“The development of our

people is seen as thefoundation for the futuresuccess and the trade union ULRprocess is a crucial enabler in

12-17 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 17:17


badly but now there are no separategroups anymore.”

Following the success of theESOL courses, Larry says the unionis now looking at essential skills foragency staff.The classes have also had the

added bonus of improving unionorganisation, with membership ofthe union on the rise.“People see a friendly face,

someone from the union in theclassroom, and know they can speakto us about learning or anythingelse,” he says.“Being on the spot means we can

tell people what we are doing forthem and show them the benefits ofthe union. Because they know a faceand have spoken to us in class, theyknow they can approach us if theyhave a problem.”Larry stresses that it’s important to

have a learning agreement in placeto ensure the continuity of the work.“The thing about a learning

agreement is that if it’s good, itdoesn’t matter whether managementor reps change – it’s there andeveryone knows there’s aresponsibility to work within it: ifthere are problems, we can alwaysrefer back to the agreement andeveryone has to abide by it,” he says.“To me, a learning agreement is

the foundation of what we do – ifyou don’t have one, you don’t haveany guarantees.”

ESOL classeshave helpedbreak downbarriers betweenagency andpermanent staffat Argos

The learning committee at a Midlands site ofshopping giant Argos is using the national learningagreement to help agency staff improve their skills.

Partners in learning at theArgos site in Lutterworth,Leicestershire, are using

a national learning agreementto improve rights for localagency staff.The result is increased local

membership and greaterorganisation for Unite the union atthe company.The partnership provides a

national forum where seniorstewards from Unite can meetmanagement, with a learningagreement outlining theresponsibility of the union, ULRsand the company.“It’s pretty straightforward, stating

who does what and making acommitment to lifelong learningfrom those key parties,” explainsULR, shop steward and health andsafety rep Larry McGlinchey.But what makes the agreement

unusual is how the local onsitelearning committee, made up ofunion and management reps, haschosen to use it to give agencyworkers the same equalopportunities as permanent staff.“It wasn’t hard to organise with

management – they could alsosee that there was a bit of divide,”Larry says.“Because there are a number of

Eastern European agency workers,we concentrated initially on coursesin English for Speakers of OtherLanguages (ESOL), and the classeswere tailored to fit both companyand the union’s values.”

And the result? “Now there ismore interaction between differentgroups of people and some havenow got permanent jobs,” he says.“There was a little bit of divide

between people before and throughESOL and helping break down thelanguage barrier there has been achange in the way people treat eachother: they didn’t treat each other

Retail therapy

summer 2008 « 17

12-17 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 17:17

Unionlearn Director Liz Smith explains how we’re shaping thedebate about the future of workplace learning inside and outsidethe trade union movement.

What makes you happiest aboutwhat unionlearn has achieved inthe two years since it waslaunched?In a very short space of time,unionlearn’s put what unions aredoing on learning on the map in abig way: the new brand, the newframework, have built enthusiasmand recognition for learning fromunions, from learners, fromemployers and from theGovernment.The fact that we’ve taken over

responsibility for the Union LearningFund (ULF) lock, stock and barrel isa great tribute, really. And I wasreally glad to hear John Denhamlaunch the Government’sconsultation on the new right torequest time off for training at ourconference: that was, in part atleast, a reflection of the workunionlearn and ULRs have beendoing and something we playeda part in.I’m also delighted that we’ve

managed to keep on course withour main targets for recruiting ULRsand learners by 2010 and thatdespite the difficult climate, tradeunion education and reps’ training isstill growing.And I’m pleased that unionlearn is

now backed up with really goodquality publications, briefings andthe website – all of those outward-

facing elements – because I thinkthat was a real weakness of wherewe were before.With themwe’vebeen able to spread the messagethat what happens at the workplaceis important, that there’s lots ofpeople out there who want to learn,and I’ve got no doubt that raisingawareness, raising the profile, gettingthe message out, is a key part ofwhat we do – and do pretty well.

What do you think unionlearn hasgot to do better?I think the big challenge is withemployers because although we’vegot increasing numbers of learningagreements, and we’re makinginroads with good employers, ourlatest survey of ULRs emphasisesthat a lot of them don’t really havethe backing and support of theiremployers – and these are just theones that we hear about.So I think employer engagement is

really the big challenge and becauseobviously we don’t negotiate directlywith employers, we’re putting a lot ofthought into howwe can best helpunions with that.

What can unionlearn offer unionsbeyond what they can do forthemselves?I think we can do a lot to makelifelong learning feel a lot lessdaunting: we can demystifycomplex jargon-riddenmaterial thattheir reps need to be able to

By Martin Moriarty understand to knowwhat they cannegotiate about, or what they canget funding for, or what materialsare already available.Take the Quality Award, for

example, which means that unionsand ULRs have got something thattells them in a straightforward waywhat a good practice college orprovider should be able to do – andthey can use that information tohelp them get a good deal.Or look at the Climbing Frame,

which is still work in progress: we’regiving unions andULRs user-friendlytools to help their members look atwhat theywant to do andwhatthey’ve got to do to get there, sowetry to provide themwith the toolsreally – that’s one of our key roles.We can provide model

agreements, case studies, goodpractice – there’s a hell of a lotwe can do which it would bedifficult for any one individualunion to do.

When the TUC launchedLearning Services (one ofthe forerunners ofunionlearn), some unionvoices argued the learningagenda was a soft optionor even a distraction fromthe “real work” ofcollective bargaining.Is that still going on?Yes, it’s still going on butnot really on the ground

18 » summer 2008

» Interview » Liz Smith

learningPutting

on the map

18-20 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 copy 10/7/08 16:44

summer 2008 « 19

Liz Smith « Interview «

Phot

osby

Mik

eTh

omps

on

where you’ve got union repsinvolved with learning, because theyjust see it as part of what the uniondoes at work – it’s more the casethe further you get away from theworkplace, and I think that’s anargument for really trying toincrease the engagement ofindustrial officers with learning andskills as part of the whole packageof things they do.After all, how long did very similar

arguments rage when unionsstarted electing health and safetyreps? I was a tutor at that point andcan still remember the argumentssome people raised at the time –safety reps weren’t real reps, theywere management lackeys, theywere doing what the health andsafety department should do, thestewards should carry out thatrole anyway, and so on.

All these things were out therebut gradually unions workedtheir way through and adoptedapproaches that work forthem. There are differentapproaches between unions,nevertheless there’s ageneral commitment tohealth and safety as a unionissue for example.

Our whole approach hasgot to be that ULRs arerepresentatives of theunion, and that what we’re

continued on page 20 >


20 » summer 2008

» Interview » Liz Smith

about is not doing the work of thetraining department on the cheap –it’s a trade union approach tolearning and skills.

How do you think the new rightto request time off to trainshould work?Obviously there’ll be a processinvolving unions on that, but thethings we’ll be looking at will be:making sure there’s a right to beaccompanied by a union rep or ULR;looking at the parameters in termsof what kind of training it mightcover – we’ll obviously want it tobe framedmore broadly than thisskill for that job; and ensuring thatthere’s a process that’s sufficientlyrobust if the employer says No.Equally important from our point

of view is that we will be workingwith the unions to use the newright as a lever to persuademoreemployers to open up dialogue andset upmachinery in the workplacethat looks after learning and skills.

Do you think the new rightrepresents a significant shift awayfrom an approach that’s beenmostly employer-led approach toone that’s employment-led?I think an attempt to rebalancethings is where we come in.We’vealways felt the system should beemployment-led, not employer-ledand should be a social partnershipapproach.While we’ve got otherthings we’d like to see theGovernment legislating for, this isa step in the right direction.

Is there a degree of politicalconsensus about the scale of theskills challenge and themechanisms to tackle it?Certainly there’s a degree ofagreement about the skillschallenge, the productivitychallenge, the need to address low-skilled workers, the impact of pooreducation and the need to beworking towards a society whichincreasingly needs high-level skills.

There’s been some difference ofviews about the right machinery tomake that work (such as the futureof the Learning and Skills Council),and there may be some differentopinions on priorities, but I don’tthink it’s the most highly contestedarea in the political arena right now.Judging by what I’ve seen from all

the political parties, there’s notgoing to be any move away fromdeveloping a skilled workforce –

I would have thought that’s prettymuch a common purpose that anygovernment would hold to. Howdifferent parties would move thatforward is another matter.

Three successive Labour electionvictories by large majorities havehelped develop the learningagenda. How is unionlearnpreparing for the next generalelection?Wewould hope and expect that anygovernment would recognise thatthe resources that we’ve had accessto have enabled unions tocontribute to government strategyand policy in the area of skills.I would hope that any

government would see that unionscan deliver things, can reachdisadvantaged groups, can reachpeople who haven’t had access tolearning in the past for a whole hostof reasons, in a way that nobodyelse can – and that in itself is aninvestment in society as a wholeand certainly in the economy.Like everyone else, we work in a

political framework that changesfrom time to time and we’ve beenkeen to show the work that’s goingon at the workplace toparliamentarians to see forthemselves how learning canchange lives for the better.We need to keep our eyes on the

ball and continue to do what we’vebeen doing but hopefully more of it!

Liz Smith CVLiz Smith began her working

life in adult, community and

further education, schools and

anti-poverty programmes,

before starting work for the

TUC in 1989.As the person responsible for

TUC training and education in

the North West, she set up the

pioneering Bargaining for Skills

project in the region.Since 1998, Liz has been

responsible for the TUC’s work

on Learning and Skills and

coordinating the union

contribution to workforce

development and lifelong

learning.She led the development

of plans for unionlearn and

was made Director in

December 2005.


TUC Education with unionlearn « Feature «

Over the next year, the TUChopes around 15,000workplace safety reps can

be trained using the neweducational workbook,Occupational Health: Dealingwith the Issues.

The reps will be able to use theguide to assess the extent of illhealth in their workplaces and workwith their employers to find the bestways of making the business ahealthier place to work.

Apart from the huge personal costto individuals when they become illas a result of their work, 175 millionworking days were lost as a result ofsickness absence in 2006, costingfirms £650 per poorly employee.

TUC Education with unionlearn willuse the workbook to train 800 moreexperienced safety reps taking theTUC Diploma in Occupational Healthand Safety every year.

And some 500 reps are expectedto go through a new OccupationalHealth short course. The workbookwill be used across the trade unioneducation curriculum as well as formeetings, seminars and other tradeunion events.

Speaking at the launch, Health andSafety Minister Lord McKenzie ofLuton said training by the TUC andindividual unions was essential inensuring safety representatives wereequipped for their role.

“This workbook will mean that‘safety representatives’ truly become

Is thereaunion repin thehouse?

‘health and safety representatives’ soensuring the workplaces they work inare not only safe but also healthy,”he said.

“The development of new skillsand knowledge will enablerepresentatives to work with theiremployers in dealing with importanthealth issues including theprevention of occupational ill-healthand diseases, sickness absence andaccess to rehabilitation andoccupational health services.”

TUC GeneralSecretaryBrendan

Barber arguedthat union safety

reps helpworkplaces become

both safer and healthier.“The UK is currently facing an

epidemic of occupational ill-health.Many people are ill and in pain as aresult of lifting injuries, slips andtrips, stress and noise-inducedhearing loss suffered either at, orcaused by, their work,” he said.

“Using this workbook, union repscan learn about all the aspects ofoccupational health and can use it toencourage their employers to domuch more to make employees feelthey’re getting a decent level ofsupport from work when they’re illand again when they’re on the roadtowards a full recovery.”

“Workplaces withunion safety reps

tend to be healthierand safer”

Download the workbook fromwww.unionlearn.org.uk/index.cfm/raot/

Health and Safety Minister Lord McKenzie (above right)says the new workbook (above) will help tackle crucialworkplace health issues

Workbook author Graham Petersen(far left) and SERTUC unionlearn

Education Officer Rob Hancock (fourthright) join safety reps at the launch

summer 2008 « 21


» Feature » TUC Education with unionlearn

TUCEducation is holdingtrue to theorganisation’s collectiveapproach in its onlinelearning provision.

The service has been running foreight years and the original handful oflearners has now increased to over1,000 taking part in 12 courses.“We realised quite a while ago that

accessing learning on a regular basiswas difficult due to time pressuresthrough work and homecommitments,” explains OnlineLearning Officer Craig Hawkins.“We also found that while people

could get paid release for early Stage1 courses, such as health and safety,they had problems when they wantedto go further with their knowledge andgain experience.

“And even though they are entitledto time off, some individuals feel morecomfortable learning this waybecause they don’t like puttingpressure on their employers orcolleagues and can learn at a time tosuit their company,” says Craig.Online learning is not replacing

classroom learning but givingreps new opportunities toaccess learning. “It takesthem past that barrier andmeans a lot more reps areable to do a lot morecourses,” he says.Another benefit of online

learning has been to allow accessto people otherwise excluded fromtraditional classroom learning – peoplewith dyslexia and those with disabilitieswhich might prevent them getting to aclassroom.And because learning is not

constrained to a single region, specialistcourses such as Countering the Far Rightpull in far greater numbers because theyare put on nationally. This, in turn,enables them to be run more frequently,says Craig.While flexibility is a major positive of

online learning, Craig admits that itsdownside is in not being able to get repstogether to exchange experiences andknowledge with fellow union reps.That’s why it has been so important to

maintain the collective approach tolearning even while online, he says.

What do you do when you can’t fit learning round workand home commitments? Turn on a computer, saysTUC Online Learning Officer Craig Hawkins.

“We don’t offer online as most peopleperceive it, using a self- study CD: ourcourses offer a collective approach –after all, that’s what trade unions are

about!”The courses are run very muchalong classroom lines with aclass tutor facilitating,prompting and guiding a setactivity with the larger class setto work in smaller groups,completing set activities anddiscussing findings using the

Open University-endorsedMoodle online discussion forum.“There is still the element of shared

experience and knowledge, which we tryand foster as much as possible and wehave the same tutor team although theyhave an additional online qualification,”says Craig.As technology improves so the courses

can develop, says Craig, who looksforward to seeing more video content –for instance, on a ULR course, videomight show film of an existing class,which would be used as role-play foronline learners to comment on.Craig says there’s been a sea-change

22 » summer 2008

Birmingham Council UNISON repLisa Taylor decided to do theDisability Champions@Workonline course after completinganother online course in healthand safety.

“From week one, it was apparenthowmuch we were going to learnwhen we went straight to learningabout models of disability – it was alevel of thinking you don’t do everyday – you tend to be practical andnot analyse why you are doing whatyou are doing,” she says.“It’s already made me realise that

I’m not putting an emphasis onthings despite the fact that I have adisability and I’m learning howsociety and language affect the waywe view disability.”While Lisa misses her real life

class colleagues, she believes there

E-learnersget to takedisability courseis a place for both class ande-learning.“On this course people are really

interactive and respond to each other– there are pros and cons to bothkinds of learning,” she says.DisabilityChampions@Work Project

Worker Dave Parr says the onlinecourse provides an invaluable way forpeople to access this training.“It’s allowed us to bring suitable

numbers of people together to trainand overcome barriers to learning,”he says.“The work produced by learners

online is consistently of a very highquality and their feedback is verypositive.“Online learning isn’t for everyone,

but that’s what equalities is all about;providing options, not a one-size-fits-all policy.”

Craig Hawkins,TUC OnlineLearningOfficer

By Astrid Stubbs

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summer 2008 « 23

TUC Education with unionlearn « Feature «

Robbie Taylor, a full-timeUNISON rep at the Universityof Cumbria, recently completedthe TUC Health and SafetyStage 1 course online.“Online learning with TUC

Education has been really goodfor me because it means I canmake the best use of my time,”she says.“When travelling to a face-to-

face course, the time it takes toget there is always an issue; withonline learning, you canparticipate as soon as you switchon your PC.”The online approach to learninghas also helped Robbie fitlearning into the rest of her

life without having to take time outfrom anything else in her schedule.“I don’t have to compromise my

family or free time – and oftenwomen have familyresponsibilities which preventus doing face-to-face courses,”she says.And there has also been the

added bonus of meeting otherlearners online.“The course I took hadmembers

from all walks of life and from allover the UK. You canmeet othersonline when it is convenient foryou to talk over issues andcomplete collaborative work. Younever feel as though you areworking in isolation.”

It’sTaylor-made forRobbie

What do you think of onlinelearning so far?Online learning has proved tobe a positive learningexperience and TUC Education’sonline programme has clearlyestablished itself as a genuinealternative to class-basedcourses.That’s the finding of a survey of

online learners carried out by TUCEducation included in a new reportTUC Education Online – TheLearners Perspective.Demand for online learning is

strong and the flexibility andconvenience that this form oflearning offers is a huge positivefor trade union reps, says thesurvey.The survey shows that attitudes

towards the concept of onlinelearning have changed markedlyand in a positive way. Reps valuethe benefit of an accessible andconvenient offer with high qualitycourse materials and effectivetechnical and social support fromtutors and fellow learners whenneeded.

� 85 percent of students felt thatonline knowledge and skillsdevelopment is very strong

� 95 percent of students said thatonline courses have developedtheir proficiency as union repsand increased their workplaceeffectivenes in the work place.

� Download report fromhttp://tinyurl.com/3hrqwj

in the perception of online learning.“Some tutors were very negative to

begin with and saw online learning asa threat to classroom-based learningor were worried whether it could work,”he says.“Because we’ve shown that it can work

online, those same people who weresceptical are now championing onlinelearning themselves – it’s got peoplethinking online!”

Log onOnline courses include:� Countering the Far Right� Disability Champions@Work� Finding a Work/Life Balance� Going Global: Trade Unions and International

Development� Health and Safety 1� Introduction to Occupational Pensions� Organise! A Voice In Every Workplace� Union Learning Representatives� Union Representatives Stage 1� Tackling Racism� TUC Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety� Trade Unions and the Environment


� Jill Richards (GMB) won the Equality award (the firsttime it’s been made) for her tireless and broadcampaigns across the equalities agenda.Wales TUC Education and Training Officer Julie

Cook said the awards were a way of recognisingthe contribution made by workplace reps.“Workplace reps are the cornerstone of our union

activity and translate our values into on-the-groundbenefits for working people across Wales,” she said.“They work tirelessly defending members’ rights,

negotiating better pay and conditions with employers,securing workplace learning, ensuring safer and fairerworking environments for Welsh workers, and moreoften than not, do not get the recognition they deservefor their efforts.”

Four trade union reps selected for theirexceptional contributions to improvingworkplace practices were awarded WorkplaceRepresentative Awards, presented by WelshFirst Minister, Rhodri Morgan, during theWales TUC Conference in May.� Rhian Jones (USDAW) won the Union Rep of

the Year award for delivering better terms andconditions for workers.

� Lynwen Sly (UNISON) won the ULR of the Yearaward for improving learning opportunities at theNHS Trust where she works.

� Sara Laws (PCS) won the Health and Safety Rep ofthe Year award for driving forward the health andsafety agenda in Wales.

Fourof thebest

24 » summer 2008

Spreading the writtenword in WalesThe Wales TUC, in partnership with theWelsh Books Council, held two free eventsfor ULRs during the summer to celebrate theNational Year of Reading.

Give A Book Days aimed to promote the gift ofreading via book-swaps, discussion workshopsand inspirational speakers aimed at motivatingULRs to set up book-swaps in their ownworkplace.A representative from Quick Reads attended

along with Basic Skills Cymru and the WelshBooks Council.ULRS also brought along a book they would like

to pass on and held their own book-swap.

Noel Evans is a site estaterepresentative at the DefenceStorage and DistributionAgency at Llanngennech inwest Wales. He is also theunion representative and apart-time lay tutor for theWales TUC.He’s been a union member for

16 years and first got involvedwith unions as the treasurer inhis local PCS branch. He thenwent on to become the union rep.Noel’s interest in adult learning

can be traced back directly tothose initial TUC courses he

undertook several years ago.“I found the TUC Occupational

Health and Safety certificate hardwork but interesting and enjoyable.“Achieving it made me realise

that the only limits I’d had in thepast were those I’d imagined orbecause I’d listened to otherpeople’s negative opinions of me:now I realise there are no limitsand I no longer listen to the peopledragging me down.“I got a lot of encouragement

from my tutor on the course and hesuggested I should do the trainingto become a lay tutor. I was

How Noel came to know he’s got no limits

» Roundup » TUC Education with unionlearn

Introducing the four union reps who won the top awards in Wales this year.

Julie Cook

Meet the Welsh winners (from left): Rhian Jones, Lynwen Sly, Sara Laws with Rhodri Morgan and Jill Richards


TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «

“These awards are a small token recognising thecontribution like Rhian, Lynwen, Sara and Jill make tothe trade union movement across Wales, andcelebrates their well-deserved outstandingachievements in the workplace.”

summer 2008 « 25

apprehensive at first but after givingit some thought, I decided to go forit and have never regretted it.“My first course was held in the

staff canteen, which is one of theinteresting things about being a TUCtutor – you never know where you’regoing to end up!“The money from theWales Union

Learning Fund certainly helps withsetting up learning centres andclassrooms, but there is still the oddoccasion where a course is run in acanteen or some spare officespace!”

Unstuck in the MoodleWales staged its second annual Moodle Mootthis summer to discuss the softwaree-learning platform.The event focused on collaboration and sharing

of resources facilitated by Moodle.

sTraining the new reps on the blockTUC Education is piloting a new three-day course for equalityreps to help them get to grips with the broad spectrum of theequality agenda.The last few years have seen an increase in the amount and

complexity of equalities issues at work and reps need to handleflexible working, reasonable adjustments, equal pay, bullying andharassment, discrimination and equality impact assessments.That’s why unions are building the role of equality reps to help

make workplaces fairer and more equality-aware.The pilot courses will take place during September and December

for existing, new or potential equality reps.For more information about the TUC Equality Reps Project,

contact Theresa Daly: [email protected]

TakingchargeofequalityTheresa Daly has beenappointed the new TUCEquality Reps project co-ordinator.“I’m very excited to be involved

in this pioneering project which isa chance for equality reps tomake a real difference in theworkplace,” she says.Formerly UCU’s West Midlands

Regional Secretary and TrainingOfficer, Theresa has held positionsat all levels in NATFHE.Her background is in TUC and

union training. She ran the TUCeducation centre in Birmingham,which carried the regional trainingprogramme for USDAW, PCS, RMT,UNISON, ASLEF and UCU for15 years.

In addition Theresa has worked ona variety of TUC projects, includingputting Equal Pay materials online.

She will spearhead the EqualityReps Project, which is a one-yearproject to develop the role ofequality reps. It involves writing a setof training materials for equality reps,running tutor training and seminarsfor full-time union officials.“Equality issues are increasing in

the workplace and existing repsoften haven’t got the time, expertiseor confidence to take them up withthe employer,” Theresa says.“The equality reps project, which is

organising a three-day trainingcourse in all the regions for the newrole of equality rep, will equip themto be able to take up these issues.”

Theresa Daly

Photo:

RodLeon


26 » summer 2008

» Feature » BiTC awards

businessWorking with unions at Boots and Fords helped theirlifelong learning teams pick up some silverware inthis year’s Business in the Community Awards.

Taking careof

Boots’ Skills for Life journeybegan with a need to upskill andprovide support during rapidchanges at its centralNottingham Supply Chain.The company signed a Lifelong

Learning Agreement with USDAW in2003 and the Phoenix LearningCentre was set up in Nottingham toencourage employees into learning.The provision soon expanded

into Boots manufacturing facilities,where Skills for Life was seenas central to helping supportemployees prepare for job roleswith increased skills needs.In the last 12 months, Boots

has opened a further 18 lifelonglearning centres offering Skills forLife qualifications at distributioncentres UK-wide, which are closingin 2009 as part of a massivesupply chain restructure andcentralisation project.In all, over 1,200 logistics and

manufacturing employees haveeither achieved one or moreSkills for Life qualification, orare currently engaged in Skillsfor Life learning.Building on these successes,

the learning centres are alsooffering NVQ Level 2 and 3qualifications, using Train to Gainfunding, and additional fundingallocated by the company.Through establishing Skills for

Life as a key strategic objective,Boots has been able to deliver amore productive and competentworkforce with stronger skills,delivering safer standards and a

Margaret Coyle said it was great forthe union and the company to getthe chance to celebrate theirachievements together.“The award was a great way for

us to show off all the hard workand commitment that has gone into make the Skills for Life provisionin Boots a great success,” she said.USDAW Project Worker

Ed Leach said the award showedhow progressive companiesworking with unions could providelife-changing learningopportunities for their employees.“The relationship USDAW has

with Boots is a fantastic model ofpartnership working, with thelearning being underpinned bythe hard work, dedication andcommitment of USDAW ULRs,”he said.

This Boots was made for learning

more effective supply chain. It isalso leaving a positive legacy forits local communities.Lifelong Learning Adviser

Boots won a BigTick Award forhelping its staffdevelop at work

The impact at Boots� Over 700 employees have

now achieved a nationalqualification.

� New business contractssecured as factoryperformance has markedlyimproved within BootsManufacturing.

� Employee survey scoresand motivation levelsimproved significantly indistribution centresaffected by therestructuring programme.

26-27 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 14:13

summer 2008 « 27

BiTC awards « Feature «

“The initiative has benefitted theindividual, the company and the whole

UK jobs market”

Ford Motor Company’s Skills forLife strategy, developed withUnite the union, aims todevelop a skilled workforcecommitted to improvingbusiness while maintainingemployment opportunities.This inclusive and multi-partner

approach has enabled its Skillsfor Life strategy to be bothsustainable and highly effective.Dagenham Engine Plant Unite

convenor Terry Burns says theinnovative up-skilling programme,taking Maths and English by theside of the production lines in bite-size sessions is proving“a real hit.”Nearly 350 engine plant and

diesel centre employees havesigned up since last September,with 16 going on to take nationalNVQ Level 2 exams.“The initiative has benefitted the

individual, the company and thewhole UK jobs market,” Terry says.Ford is the third largest car

manufacturer in the world,producing more than seven millionvehicles a year and employing13,000 people in the UK.International and technological

competitiveness have placed

substantial pressure on the companyto become as efficientas possible and it needs todrive competitive advantagein a dynamic, manufacturingenvironment.Its workforce is mostly male,

ethnically diverse, long-servingand middle-aged.In responding to these challenges,

the company focused pilot trainingprogrammes at Dagenham EnginePlant in East London which are nowbeing rolled out nationally.Employees take part in

one-to-one coaching sessions and

Ford workers step on the gas

Learning on the jobhelped earn FordMotor Company itsBig Tick Award

The impact atDagenham� Safety improved: 65 per

cent cut in lost time caserate and 92 per cent cutin accident severity rate.

� Production volume up by33 per cent.

� Around £1 million savedon labour and overheadbudgets.

� Morale bolstered:internal survey reports22 per cent increase inemployee satisfactionand 70 per cent ofDagenham Engine Plantemployees claiming thetraining has improvedperformance at work.

� Environmental impactreduced: 22 per centreported drop in energyconsumption.

assessment with dedicatedskills coaches, leading tonational qualifications.The programmes have enabled

Ford to work with learningproviders, policy-makers andunions, who understand theimportance of businessproductivity and the skill-richworkforce it is dependent upon.Last year, Ford was one of the

first companies to sign the SkillsPledge, reflecting its commitmentto employee development, andallowing it to re-affirm plans for up-skilling the workforce.

26-27 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 14:13

28 » summer 2008

» Roundup » Learning At Work Day

A pyrotechnics event staged byentertainment union BECTU atthe Princess Theatre in Torquaywas just one of a wide range ofevents trade unions organisedacross the South West forLearning At Work Day.Warehouse workers in Swindon

got the chance to brush up theirdriving techniques by spending 20minutes on the road with aninstructor, while transport workers inSalisbury spent their lunch breakperforming Tai Chi.Taster courses were particularly

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU)offered members in the NorthWest the chance to take a fullyaccredited sailing course onLearning At Work Day.Backing from the Learning and

Skills For All Fund enabled the FBUto run the fully accredited Royal YachtAssociation course in Holyhead,North Wales – one of nearly 50

Light up your lifepopular in the South West, withmany workers trying their hand at ITstudies, or essential skills such asreading and writing.“The scope and scale of these

events shows just how importantlearning is to people at work,”commented unionlearn RegionalManager Helen Cole.“We know that when people have

a taste of learning they want tocontinue and they gain more andmore confidence, and we also knowthat a skilled workforce benefitsemployers and raises productivity.”

BECTU lights uplearning in Torquay

Tony Carney

Anchors away!Learning At Work Day schemes acrossthe region backed by the Fund.“We’re really pleased with the

support we’ve received throughunionlearn which has allowed us toget people accessing learning inways they would never have dreamtof in the past,” commented FBUNorth West Learning CoordinatorGarry Harney.

BT homeworkers got the chance to put theircookery questions to Michelin-starred chef TobyHill in a conference call organised by ConnectULR Simon Williams on Learning At Work Day.

Having learned from world-class chefs GordonRamsay and Raymond Blanc, Toby talked aboutworking his way up through the ranks, emphasised

the importance of learning throughout life andeven shared his recipe for chocolate pudding.

“The whole idea was to organisesomething that would be fun to do, and

we’ve had very positive feedback frommembers,” says Simon Williams.

“Toby enjoyed doing it andwe’re looking into developingfurther events in which we coulduse the technology available tolink him up with our members.”

Ready steady call!

South West

North West

Unionlearn has helped unionslay on a record number of betterevents to mark Learning At WorkDay successfully raising theprofile of workplace learning ingeneral this year, saysunionlearn Director Liz Smith.“From the feedback I’ve had, it’s

been absolutely fantastic!” she said.“The range of workplaces involvedseems to me to have been terrific,and the Campaign for Learning (whocoordinate the day) say that whatwe’ve been able to do this year is totransform the whole scale andambition of the event.”

Unionlearn grantsboost LAWDay

Southern & Eastern

We say

28-29 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 15:33

summer 2008 « 29

Learning At Work Day « Roundup «

Over 300 workers from Derby’s Toyota plant triedout Tai Chi, musical instruments, foreignlanguage tasters, Quick Reads and quizzes whenUnite the union marked Learning At Work Day.“This was an excellent day, especially as over

70 per cent of those taking part were new to a learningevent,” commented Unite Regional Officer TomSawyer. “Thecompany and ULRsare working welltogether and withproviders to ensureeveryone candevelop new skills.”The event was just

one of 115 laid onby unions acrossthe Midlands onLearning AtWorkDay and throughout Adult Learners’ Week.� Over 100 Polish people attended an event staged

by Unite the union which gave them the chance topick up information, advice and community supportfrom learning providers, housing services, localcommunity police and fire services and manyothers, and learn about the benefits of carrying aunion card.

� Over 100 employees from across all shifts atpublishing company Pearsons’ Rugby warehousetook part in a Love to Learn event organised byUnite ULRs and the company, including a Move Onliteracy and numeracy quiz as well as theopportunity to find out more about NVQs offeredon site.

� Unite ULRs at the Royal Bank of Scotland inBirmingham held an outdoor recruitment aimed atstaff and contractors from the finance sector toshow the relevance of modern trade unions andlifelong learning in a globalised economy.

Hand massages relaxed HMRC staff

Shifting gears at Toyota

Stockton Borough Council signedthe Government’s Skills Pledge onLearning AtWork Day in the North-East, to demonstrate itscommitment to extending thework of the UNISON-led TakingStock in Stockton (TSiS), whichhas become self-sustainingthis year.Over the past four years, TSiS has

engaged over 800 learners at theauthority, with the help of theregional Learning For All Fund.

“When our formal funding came toan end, it was imperative to maintainthe momentum created by TSiS,”explained UNISON LocalGovernment Branch EducationOfficer John Brookes.“The Council's commitment to the

Skills Pledge will ensure that thefantastic work that the Learning forAll Fund money has allowed willcontinue, and keep on making avaluable difference to staff here atStockton Borough Council.”

Stockton council signsSkills Pledge

MidlandsYorkshire & The Humber

Northern

PCS ULR Nikki Conlon took a“hands-on” approach to LearningAt Work Day, organising handmassages for staff at HMCustoms and Revenue in Grimsby.A tutor from the local Franklin

College demonstrated how it wasdone and showed staff how togive each other hand massages– especially welcomed bycomputer keyboard users.But the massages were just

one of a massive range ofopportunities laid on for LearningAt Work Day, but spread over thewhole of Adult Learners’ Week toensure the broadest range of staffcould join in at least one activity.Over 140 staff took the chance

to join in at least one of:� Lush cosmetics demonstration;� “one-off” book club;� Japanese taster session;� recycling information;� greeting card workshop;� Excel workshop.

Handy hints for HMRC staff

“Feedback received has beenexcellent and at least everyone learntone thing from all the events,” Nikkisaid. “For my own part, the eventsheld this year and the participationhas made it the best one ever: thehardest part is trying to achievesomething better next year!”

Yorkshire & Humberside

Sparkling pledge(from left): LSCPartnershipDirector ValGoodrum, CouncilLeader KenLupton, ChiefExecutive GeorgeGarlick, UNISONULR John Brookesand unionlearnRegionalManager BarneyMcGill

28-29 LR Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 15:33

30 » summer 2008

» UnionlearnTel: 020 7079 6920Fax: 020 7079 [email protected] Liz SmithTel: 020 7079 [email protected]

» National unionlearnmanagersStandards and QualityIan BorkettTel: 020 7079 [email protected] and StrategyBert CloughTel: 020 7079 [email protected] and FinanceMatthew Fernandez-GrahamTel: 020 7079 [email protected] PowerTel: 020 7079 [email protected] Union EducationLiz ReesTel: 020 7079 [email protected] DevelopmentJudith SwiftTel: 0151 243 [email protected] Officer (ULF)Catherine McClennanTel: 07795 606 [email protected]

» U-Net centresHelen GagliassoTel: 0191 227 [email protected]

» WebsiteJay SreedharanTel: 020 7079 [email protected]

» Southern and EasternTel: 020 7467 1251Regional managerBarry FrancisUnion Development CoordinatorJon TennisonRegional Education OfficersRob HancockAngela Perry

» MidlandsTel: 0121 236 4454Regional managerMary AlysUnion Development CoordinatorGary O’DonnellRegional Education OfficerPete Try

» NorthernRegional managerBarney McGillTel: 0191 227 5552Union Development CoordinatorElizabeth KilloranTel: 0191 227 5557Regional Education OfficerIan WestTel: 0191 227 5572

» North WestRegional ManagerDave EvaTel: 0151 236 2321Union Development CoordinatorTony SaundersLiverpool officeTel: 0151 236 2321Manchester officeTel: 0161 445 0077Regional Education OfficerPeter HollandTel: 0151 243 2564

» South WestRegional ManagerTel: 0117 947 0521Helen ColeUnion Development CoordinatorRos Etheridge

Regional Development Workers:BristolAlan ShearnTel: 0117 947 0521CornwallGeoff HaleTel: 01209 611 604Regional Education OfficerMarie HughesTel: 0117 933 4443

» Yorkshire and theHumber

Tel: 0113 245 4909Regional ManagerAlan RoeUnion Development CoordinatorSharon Burke,Regional Education OfficerTrevor SargisonTel: 0113 200 1071

» Union contactsAspect Judith HibbertTel: 07968 322 [email protected] Mark HoldingTel: 020 7782 [email protected] Brian KellyTel: 020 7346 [email protected] Dorban IppomaTel: 020 8801 0980dorban58@yahooBSU Vikki BothamTel: 07717 805 [email protected] Kirsi KekkiTel: 020 8971 [email protected] Trish LavelleTel: 020 8971 [email protected] Louise GraingerTel: 020 7670 [email protected] Trevor ShanahanTel: 07917 75 [email protected] Martin FurlongTel: 020 7401 [email protected]

unionlearn contactsAll TUC email addresses are first initial followed by [email protected]

» contacts

30 31 Summer 08:Layout 1 copy 4 10/7/08 17:20 Page 2

summer 2008 « 31

resources «

MU Pauline DalbyTel: 020 7840 [email protected] Ranjit SinghTel: 07943 827 [email protected] Jennifer Moses,Stephen SmithTel: 0121 453 [email protected] Linda KingTel: 020 7843 [email protected] Andrew Parry WilliamsTel: 020 7380 4800/[email protected] David McEvoyTel: 020 7801 2727 ext [email protected] Alan IrwinTel: 07717 467 [email protected] Andy RowettTel: 07917 699 [email protected] Rachel BennettTel: 020 7902 [email protected] Linda McBrideTel: 020 7647 [email protected] Jeff HopewellTel: 01302 360 [email protected] Pam JohnsonTel: 020 7551 [email protected] – the unionTom BeattieTel: 020 8462 [email protected] MowattTel: 020 7611 [email protected] Gerald CrookesTel: 01782 280 [email protected] Graham CooperTel: 07795 562 [email protected] Ann MurphyTel: 0161 224 [email protected]

1Create a network of ULR's in your areaand keep in touch. It’s good to share

ideas and boost ULR motivation.

2Use positive language. Even if you aredealing with union and company

officials who have closed minds, positivelanguage can win over a negativemindset. It also works wonders withlearners.

3Keep your union profile high. Letpeople see you putting up posters and

handing out leaflets

4Be organised. Keep a note of learnerinterests, so if in future a opportunity

arises, you know exactly who toapproach.

5Get savvy with electroniccommunication and online tools.

Plugging into the ‘knowledge economy’will enable you to keep abreast of currentdevelopments.

6Listen and be patient. People willtell you gems of information if you

let them.

7De-smog paperwork. Internal staffforms can be complicated and deter

staff from completing them and riskmissing out on opportunities. Alter theforms to make them easier to understandand less intimidating.

8Keep on the ‘communication highway’i.e. always keep members' and branch

reps/officers informed of plans anddevelopments.

9Have all the latest college, union andlocal authority information on courses

and events to hand. You never knowwhen they come in useful.

10Have fun. Don't take the knocksand disappointments personally.

ULR’s have a really rewarding role, soenjoy it.

“I’ve heard that unionlearn makessome of its courses available to studyonline. I’m interested in taking one ofthe courses but could you explain howthey work?”

As you can see from this issue ofLearning Rep this is a timely question.More and more union reps are thinkingabout doing their courses online. Inresponse, TUC Education has madeavailable a range of online courses, whichcan be accessed using a simple, easy touse, web-based learning environmentcalled Moodle. A list of current courses canbe found at www.unionlearn.org.uk/online

The online courses are modeled on theirclassroom equivalents and follow thecollective and collaborative approach tolearning that has proved so successful forTUC Education in the classroom. Thosereps that have completed courses with TUCEducation before will recognise andunderstand the approach we’ve recreatedonline. Group activities take place using a

mix of online discussion boards, workplacetasks and individual project work. Thoselearners that choose to take online coursesreceive support and guidance from tutorsworking in TU Education centres up anddown the country, all of whom have specialqualifications in online learning.

Our online courses cover the sametopics as the classroom versions, andlearners that complete online coursesreceive the same accredited qualificationsas trade union reps learning via traditionalmethods. Although you are not required tologin at specific times, you will need tocomplete activities on a regular basis.

All successful applicants to TUCEducation online courses are required totake a pre-course module called GettingReady for E-learning (GREL). The GRELmodule will help you understand therequirements and processes involved inonline learning, help you familiariseyourself with Moodle and let you ‘meet’your virtual class mates.

A

Q

Have you discovered handy tips that other reps would find useful? Submit your top tipsand you’ll get five copies of A Place Of Execution by Val McDermid, for your workplacelearning centre, bookshelf, or reading group. www.unionlearn.org.uk/toptip

Jay knowsJay Sreedharan, unionlearn’s website officer, answerssome recent questions raised by site visitors

Top tips from you

30 31 Summer 08:Layout 1 copy 4 10/7/08 17:20 Page 3

Resources « Roundup «

Order now fromwww.unionlearn.org.uk/freebooksAnd postage and packing is also free

Organising for learning:Building union

organisation through learningThis pack contains a handy how-to-do-it guide to organisingthrough learning. It also includesseven union case studies thatback up the guide.

TUC EducationOnline: The

learners’ PerspectiveThis 16-page publicationcontains the outcome of asurvey of students takingTUC Education coursesonline. With full of detailsand experiences of studyingonline, this publicationgives new and valuableinsights.

Using theunion learning

Climbing FrameSix case studies of theClimbing Frame being usedby ULRs are recorded inthis publication. They showhow this easy-to-useelectronic tool allows ULRsto support learnersthroughout their learningjourney.

Opening doors to learning: ULRsurvey report 2008

This survey of what the report calls “a newbreed of activist” reveals that one-third ofthose becoming ULRs are taking on a unionrole for the first time. This is the fourth majorsurvey of ULRs’ work.

Working for LearnersThis new, updated handbook

is a must-have for all ULRs. It coverslearning and organising, benefits ofULRs, functions and rights, ULRagreements, ULR activities, ULRtraining, and support for learning.Plus a jargon-buster, resources listand contacts.

Local heroes –the importance of

ULRs – DVDOver 5,000 copies nowdistributed. This film tellsof the vital role of ULRs.

Stay abreast ofwhat’s happening in

the union learning world.Order more copies of thisedition of the LearningRep. Pass themon to colleagues,learners andanyoneinterested inunion learning.

Our Second Year: unionlearnannual report 2008

Packed full of information aboutunionlearn’s work over the pastyear, this report’sdesign isaccessible, clearand providesexcellentphotographiccase studies oflearners.

Freematerials

newTrade unions aim higherA whole range of case

studies in this publication tellthe stories of trade unionmembers who have moved intohigher level learning. Many ofthem took courses through theOpen University.

new

new

new

new

new

32 Summer 08:Layout 1 10/7/08 15:01 Page 1

the learning rep - summer 08

Documents

annual conference news

union learning reps

lr summer

union learning funduntil

conference thatdius

yearsuccess story2 summer

learninglearning repthe

conference platform