A ULR toolkit for developing informal learning at work

UNISON branches up throughout the UK havebeen setting up informal learning sessions toencourage members and potential members to try something new. The range of short,enjoyable, interactive sessions has beenenormous – from archery to dance classes,financial briefings to poetry workshops,photography groups to history classes.

The benefits of all this activity are clear – not only to

the members involved, some of them taking their

first steps back into any form of learning for many

years, but to the branches themselves, whose raised

profiles have attracted new members to join and

activists to come forward. Informal learning also

helps build a deeper cohesion in UNISON as a

whole, since many kinds of sessions take learners

into places where other members work (such as

libraries, community centres and colleges), giving

them the chance to better understand their roles

and support their services.

This informal learning activity hasn’t suddenly

appeared out of nowhere: it’s grown out of the

traditions of trade union education which UNISON is

steeped in. We have been planning and delivering

learning of this sort for generations, bringing people

together outside a classroom setting to help them

develop the knowledge and skills they need to

become active workplace reps. But now we’re

widening participation, reaching out to involve more

people in a wider range of activities, all of them with

this twin focus of helping individual members and

boosting union organisation.

We hope this toolkit will prove useful both for

experienced learning reps and for newer activists

who are looking for suggestions about effective and

enjoyable activities they could run with little or no

specialist help and little or no financial outlay. Most

of the activities have already been road-tested by

UNISON branches up and down the country, and

their tips have been included wherever possible.

FOREWORD

Writing/research: Matthew Egan, M.Egan@unison.co.ukEditor: Martin Moriarty, martinmoriarty@mac.comDesign: www.design-mill.co.ukCover picture: XxxxxPublished by: UNISON Printed by: UNISON, 1 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9AJ

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This informal learningactivity hasn’t suddenly

appeared out of nowhere: it’sgrown out of the traditions oftrade union education whichUNISON is steeped in

CAN WE HAVE APIC HERE? ANYSUGGESTIONS?

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WHAT IS INFORMAL LEARNING?

Informal learning is a kaleidoscope of part-time,non-vocational courses, sessions, workshopsand tasters that you take part in simply becauseyou want to, for their own sake.

Unlike formal learning, informal learning does

not involve a course with a curriculum and a

set schedule that finishes with a certificate

or qualification.

Art classes, dance classes, book groups, cookery

or craft courses, guided visits to nature reserves,

museums or stately homes or tracing your family

tree – they’re all forms of informal learning.

These activities not only help to develop

confidence and empower members, but also

help to build union organisation.

UNISON has produced this toolkit to show ULRs

how easy and how rewarding it can be to organise

do it yourself learning in the workplace.

It offers suggestions on a wide range of different

subjects so that reps can quickly and easily find a

theme their members will be interested in, and then

have enough information and signposts to further

resources to put together a session either by

themselves or alongside someone with specialist

knowledge or skills.

Each activity is accompanied by a short guide

outlining some of the key points to take into

account (‘The Knowledge’), while some activities

include short outline session plans

(‘Step By Step’), with cross-references

to more detailed resources on the

Learning and Organising Services

(LAOS) section of the UNISON website.

The vast majority of these activities

have already been tried and tested by

UNISON branches up and down the

country. We hope the toolkit will

make it easier for you to follow in

their footsteps and encourage more

of your members and potential

members to try do it yourself

learning.

PHOTOS: JESS HURD 5

UNISON is encouraging all its union learning reps (ULRs) to explore the

possibilities of informal learning because it:

• helps often understandably reluctant members to re-enter the world of learning in a non-competitive, non-threatening environment;

• offers members who feel intimidated by the prospect of undertaking a formal, work-related qualification the alternative of an informal course in a subject that already interests them;

• encourages learners to progress onto more formal qualifications and into UNISON’s own activist education programme;

• enhances the union’s reputation by showing how it can offer interestingand enjoyable learning opportunities as well as rock-solid industrial support;

• improves workplace morale by providing a route into the kind of workplace training that can help members feel more valued and therefore more productive.

WHY IT WORKS

The toolkit will make iteasier for you to follow in

their footsteps and encouragemore of your members andpotential members to tryinformal learning

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HOW TO USE THIS TOOLKIT

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UNISON Learning and Organising Services hasproduced this toolkit to help union learning reps runshort, enjoyable learning sessions in the workplacethat give people the chance to try something new,such as cookery, poetry or history.

It shows how easy it can be to put on an interesting

and informative learning session over a lunchtime,

with few expenses beyond publicity and room hire,

little need for specialist equipment (a flipchart,

paper and pens will usually do), and no external

tutors (in most cases).

The majority of the activities come directly

from other ULRs in UNISON who have already

ran them successfully in their own workplaces,

and we’ve included some of their hints and

tips to help encourage more learning reps to

follow their lead.

One of the ideas behind the toolkit is to give

ULRs the chance to run short sessions in the

workplace themselves.

UNISON will be running training sessions to help

learning reps who don’t yet feel confident enough

to facilitate one of these sessions, and your

regional education team will also be happy to

advise.

In addition, ULRs can network with each other

to get help and support. UNISON and unionlearn

regions hold ULR networking events throughout

the year where you can meet reps dealing with

the same and similar issues. You can also use

UNISON’s online ULR forum ULRNet to get

support and encouragement.

All the activities include

details of the aims of the

session, how long it should last,

and what specialist equipment or

materials you might need (if

any). In some cases, we’ve

signposted ULRs to the LAOS section of

the UNISON website for more detailed

session plans, tutor notes or learning surveys

than could be practically included in a publication

of this size.

We know that some ULRs finish their training

and then find themselves wondering what to do.

We hope that this toolkit will give them good

examples of the range of work that they can

undertake in their workplace.

We will be adding to the online version of this

toolkit as and when new activities are developed

for our ULRs to use. If you would like to contribute

any suggestions, please email

learning&organisingenquiries@unison.co.uk

1Talk to your branch education coordinator

and any other ULRs in your workplace to

make sure everyone is interested and

supportive about running community

education in the workplace.

2Discuss informal learning with your

employer and show how running short

informal learning sessions during lunchtimes,

for example, can benefit the workplace.

3If you’re running sessions that require

specialist tutors or facilitators (eg, foreign

languages), discuss what you need with local

colleges and choose a provider with whom you

have a good rapport.

4Survey your members and find out what

they’re interested in – and check to see if

any of your members have the confidence and

the skills to run sessions themselves.

5Make use of schemes such as Quick Reads

and the Six Book Challenge, resources

such as local libraries and UNISON’s online

forum ULRNet and events such as Learning At

Work Day and Adult Learners’ Week to help

promote community education in your

workplace.

6Offer sessions that are relevant: lots of

members and potential members will be

interested in practical advice to help them get

on top of their money problems, and if

redundancies are on the cards, job skills

sessions are likely to prove popular.

SIX STEPS TO SUCCESS

One of the ideas behindthe toolkit is to give

ULRs the chance to run shortsessions in the workplacethemselves

The best way of finding out what kind of

informal learning would prove popular is by

talking to members and potential members in

the workplace.

ULRs can simply talk to people, or survey

learning needs with a paper or intranet form

(there’s a sample form on the LAOS website).

Make sure you give people options that

you would be comfortable running or

confident of finding an external facilitator for:

don’t give them the option of paragliding

lessons if you know it’s something that you

could never hope to run.

You can also ask members if they have the

skills and confidence to teach others – perhaps

someone who speaks fluent French could run

a class or a passionate digital photographer

would be happy to share their expertise.

When distributing your survey, make use of

your branch structures and ask whether your

employer will help too. When you get the

survey back, you’ll have a far better idea of

what sort of learning people will want to do.

WHAT DO YOURMEMBERS WANT?

FIND OUT MOREContact your Regional Learning Organiser(details are on the LAOS section of theUNISON website). Call UNISONdirect on0845 355 0845. Email LAOS:learning&organisingenquiries@unison.co.uk

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GETTING YOUR BRANCH ONBOARD

To make sure your work promoting communityeducation is as effective as possible, ULRs needthe support and involvement of their branches. A great way of securing branch support is to offer to run an informal debriefing session on a recent activity or campaign to help activistslearn effective ways of improving theirperformance.

How to promote learning to your branch 1 Talk to your branch education officer/lifelong

learning co-ordinator (or your branch secretary

if those roles aren’t filled) to find out if any other

ULRs and activists are promoting community

education in the workplace. Get in touch with

them and let them know you want to get

involved.

2 Attend a branch committee meeting to give

a presentation on the benefits of community

education in the workplace, or invite your

regional learning organiser to provide the

presentation if you don’t yet feel confident

enough.

3 When discussing any aspect of workplace

learning with branch committee members,

remind them how it can:

• boost recruitment;

• enhance members’ involvement in and

satisfaction with UNISON;

• attract new and different activists;

• improve industrial relations.

FIND OUT MOREFor more in-depth advice and guidance on encouraging your branch to supportcommunity education in the workplace andthe range of benefits it can bring, please see UNISON’s Branch Guide to LifelongLearning (Dec 2009).

You don’t have to knowa lot about the activity

under discussion – your roleis to facilitate the discussion

This is a good activity for ULRs to offer as a way of getting more involved in the core activities oftheir branch, and could be run after a recruitment campaign, for instance. Effective debriefingsessions focus on the lessons branch activists can learn and successfully avoids blaming orfinger-pointing.

STEP ONEStart by asking everyone for their initial feelings about the activity/campaign: this givespeople the opportunity to express themselves and talk freely. Don’t skip this step – if you do,participants will be waiting to speak instead of reflecting on the lessons they could learn.

STEP TWOIdentify objective facts: it’s vital to maintain the focus on objective fact, not subjectiveinterpretation. Go around the group and compile a list of points, such as:• how many members were recruited;

• how many new stewards the branch has;• which targets were met and which not met.Resist the temptation to offer commentary at this step of debriefing.

STEP THREEDiscuss the positive: Knowing what went right is critical – especially in the context of a losswhere it will be harder to see. The goal is to identify as many items as possible that went rightand list them. Don’t include criticisms in this step – you’ll have plenty of time for that later.

STEP FOURCriticism: Effective criticism points out shortcomings and weaknesses with the aim of improvingyour branch performance. Blame and finger-pointing lead to ineffective criticism. Once again listthe points made from the group.

STEP FIVENew ideas: Looking over your two lists, ask everyone what lessons they can learn and how theywill subsequently make adjustments to the way the branch operates. Make a note of whatsuggestions people make and write them up for the branch. Make sure the branch refers to themwhen planning the next activity/campaign.

THE ART OF DEBRIEFING

What’s the aim of the session? To involve

ULRs in mainstream branch activity and show

activists how to learn lessons and improve

their performance in their roles.

Who’s the target audience? Branch activists.

How long does it take? No more than an hour

to ensure the sessions remains tightly focused

– allow around ten minutes for each step.

Who can run the session? ULRs. You don’t

have to know a lot about the activity under

discussion – your role is to facilitate the

discussion and extract pertinent points.

Do you need any special materials? Flipchart

and pens.

THE KNOWLEDGE

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This is the outline for a discussion meeting in which the a ULR or lifelong learning co-ordinator

can help branch colleagues to plan a strategy for talking to under-represented or non-unionised

workers about learning, their links in the community, and issues which are important to them.

1 Start by agreeing which areas or workplaces you want to target first. Choose one where there

are likely to be particular learning needs or groups of workers who don’t normally have

access either to employer training or which are non-unionised. (It would be helpful to agree

this in advance so you can make sure you have the relevant mapping information).

2 Share the mapping information available. Ask everyone to help set this out as a workplace

map, in which you sketch out the different parts of the workplace and make a note of the

information currently available about who works there.

3 Introduce the headings in the record sheet (example below) and as a group add any extra

headings you think might be useful to the branch.

4 Practise starting a conversation about learning and the community. Ask everyone to work in

pairs to agree how they will start a conversation with workers and make a note of their ideas.

Then ask everyone to move around and take it in turns to practise starting a conversation

with one or two other members of the group. The person who is the worker should respond

in a way that is realistic for the workplace you want to focus on.

5 Feedback as a whole group on what worked best and write these points on flipchart.

6 Look back to the mapping information, and agree:

• when would be a good time to talk to workers, and over what time frame

• who will aim to talk to which workers

• when you will meet again to review the completed record sheets and plan the next steps.

TALKING TO WORKERS ABOUT LEARNING

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PROMOTING LEARNING

ULRs or lifelong learning co-ordinators can helpbranch colleagues plan a strategy for talking tounder-represented or non-unionised workersabout learning, their links in the community,and issues which are important to them withthis interactive activity.

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What’s the aim of the session? To promote

the learning agenda in the branch and in non-

unionised workplaces.

Who’s the target audience? Run this session

with branch officers and other Union Learning

Reps (eg, at a branch committee or a branch

education team meeting).

How long does it take? 45 – 90 minutes,

depending on the amount of mapping

information already available.

How much does it cost? Nothing.

Who can run this session? A ULR or other

branch representative

What special materials will you need? A list of

names of employees in the areas you want to

focus on to develop learning activity. This

should be available from the branch or from the

employer. Any additional mapping information

from the branch. Information about ULRs and

community learning champions. Flipchart and

pens and a room you can move around in.

Record sheets (see below).

THE KNOWLEDGE

Name

Date spoken to

Workplace issues

Possible learning needs

Follow up needed/ by when

Links to community organisations?

Other

Potential learning champion/ULR?

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CONVINCING YOUR EMPLOYER

When employers support informal learning (byreleasing staff, providing rooms and facilitiesand even contributing towards the costs), they not only help ensure the success of thesessions – they also increase the likelihood of their staff trying a relaxed taster and thenmoving on to taking a formal qualification.

Hundreds of staff at Manchester Airport have

been taking courses in languages, money

management and digital photography since

the Airport Learn centre opened onsite in

September 2009.

Launched through a partnership between

management, unions and local provider

Trafford College, the centre has proved popular

with managers and staff alike.

Offering work-related qualifications as

well as non-vocational courses, the centre

has lifted morale, increased employee

engagement, reduced sickness absence and

helped cut down customer complaints,

according to Manchester Airport UNISON

Branch Education Co-ordinator Tracey

Thompson.

“I’m absolutely passionate about what

the Airport Learn product stands for, and

contributing to the delivery gives me a

tremendous sense of achievement,”

Tracey says.

“Whether it’s for career development or

personal reasons it’s a win-win situation,

helping to build confidence in employees at the

same time as building a better skilled and more

content workforce, which can only contribute to

the company’s goals in a positive way.”

Tracey’s enthusiasm is matched by

engineering manager Simon Quinn’s. Before

the creation of Airport Learn, he says it was

always a struggle to reconcile time off for

staff to train with the more immediate needs

of the business.

“It was a relief not only to myself but for my

team to be able to offer not only work-related

courses like First Aid and computer courses,

but also a chance to offer courses which

covered personal interests like digital

photography,” he says.

“Allowing my team to take up these

opportunities so close to their working

environment has allowed me to release

them from shift without the need to create

overtime at a cost to the business – and

so everyone is happy.”

Expanding staff horizons through Airport

Learn has helped create a more positive

attitude in the team, he says, and people

who have taken courses are talking in their

Colleague Achievement Reviews about how

delighted they are to have been given the

opportunities for development.

Staff have moved on from informal learning

to develop themselves professionally, as one

UNISON member explains: “I found both the

hanging baskets and containers and pots

demonstrations very worthwhile and

enjoyable: although they were taster

courses they have inspired me to do a

further course in IT.”

Tracey argues that more companies should

adopt the Manchester model, and facilitate

personal development as well as professional

qualifications. “Employers should invest in

projects such as Airport Learn because they

help enhance people’s lives,” she argues.

CASE STUDY

You are cleared for take-off

Encouraging staff to take up learning for their

own personal enjoyment or satisfaction can

help bring many benefits to the workplace:

• boosting morale;• encouraging interaction between staff;• improving industrial relations.

In addition, informal, non-accredited

courses can help many people overcome their

own personal resistance to trying something

more formal and vocational.

Sessions on subjects such as genealogy

or digital photography can be a brilliantly

unthreatening route back into the world of

learning for people whose schooldays

might not have been the happiest days

of their lives.

MAKING THE ARGUMENTS

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FIND OUT MOREThere’s more in-depth advice and guidanceabout how to gain your employer’s supportfor all sorts of workplace learning inUNISON’s Branch Guide to LifelongLearning (Dec 2009).

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WORKING WITH PROVIDERS

Most of the sessions in this toolkit can be run bya ULR, branch rep or UNISON staff member butsome informal learning works best when it’sprovided by a local college (such as holidaylanguage classes, digital photography sessions,Pilates). These tips on working with providershave been prepared to help you get the best outof their expertise.

1 Pick the right provider• Only work with providers that share the UNISON

ethos and with which you have a good

relationship or feel a rapport.

• Speak to as many providers as possible to see

what they all offer: don’t just go with the first one

who offers what you need.

• Ask for a dedicated person to deal with the

event/sessions.

• Draw up a document that agrees what each side

is responsible for (ie, tables, projectors, etc.).

• Ask for demonstrations of what will be provided .

• Meet the tutors.

• Ask the tutors to ensure people have a go rather

than just talking at them: make sessions fun.

2 Location, location, location• Think about where staff are based and normally

visit at certain hours.

• Remember to provide for staff on shifts/set

hours.

• Ensure that the location is fit for purpose (ie, has

electrical sockets, enough room, natural light).

• Provide food for the event so that staff can attend

over their lunch break.

• Lots of small sessions over a period of time are

better attended than one big event.

• Ensure there is enough room in the location with

lots of natural light.

3 Advertise • Be clear what’s on offer.

• If the sessions are free, say so! If not, specify

the cost.

• Be specific with times, dates and location if

possible.

• Make the adverts colourful and inviting.

• Use a large font.

• Get permission to use logos.

• You can never advertise too much!

• Remind people via a leaflet drop/web alert on

the day.

• Always advertise the course as provided by

UNISON.

4 Be prepared• Be available and visible on the day.

• Always have spare equipment available such as

extension leads, laptops.

• Ensure that IT is on standby in case any problems

arise.

• UNISON bags (including free pens and

application forms) are always a hit!

• Have UNISON application forms handy.

• Ensure the sessions look welcoming

(ie, not like school).

USE THE WEAAs well as getting in touch with localcolleges, contact the Workers’ EducationalAssociation, which has put on a range oflearning activities for unions over the years.Visit: www.wea.org.uk

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It’s always good to be clear on who’sresponsible for what.1 ULR• Acts as main contact between learners and

course tutor/provider.

• Ensures that learners are aware of any costs.

• Emails a list of interested learners to

tutor/provider.

• Ensures that learners are aware of course

detail and payment deadlines.

• Ensures that learners and tutor have access

to course venue.

• Ensures that UNISON evaluation forms are

distributed before final session.

• Keeps an updated list of names of learners

for future reference.

• Contacts provider with queries about

payments.

• Ensures learners know about UNISON’s

involvement in the course and encourages

them to get involved in other branch

activity.

2 Tutor/provider• Deals with all course payments and

payment queries.

• Deals with all administration regarding the

organising of courses.

• Emails list of confirmed ‘paid learners’ to

UNISON ULRs and tutors before the start of

the course.

• Ensures that learners are aware of the

discount for UNISON members.

3 Learners• Contacts ULR if interested in attending a

course.

• Informs ULR of any change in circumstances

that prevents attendance.

• Pays course fees in full, before payment

deadline, to confirm place.

WHO DOES WHAT

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ULRnet

UNISON’s online forum for learning reps is avery useful tool for keeping up with all thechanges in the world of lifelong learning. Butit’s also much more than that: by allowing youto make contact (and stay in touch) with ULRsacross the country, ULRNet means you help andsupport is only ever a few keystrokes away.

FIND OUT MORETo join ULRNet, simply request your logondetails from Learning and WorkforceDevelopment Officer Jane Shepherdj.shepherd@unison.co.uk

The online learning rep forum ULRNet is

“probably one of the best learning

resources UNISON provides,” according to

Wolverhampton General Branch Education

Officer and ULR Alan Marriott.

“It’s a brilliant way of keeping in touch with

learning rep colleagues across the UK. The

more people use it the better: it’s a great

example of how useful online access and IT

skills can be for ULRs,” he suggests.

ULRNet enables learning reps to:• share ideas, documents and useful

information;• keep in touch with each other on what’s

happening in their workplaces/local areas;• meet colleagues working on similar

elements of the workplace learning agenda;• keep up to date with national policies and

initiatives that impact on union learning.ULRs looking for ideas and inspiration can

logon to the forum and simply ask for help

from the friendly learning reps from all over the

country who use the forum – they’re always

happy to share their experiences.

There are some pre-existing discussions of

informal learning on the forum, but you

shouldn’t feel restricted by them: if you have a

question about something new that isn’t

covered elsewhere, simply start a new thread

and find out what other ULRs have got to say.

Alan has used the forum to make contact

with people he wouldn’t have met in the normal

course of his work, and being part of the forum

has encouraged him to develop his own ideas

and share them with fellow learning reps.

ULRNet has also helped keep him motivated

while lifelong learning has been establishing

itself in the union. “It can be fun just making

that contact with people who share your

enthusiasms and interest in an area of union

work that is still not as well recognised for its

value as it should be,” he argues.

CASE STUDY

Useful things happen on the way to the forum

I’ve found ULRNet to be a fantastic source

of ideas and support: I wouldencourage all ULRs to getsigned up and get involved!Cassandra Haywood, Learning Coordinator,Leicestershire County Branch

USING SOCIAL MEDIA

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Social media such as Facebook, Twitter andYouTube mean you and your branch could builda more interactive relationship with yourmembers, potential members and supporters:they can all be more time-consuming tomaintain and update than a traditional website,but the potential rewards are that much bigger– not least because social media postings havethe potential to go ‘viral’, spreading from oneuser to another incredibly quickly.

BlogsBlogs enable you to write and post regular columns

online without the space restrictions that help make

websites easily readable, giving you the chance to

post pieces with fuller analysis and get immediate

feedback from readers through the ‘comment’

function. You’ll usually need to use a blogging

provider such as WordPress, LiveJournal or

Blogger (all free).

UNISON Scotland: unison-scotland.blogspot.com/

FacebookFacebook is currently the biggest social

networking site, and many unions and campaigns

have set up Facebook groups so they can quickly

alert group members with important news and

calls to action.

Find out how:www.facebook.com/help/?page=904#!/help/?section=using

Join UNISON’s Facebook groups: Main:facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/UNISON/108190912534823

NHS:www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/ournhsourfuture

Million Voices:www.facebook.com/home.php#!/amillionvoices

Young Members:www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/youngunison

False Economy (supported by UNISON):www.facebook.com/home.php#!/FalseEconomy

Other networking websites

False Economy: falseeconomy.org.uk/

Left foot forward: www.leftfootforward.org/

TwitterTwitter is a combination of a micro-blogging tool

and a social networking site that is a good way of

routing more traffic to your blog and building a

relationship with your readership.

Find out how: www.twitter.com/about

Follow UNISON: #unisontweets and #unisonmv

YouTubeYouTube enables you to upload videos that you’ve

created onto its site, which acts as a global

distribution forum. Once the files are uploaded,

you can share them via email, blogging, or

Facebook, and embed them on your site or blog.

Find out how: www.youtube.com/t/about_youtube

Watch UNISON videos:www.youtube.com/user/UNISONTV

LOVE YOUR LOCAL LIBRARYThe aim of this exercise is to help you and your branchbegin to use social media. You could run the activity at a branch or branch committee meeting.

1 Find the video called ‘Love your Libraries: the People’sInquiry’ on the UNISON channel on YouTube.www.youtube.com/user/UNISONTV#p/u/19/C7QCszPvpbY2 Run the film using a computer with an internetconnection and a projector if available.3 Discuss the impact of the film, using some of thefollowing questions:

• Do you think the film has the potential to reach morepeople than a leaflet or a letter to the local newspaper?• How could you signpost more of your members andpotential members to the film?• Could you work with your local library to run an event orcampaign in the future?• Could you make a short film on a similar theme in your branch?• What theme would you choose? How could you explorethe theme in a short video? Would you film a series ofinterviews? Would you interview workers or serviceusers or both? Could you film any activities that helpmake your point?

4 Decide how you will follow up the activity. Can you puttogether a planning group? What specialist equipmentand knowledge and skills will you need? When do youaim to finish your film and upload it? How will you letpeople know?

FIND OUT MOREFurther advice about setting up a website or blog is included in the UNISON guide‘Effective campaigning – Using the newmedia and social networking sites’.Download your copy from

www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/19308.pdf

YouTube enables you to upload videos that

you’ve created onto its site,which acts as a globaldistribution forum

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POETRY WORKSHOPS

Poetry workshops boost members’ confidence,sharpen their appreciation of words andencourage creative self-expression. And thegreat thing about them is that they can beadapted to any topic, from the realities ofworking life to the pleasures of the worldbeyond the office.

What is a haiku?The haiku, which originated in Japan, is a short

poem using a total of 17 syllables in three lines of

five, seven and five.

Cherry, apple, rose,blossoms in countless colours –each one of them pink.

FIND OUT MOREFor advice on running your own poetryworkshop, please email LAOS to be put intouch with the Swindon branch:learning&organisingenquiries@unison.co.uk

Swindon Local Government Branch has been

running poetry workshops to help members

boost their confidence, improve their literacy and

listening skills and develop their interest in

creative writing.

As well as learning about different poetic

forms, participants moved on from playing with

words to writing their own poetry, either by

getting their ideas on paper themselves or

by working with ‘buddies’ with the necessary

writing skills.

Two local poets facilitated the workshops for

the branch: performance poet and former BBC

Gloucestershire Reading and Writing Ambassador

Marcus Moore did the honours in 2009, followed

in 2010 by Hilda Sheehan, chair of BlueGate

Poets, Swindon’s newest poetry society.

Workshop participants enjoyed all the

sessions, and came away with a real sense of

achievement by creating their own poems, which

were later read at a special event and published

in a booklet.

The branch came up with an unusual way to

encourage people to join in, in addition to all the

usual posters, intranet messages and emails: it

organised for the town’s community poet Tony

Hillier to spend a day in a lift at the council,

reciting poetry and asking staff for words that

could be used to help compose poems at the

workshops.

The branch continues to be involved in poetry

initiatives: encouraged by Lifelong Learning Co-

ordinator Shelly Fleming, a 50-strong team

knitted hundreds of individual letters on

squares that were then assembled into The

Cottager’s Evening by local poet Alfred Williams

(1877-1930) to mark National Poetry Day in

October 2010.

CASE STUDY

Having the rhyme of their lives

What’s the aim of the exercise? To help

people understand the haiku and write some

of their own.

Who’s the target audience? All members/

potential members.

How long do they take? An hour. You can run

more than one workshop, or a whole series.

You can also run a follow-up event where

members read their work.

How much do they cost? A local poet to

facilitate the workshop may charge for their

time, although some may be able to do it

for free.

How many members can attend?One workshop would be suitable for up

to ten people.

THE KNOWLEDGE

1Introduce the haiku as one example of the

different forms used in poetry. 10 minutes

2Read some haikus to the whole group.

10 minutes

3Break into pairs to write some haikus

together. 10 minutes

4Come back together to listen to haikus

participants have written. 15 minutes

5Signpost participants to where further help

and information is available. 5 minutes

6Set some homework, which could include

practising writing haikus individually and

looking at another topic (eg, acrostic poetry,

where the first letter of every line spells out a

word or phrase). 10 minutes

To see the detailed tutor notes, visitwww.unison.org.uk/laos and look for ‘Poetry workshop session plan’.

STEP BY STEP

2322

DEALING WITH DEBT

With unemployment increasing and prices rising,serious debt is becoming a significant issuethroughout the country. ULRs can help theirmembers and potential members by running shortsessions to help them get on top of their moneyproblems. Further additional activities including a short questionnaire are available online.

Identifying priority and non-priority debtsLook at the debts this member has built up and decide which are

priority and which are non-priority by ticking the relevant box.

1 Introduce the session and ask participants to brainstorm

what types of debt exist (eg, student loan, HP agreement

on a car, TV/sofa, credit card, mortgage) including

‘hidden’ debts (eg, season ticket loans, course fees).

2 Introduce the worksheet ‘What is a priority debt?’.

Divide the group into pairs to fill it in and then discuss

the answers. People need to know the differences so

that they can avoid the most severe consequences.

3 Discussion: write the following questions each at the

top of a different three flipcharts:

• What signs can indicate someone has financial

problems?

• What issues could members be facing inside or

outside of work that could indicate

financial problems?

• How could you approach a member to discuss

financial issues?

4 Take feedback on each point and signpost members

as appropriate.

ACTIVITY

What’s the aim of the session? To help

members begin to get to grips with debt

problems.

Who’s the target audience? Workplace reps,

members and potential members.

How long does it take? Around 45 minutes

(or up to 90 minutes with the addition of

further activities online).

How much does it cost? Nothing.

Who can run this session? A ULR or other

branch representative.

What will you need? Copies of the handout

and a flipchart and pens.

To see the detailed tutor notes, visitwww.unison.org.uk/laos and look for ‘Debt workshop session plan’.

THE KNOWLEDGE

23

FIND OUT MORE‘Making the most of your money’ is a free,hour-long presentation developed by theConsumer Financial Education Body (CFEB)and delivered in the workplace by speciallytrained presenters.

All you need do is generate a minimum of 20people to attend. To arrange a session, emailworkplace.team@moneymadeclear.org.uk

www.cfebuk.org.uk

Worksheet answers1 Priority: power supply companies can cut off customers in arrears – water supply cannot be disconnected.2 Priority: member may lose their job without use of a car.3 Non-priority: credit card issuer may add extra charges but member could negotiate lower repayments4 Priority: Member could be evicted for non-payment of rent; home could be repossessed in case of defaulting on mortgage.5 Non-priority: store card issuer may add extra charges but member could negotiate lower repayments.6 Priority: money could be taken from wages/benefits; member could be taken to court.7 Non-priority: member could ask for extension on loan

Type of debt Priority Non-priority Possible consequence

1 Owes money to the electricity/gas supply company

2 Behind on loan payments for a car they need for work

3 Has a credit card bill that they can’t pay

4 Owes landlord two months’ rent

5 Owes money on store card

6 Is behind with Council Tax

7 Owes money to sister

24

WORKING WITH LIBRARIES

Your local library is one of the best resources a ULR can ask for to help support informallearning. Libraries are always interested inworking with new partners and they provide awide range of resources and run many interestingactivities completely free of charge.

FIND OUT MORETelephone the enquiries desk of your locallibrary service and explain you’d like to workwith the library on a community educationproject or event: they’ll put you in touch withthe librarian who’ll be able to help you most.

L VE OUR LIBRARIESUNISON is campaigning to ensure goodpublic libraries remain at the heart of thecommunities they serve. For more details,visit www.unison.org.uk/localgov/loveyourlibraries.asp

Award-winning writer David Peace came to

Salford to talk about his work at a sell-out

event hosted by UNISON North West –

thanks to the union’s close links with Salford

Library Service.

It was the library service that put the union

in touch with the best-selling author, and also

helped promote and host the event in the

autumn of 2010.

David talked about his miners’ strike novel

GB84 alongside acclaimed photographer Keith

Pattison, with whom he collaborated on a

pictorial account of the dispute’s impact on

the Durham mining community of Easington,

No Redemption.

Actor Maxine Peake joined David to read

parts of the book, based on interviews David

conducted on polling day in 2010 with three of

the residents featured in Keith’s photographs

from 25 years ago.

“My novel is very bleak and very despairing

of what happened,” David says. “But with

Keith’s photographs and the interviews we

conducted, there is a narrative that I would

say is inspirational, due to the fact that for a

year people resisted the occupation of their

village and everything that that entailed.”

The event was very warmly received by the

mix of UNISON members and local library

users, with feedback including: “It was

powerful and very inspiring – stirring stuff

indeed!” and: “It was a really brilliant event:

I thought all the speakers were very inspiring –

when I got home I couldn’t decide what to start

reading first!”

Putting on the event also ensured that

great contacts were made between the union

and the library service, paving the way for

future joint working on areas like the Six

Book Challenge.

CASE STUDY

Looking back to move forward

Your local library service can help youpromote informal learning initiatives in a range of different ways.• Librarians can recommend books to help

complement any courses you are running,

from books on local history to guides to car

maintenance.

• Libraries provide a range of materials to help

your language learners – DVDs, audio CDs,

phrasebooks and electronic resources.

• Librarians can help learners find answers to

queries arising from any courses or adult

learning they’re undertaking, and can help

find books of interest to members looking to

learn about a particular subject.

• Larger libraries have access to many local

and family history resources, archive material

and parish records which can help you run

genealogy courses: expert staff can guide

you through the wealth of material.

• Many libraries run ICT taster sessions and

courses for beginners free of charge so that

people gain the confidence and skills they

need to use the library’s computers.

• Libraries run many informal learning events

you can signpost members to, from Human

Library events to talks by local and national

authors.

• Almost all libraries run reading groups, where

people can come together to discuss books

they have read.

CHECK THIS OUTMaxine Peake and David Peace

read from David’s work at a

sell-out event in Salford library.

26

CREDIT CRUNCH COOKERY

UNISON has developed its own Credit CrunchCookery Course, to show members how to cookquick and easy healthy meals on a budget. Butas well as learning about different ingredients,techniques and equipment, participants canalso sharpen their numeracy skills by workingout costs per head, managing portion controland converting between metric and imperialmeasurements.

FIND OUT MOREFor advice on running UNISON’s creditcrunch cookery course, please contactDavinder Sandhu in the LAOS team:D.Sandhu@unison.co.uk

Reading Borough Branch piloted UNISON’s

six-week Credit Crunch Cookery course in 2010

after a learning survey revealed members at

the authority were keen to develop their skills

in the kitchen.

As well as showing members how to cook

healthy meals on a budget, the course includes

discussions of organic food, food packaging and

recycling and also embeds numeracy issues such

as converting between imperial and metric

measurements, calculating cost per head and

managing portion control.

The tutor in Reading was chef Kevin

Muhammed, who led the course so well and

proved so popular with participants that the

branch invited him back to run cookery

demonstrations Adult Learners’ Week.

About 30 council staff attended the lunchtime

demonstrations and tasting sessions, which

featured both Caribbean and classic Italian cuisine,

while another nine people took part in an evening

family cooking workshop.

The sessions went down a treat with

participants and very effectively raised the

union’s profile at the authority. “Most people

asked when we’re going to do new courses,”

says Reading UNISON Assistant Branch Secretary

Pat Kenny.

CASE STUDY

Developing an appetite for learning

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Who’s the target audience? Credit crunch

cookery is suitable for everyone, whatever

their background or abilities.

How long do sessions take? There are six

sessions, each of 90 minutes.

How much do they cost? You’ll need to hire

a kitchen, buy all the ingredients, provide

equipment and pay a chef to run the course.

How many members can attend? Maximum of

12 participants, although numbers will depend

on the kitchen.

THE KNOWLEDGE

1Start with an ingredient test ice-breaker:

provide some unusual/exotic foods for

participants to identify. 10 minutes

2Make an initial assessment of participants’

previous experience and review dietary

requirements. 10 minutes

3Discuss health and safety/risk factors

in the kitchen (eg, knives, cross-

contamination). 10 minutes

4Introduce the dish (eg chicken/vegetable

chow mein), portion control (how to scale

up or scale down recipes depending on

numbers of people) and any special

techniques required. 20 minutes

5Demonstrate each step in the recipe,

including preparation of noodles, cooking

of chicken and vegetables, and presentation;

supervise as participants follow instructions

and finish with everyone tasting what they’ve

made. 25 minutes

6Wash up and clear.

10 minutes

7Encourage participants to discuss the

session and review their results and

introduce the dish they will be making in the

next session. 5 minutes

To see the detailed tutor notes, visitwww.unison.org.uk/laos and look for ‘Credit crunch cookery session plan’.

STEP BY STEP

It’s crucial to be positive when you apply for a job – beginning with the way you presentyourself and your skills in a letter, applicationfrom or CV. These confidence-building exercisescan help show people the best approach tobeing positive about all the skills, knowledgeand experience they have. You can encourageparticipants to work in pairs or by themselves.

IT'S THE WAY YOU TELL ’EMHow you write about your skills says a lot about how positive you feel as a person. It tells an employerhow much you value yourself and your experiences.

1 Look at these two statements:• “Spent 10 years at home with the children and now I want a change.”• “Decided to take a 10 year break from paid employment to support my children in their early years.Now they are independent the time is right for a new challenge.”2 How do you think the two writers feel about what they have done for the past 10 years? List your reasons.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVEUsing words from the list below, write a new positive version of the sentences below.1 Was asked to show new staff how to do the work.2 Had to keep an eye on what stock was needed and place new orders when we were running low.

3 The boss always asked me to fill in for people from other departments when they were short.4 I had to sort out the filing system and then show others how to use it.5 Used to do the books for the local playgroup: what you want is probably similar.6 The boss would often leave me to work by myself all day.

Positive wordsachieved assessed capable competentcommunicated consistent controlled co-ordinatedcreated designed developed directedeconomical effective efficient establishedexpanded guided implemented improvedinitiated knowledge managed monitoredorganised participated positive productiveresourceful responsible specialised successfulsupervised trained varied versatile

Exercise 3: possible answers1 Given responsibility for some staff induction.2 Organised stock control and purchase.3 Versatile and experienced in all areas within the company.4 Created the company’s filing system and organised staff training for its use.5 Controlled and kept audited records of Playgroup accounts, including petty cash: I feel this experience directly relates to thetasks in your job description.

6 I was encouraged to take on the responsibility of my work unsupervised.

Very often, people forget to include skills they have, because they take them for granted in

themselves and don’t see them as being important. These may be the very skills which would be

really useful to an employer.

Think about all the skills you have in the different areas of your life, and list them under the

heading below which fits best:

• at home

• at work

• voluntary work

• hobbies and interests

• any others.

ANYTHING YOU CAN DO

IMPROVE YOUR JOB SKILLS

What’s the aim of the session? To help build

participant’s confidence in their skills and help

them think about the best way to present

themselves when looking for a new job.

Who’s the target audience? All members

and potential members in the workplace,

especially those facing redundancy or

retirement or those interested in a

career change.

How long does it take? Approximately

60–90 minutes.

Who can run the session? ULRs

What special materials do you need? Paper

and pens; flipchart list of positive words.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Exercises adapted from the ‘Moving on:supporting members facing redundancy’pack produced by Ricky Hopkins for UNISON,rickyhopkins@sky.com. You can downloadthe full pack from the LAOS website.

29

30

HISTORY WORKSHOPS

You don’t have to be an expert historian toencourage debate and discussion about someof the flashpoints in the growth of the tradeunion movement through the industrial era.Armed with some relevant documents easilyavailable from online resources, you can run ahistorical session that will get people thinkingin a new way about the past and the present.

In Touch With Our Roots‘In Touch With Our Roots’ is a UNISON Northwest

project making available digitised versions of

documents about some of the important issues,

movements and people of the industrial era that

ULRs could use to launch a short history session

in the workplace.

www.unisonnw.org.uk/Roots/

The Union Makes Us Strong‘The Union Makes Us Strong: TUC History Online’

includes an extensive archive from the General

Strike of 1926 and the documented story of the

1888 ‘Match Girls’ strike at the Bryant and May

factory in east London.

www.unionhistory.info/

The Working Class Movement LibraryThe Working Class Movement Library website

includes a range of historical resources (in the

‘Learning’ section) that would be useful to ULRs

organising a discussions on issues such as the

Peterloo massacre, Luddites and Chartism.

www.wcml.org.uk/

LAOS Membership Development ProjectLAOS Membership Development staff are working

with the Modern Records Centre at Warwick

University (home of the archive records of UNISON

and its predecessors) to help members access

historical documents in local libraries and national

archives all over the country. Workshop materials

and resources will be available by the end of 2011.

Who’s the target audience? Anyone with an

interest in the history of the trade union

movement.

How long do sessions take? You could cover

a topic in 45 minutes.

How much do they cost? Download free

resources from the TUC Online, WCML or

UNISON LAOS websites. If you have access to

an internet-connected laptop and a projector,

you could also screen short films from online

resources.

Who can run sessions? Any union rep with an

interest in history: you don’t need to be an

expert on the subject – the idea is to

encouraging debate among participants.

What materials will you need? A laptop with

internet access and a projector, plus a

flipchart, paper and pens. You may also wish

to print some source materials from a relevant

website to hand out to participants.

THE KNOWLEDGE

The ‘Learning’ section of the website includes

a range of historical resourcesdesigned for schools thatwould be equally useful to ULRs

31

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The aim of this exercise is to reflect upon the

significance of protest in British democracy and

the trade union movement.

1 Ask how many people in the class are familiar with

The Peterloo Massacre.

2 Provide a brief overview of the event (using more

detailed tutor notes) and play UNISON’s video clip on

the subject.

3 Break the class into small groups and ask them

to reflect upon any protests that they have been

on. What were their experiences? Did they make

a difference?

INVESTIGATING THE PAST

HIGH QUALITY APPRENTICESHIPS

Union learning reps can help inform branchofficers and reps about apprenticeships andagree the best way to support high qualityapprenticeship schemes and apprentices in theworkplace by running short sessions to poolideas and develop strategies.

Run this session withbranch officers and

other Union Learning Reps(eg, at a branch committee or a branch education teammeeting).

The aim of this session is to increase understanding about apprenticeships and the branch’s role in

supporting them.

1 Ask everyone what they know about apprenticeships and any questions they have – make a note

of these points on a flipchart.

2 Introduce the key elements of high quality apprenticeships using the TUC’s Apprenticeships

Toolkit and UNISON guide (see panel).

3 Distribute four flipcharts around the room, each one headed by one of these themes:

• negotiation issues;

• mentoring and support;

• equality issues;

• keeping track.

4 Divide the participants into four groups and give each group a flipchart to start on, then give

everyone the chance to add their comments to other flipcharts. Check back to the guidance to

make sure that the key points are all covered.

5 Using the flipcharts, agree as a whole group which points you will include as your draft branch

strategy (this will need to be approved by the full branch committee), and set out key actions to

take forward.

DEVELOPING A LOCAL APPRENTICESHIP STRATEGY

FIND OUT MOREOrder your copy of the ApprenticeshipsToolkit, or download an electronic version,from www.unionlearn.org.uk/publications/index.cfm?frmPubID=171UNISON guidance:

unison.org.uk/bargaining/guides.asp

• Employment: apprentices should be directly

employed; agency apprentices should only

be working where an employer would find

direct employment difficult.

• Contract: apprentices should have contracts

of employment for at least the duration of

their training period.

• Access to the union: the branch should

negotiate with the employer to ensure it has

the chance to talk about what the union has

to offer young people.

• Mentoring: negotiate a clear system for

supervision, support and mentoring, ideally

with UNISON involvement, with a clear role

for ULRs.

• Pay: decent pay rates are essential to

completion rates.

• Equality and diversity: apprenticeships

should be accessible to the widest possible

demographic.

• Training: apprenticeship programmes must

give participants enough time to study off

the job. The minimum hours of off-the-job

training (and all other statutory

requirements) are set out in the Specification

of Apprenticeship Standards for England.

• Although the principles are the same,

apprenticeship schemes operate

under different funding and regulatory

arrangements in England, Wales, Scotland

and Northern Ireland.

KEY ELEMENTS

Who’s the target audience? Run this session

with branch officers and other Union Learning

Reps (eg, at a branch committee or a branch

education team meeting).

How long does it take? 45 –60 minutes

How much does it cost? Nothing

Who can run this session? A ULR or other

branch representative

What special materials will you need?Copies of the TUC Apprenticeships Toolkit and

UNISON guidance

THE KNOWLEDGE

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3534

SIX BOOK CHALLENGE

UNISON branches throughout the country aretaking part in the Six Book Challenge, whichencourages people to read six books and recordtheir reactions in a reading diary. There are norestrictions on the type of books members read– cookery books, graphic novels, DIY guides,even bedtime stories for children andgrandchildren all count.

Who is it for? The Six Book Challenge is

primarily aimed at encouraging people to get

into reading for the first time but it is suitable

for absolutely everyone.

How long does it take? Usually six months:

you can arrange regular reading group

meetings with participants (eg, every fortnight)

to help them stay motivated and involved.

How much does it cost? Make sure you work

with your local library so that readers can

borrow the books they want to read instead of

having to buy them. Library staff will provide

practical help and support to help you run the

Challenge (eg, promoting the initiative in the

workplace, helping trace books that may be

unavailable in shops, inviting local authors to

visit workplaces). Working with The Reading

Agency, your library and your employer will

help reduce the initial publicity costs to

promote the Challenge.

How many members can take part?The Challenge works with any number of

participants.

Where can you get the materials you need?Your local library and The Reading Agency.

THE KNOWLEDGEI gave one of your QuickReads to my daughter

and she’s reading anotherbook now, I thought she’dnever read a novel.

FIND OUT MORETo find out how to run the Six Book Challengein your workplace, visit the website:www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk

Over 80 members of staff at De Montfort

University signed up to take part in the Six Book

Challenge when the UNISON branch lifelong

learning team launched the initiative at the

beginning of 2011.

The Challenge is an initiative from The Reading

Agency which encourages people to read six

books of any kind and record their reactions in a

reading diary in order to gain incentives, the

chance to enter a national prize draw and a

certificate when they finish.

While the branch opened the Challenge to all

staff (Vice-Chancellor Dominic Shellard was one

of the first to join up, calling it “a superb

initiative”), the lifelong learning team prioritised

supporting and encouraging emergent and less

confident readers.

The branch opened and stocked bookswap

libraries in the various faculty buildings onsite,

in addition to the Quick Reads library

it had already established for post and porterage

and cleaning staff with the help of 100 new

books supplied by the university’s HR Training

and Development Unit. It also ran occasional

lunchtime book-swaps on campus to help

people choose titles to read.

“Reading is enjoyable, we need to help people

get into the habit of reading, and hopefully we

can cultivate a passion here at DMU for picking

up and enjoying a book,” commented union

learning rep Andrew Jennison.

The branch also organised lunchtime readings

with Leicester writers, including Asian teenage

fiction author Bali Rai and fantasy writer Tabbie

Browne, to help keep reading in the forefront of

people’s minds during the Challenge.

CASE STUDY

Discovering the joy of Six

PHO

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PETE

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2011

Take part in theSix Book Challenge here!

www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk

Andrew Jennison

De Montfort University branch member

373636

HUMAN LIBRARIES

The Human Library is designed to promotedialogue, challenge prejudice and encourageunderstanding by enabling people to cometogether for one-to-one conversations abouttheir lives. UNISON has been training membersin the North-West to attend Human Libraryevents in the region where they can tell theirpersonal stories to people from differentbackgrounds from their own by makingthemselves available for informal conversations.

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FIND OUT MOREFor a full comprehensive guide to running aHuman Library, please download the guide(which UNISON contributed to) from:humanlibrary.org You should register yourHuman Library event on this website as well.UNISON’s own training course materials are available on the LAOS website.

Picture this: you visit your local library, but

instead of choosing a book from the shelves

you ‘borrow’ a person from a list of who’s

available. They might be younger or older than

you; from a race, faith or cultural background

not your own; have a different sexuality; or a

story to tell about bullying, domestic violence,

or their experience as a migrant. You can then

spend 20 minutes or so listening to what they

have to say, and ask questions about anything

you’re unclear about.

It’s a simple, practical and affordable way

to promote tolerance and understanding,

originally conceived of in Denmark a decade

ago and now a phenomenon worldwide.

UNISON has staged more than 20 events in

the North-West at which a wide range of

members trained to tell their personal stories

have offered themselves out ‘on loan’ to

interested participants.

Talking one-to-one about what it means to

be a Muslim, or facing prejudice because of

a disability, or living with HIV, or surviving

domestic violence helps shatter the kind of

preconceptions and prejudices we all carry and

improves understanding about the diverse

make-up of our local communities.

The Human Library approach is win-win. The

‘reader’ has the chance to listen to someone

with very different life experiences talk about

themselves; the ‘book’ gets the chance to

boost their confidence and self-esteem, is

trained to develop their speaking skills, and

can be signposted on to other leaning

opportunities as a result.

CASE STUDY

This is my life

Who’s the target audience? Work colleagues,

local community, schools.

How long do you need? Human libraries

usually last between two and six hours.

How much do they cost? Human Library events

are free and no one is ever paid for taking part

(you may wish to offer travel expenses to

‘books’). Working with your local library and

local council and other organisations can

reduce the costs of publicity and promotion.

Who runs a Human Library event? ULRs can

take the lead in putting the event together,

working in partnership with local libraries

and other organisations. ULRs or regional

education staff can also run the training

course for ‘books’.

How many people take part? Ideally, you

should aim to recruit and train at east eight

‘books’ to ensure there is a variety of stories

available. The number of ‘readers’ is down to

you and your partner organisations.

What sort of venue do you need? Events are

usually held in public libraries; community

centres can be used as well.

THE KNOWLEDGE

The Human Libraryapproach is win-win.

The ‘reader’ has the chance to listen to someone with verydifferent life experiences talkabout themselves; the ‘book’gets the chance to boost theirconfidence and self-esteem

They might be youngeror older than you;

from a race, faith or culturalbackground not your own;have a different sexuality; or a story to tell about bullying

The aim of this course is to provide an interesting insight into how the English language has developedover the centuries.

1 Print out copies of ‘I syng of a mayden’, a widely admired short anonymous poem from the 15thcentury. The style is typical of Middle English, the dominant form of the English language during theMiddle Ages.

2 Introduce the poem and explain how the exercise will be to translate it into modern English. It mayhelp people if you explain the poem is about the Bible story of the angel Gabriel telling Mary that shewas to become the mother of Jesus. Show how ‘syng’ in Middle English becomes ‘sing’ in modernEnglish: invite people to find similar examples elsewhere in the poem (eg, ‘mayden’, ‘kynges’ and‘stylle’). Show how the final e in ‘Aprylle’ is dropped in modern English: invite people to find similar

examples (eg, ‘here’, ‘sone’, ‘dewe’). Show how fallyt became ‘falleth’ in 16th century English andinvite participants to find other instances of similar consonants that we now pronounce as ‘th’ (eg,‘moder’). The only really difficult word is ‘makeles’ which means ‘matchless’.

3 Divide participants into small groups to translate the poem into modern English. Offer a small prizefor the best version. Give them around 30 minutes.

4 Go through the poem line by line to see how the groups got on. Congratulate the winning group. Circulate or display the standard modern English translation.

To see the detailed tutor notes, visit www.unison.org.uk/laos and look for ‘Origins of English workshop session plan’.

THE ORIGINS OF ENGLISH

You can help people find out about their literacylevels through short online tests they could takein a relaxed lunchtime session, free from thepressures that can sometimes prevent peoplefrom developing their English skills. And you canbuild people’s linguistic confidence by showingthem how they can read English written hundredsof years ago with the help of a 15th century poem.

LITERACY AND NUMERACY TASTERS

This taster allows members to perform a short online test of their literacy and numeracy levels, discuss

their results and decide if they’d like to develop their skills. You could run the full one-day course from

which it’s taken (called Move On) if you’d like to do more in-depth work on this issue.

1 Introduce Move On to participants, and give everyone a couple of minutes to discuss any

questions or anxieties about taking the online multiple choice mini tests in literacy and numeracy.

2 Explain that UNISON is committed to helping members improve their skills for their own personal

development and confidence as well as to help them get on at work. The mini tests simply

identify what level learners are at – they won’t be given a pass or fail and no-one else will know

what their results are.

3 Hand out the paper tests or (if possible) use the computer version. The mini tests should take

between 15 and 30 minutes.

4 Be prepared to answer questions and offer advice about next steps. If you have used paper tests,

you will need to enter the answers into a computer in order to direct learners where to go next.

www.move-on.org.uk/testyourskills.asp

MOVE ON 15th century EnglishI syng of a mayden that is makeles,kyng of alle kynges to here sone che ches.He came also style ther his moder wasas dew in aprylle, that fallyt on the gras.He cam also stylle to his moderes bowras dew in aprille, that fallyt on the flour.He cam also stylle ther his moder layas dew in Aprille, that fallyt on the spray.Moder and mayden was neuer non but che –wel may swych a lady Godes moder be.

Modern EnglishI sing of a maiden that is matchless,King of all kings for her son she chose.He came as still where his mother wasAs dew in April that falls on the grass.He came as still to his mother’s bowerAs dew in April that falls on the flower.He came as still where his mother layAs dew in April that falls on the spray.Mother and maiden there was never, ever one but she;Well may such a lady God’s mother be.

39

You can build people’slinguistic confidence by

showing them how they canread English written hundredsof years ago

FLEXILEARN

FlexiLearn is a new partnership between UNISONand The Open University that enables ULRs torun sessions that give members and potentialmembers a little taste of university level learningthat’s directly relevant to the job they do. Andit’s available in three easy-to-use models –FlexiLearn Bites, FlexiLearn Workshops andFlexilearn Podcasts.

Your flexible friendIn partnership with The Open University (OU),

UNISON has embarked on an exciting new project

called FlexiLearn that aims to bring together the

web’s power to access unlimited knowledge with

UNISON and the OU’s expertise in collective learning.

By offering a varied menu including bites,

workshops and podcasts, we hope to widen access

to learning, get UNISON members opportunities for

continuing professional development and engage

with employers to help develop learning

partnerships.

Bite sessions will be short and could involve ULRs

running short discussions at workplaces linked to

films and questions which provide an introduction

to particular subjects. The project is busy testing

these ideas in a range of workplaces. The OU has a

large library of free educational films which are

available on iTunesU, and a range of taster sessions

available for free in OpenLearn. Please take a look at

the range of material on offer.

We have successfully run short single session,

half-day and one-day workshops on CPD subjects

for classroom assistants and health support workers.

These have included things like positive attitudes

to mental health, the developing role of classroom

assistants, confidence building, conflict management,

dealing with death and dying, personalisation and

introduction to counselling skills. These workshops

are all staffed by OU teachers.

We are also investigating the use of podcasts

in educational work. The OU provides a number

of podcasts in different formats and we are

experimenting with their use as the basis for

discussion sessions and for interactive on line

learning of different sorts.

First signs are very positive. FlexiLearn will

provide a variety of flexible, high quality resources

and learning offers which can be used in different

ways to stimulate learning and help keep workers

updated. The web will be central to its success.

Get UNISON membersopportunities for

continuing professionaldevelopment and engage withemployers to help developlearning partnerships

1 To source the film, open iTunes, go to the iTunes Store and select iTunesU. Scroll down toFeatured providers and click on Open University. From the list of topics, select Health &Medicine, then select Introducing Health Sciences; then choose the video ‘Case study: RoadTraffic Accident’.2 Run the film using a computer with an internet connection and a projector if available.3 Ask participants some questions to get them thinking about the film they’ve watched. • Do ambulance workers get credit for the job they do?• What level of training is involved?

• Is anyone interested in becoming a paramedic?• What are the issues about this work and the work of the rest of the medical team?4 As at any taster session, point people in the direction of further courses. The OU will beable to give you advice on this. You can contact your local regional centre to discuss yourplans with one of the local staff tutors and get their advice on the most appropriate OUcourses for your group.For courses around paramedic sciences, the first course will be the Openings courseUnderstanding health (Y178). There are also a number of appropriate Level 1 courses suchas Introducing health sciences: a case study approach (SDK125), Molecules, medicines anddrugs: a chemical story (SK185) and a range of short courses that focus on theunderstanding and management of long-term conditions.

AMBULANCES AT TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

FIND OUT MORETo find out more, visitwww.open.ac.uk/choose/unison

40 41

4342 43

Divide participants into pairs and give them no more than ten minutes to test their knowledge of the

contribution refugees have made to this country after gaining British citizenship.

QUESTION 1

How many winners of the Nobel Prize for Science have thus far been refugees the UK provided protection for?

(a) 2 (b) 11 (c) 49

QUESTION 2

Which of the following is the odd one out and why?

(a) Boris Johnson, Mayor of London (b) Ed Miliband, Leader of the Opposition

(c) Jerry Springer, US chat show host (d) Karl Marx, 19th century philosopher

QUESTION 3

Which of the following British institutions were not created by refugees?

(a) Morris Minor cars (b) fish and chips

(c) Marks & Spencer’s (d) English breakfast tea

QUESTION 4

How many jobs are estimated to have been created by Ugandan Asian refugees in Leicester between

1972 and 2002?

(a) 30,000 (b) 15,000 (c) 20,000

QUESTION 5

Approximately how many refugees were recorded as medically qualified doctors in 2008, according to

statistics compiled by the British Medical Association and the Refugee Council?

(a) 1,200 (b) 250 (c) 500

ANSWERS1 (c)

2 (d) Marx was a German refugee to England, whereas the other three are descendents of refugees.

3 (d) The Morris Minor was designed by Sir Alexander Issigonis, who fled from the Greek community of

Smyrna (now Izmir) at the end of the Greco-Turkish War in 1922. The world’s first fish and chip shop

was opened in London in 1860 by Jewish refugee Joseph Malin. Polish refugee Michael Marks

co-founded Marks & Spencer in 1884.

4 (c)

5 (a)

BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS

42

ULRS can use the short interactive sessionscreated by UNISON and CITIZENS for Sanctuary to help participants gain a balanced view of theasylum system and the people who use it. Takingpart in the whole course will help members andpotential members understand how the asylumsystem works, access first-hand accounts of lifeas a refugee and question preconceived ideasabout people seeking asylum.

Who’s the target audience? Anyone

interested in finding out more about how

society works.

Can ULRs run the sessions? Yes – so long as

they take the time to study all the material

beforehand. ULRs can pick and choose which

exercises to run to take account of the time

they have available and their confidence with

particular issues, but participants get the most

out of the full course.

How long do sessions take? The four Citizens

for Sanctuary courses take around 90 minutes

each – they can be run individually or over the

course of a whole day.

Do I need any special materials? Flipchart,

paper, pens, marker pens, a laptop, projector

and wipe board (if possible).

To see the detailed tutor notes, visitwww.unison.org.uk/laos and look for‘Migration workshop session plan’.

THE KNOWLEDGE

FIND OUT MORECitizens for Sanctuary campaigns on behalf of people feeing persecutionwww.citizensforsanctuary.org.uk

MIGRATION WORKSHOP

45

Helping members and potential members use theinternet to find out about their local MP helpsencourage them to think about the issues thatconcern them and how to get their voices heardin contemporary political discussion and debate.When people engage with their electedrepresentatives, they usually feel moreempowered as a result.

44

ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

What’s the aim of the session? To show

people how to voice their opinions to their MP.

Who’s the target audience? Anyone

interested in the democratic process.

How long does it take? Around an hour.

Who can run the session? A ULR can using

the guidance notes.

What materials do you need? Flipchart and

pens, laptop with internet access and a

projector (optional), recent editions of the

local newspapers, clippings of MP’s

parliamentary speeches, biographical

information, voting record.

THE KNOWLEDGE

The aim of this session is to help people find out who

their MPs are and encourage them to think of what

issues they would like to contact them about and how

best to do so to ensure that their voices are heard.

1 Ask participants to indicate if they know the name of

their MP on a show of hands. Then introduce the

websites www.theyworkforyou.com or

http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/.

2 Show learners how to use the search box on

www.theyworkforyou.com to enter their postcode to

reveal details about their MP/MSP/MLA. Point out the

section where they can send a message to their MP.

3 Using local newspaper cuttings and shared

knowledge, draw out any important information

about your MP:

• political views;

• voting record;

• personal interests;

• members’ personal dealings with them(if any).

4 Discuss an issue members wish to raise with their MP.

List the main points. Make sure you have something

you want the MP to do (eg sign a motion, support a

Bill, meet a UNISON representative). Encourage

participants to compose a short letter or email using

the key points.

UNISON’s guide to campaigning includes a section on lobbying and contacting MPs:

www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/19308.pdf

To see the detailed tutor notes, visit www.unison.org.uk/laos and look for ‘Active

citizenship workshop session plan’.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR LOCAL MP

Encourage them to think of what issues

they would like to contactthem about and how best to do so to ensure that theirvoices are heard

047046 4746

WHERE TO GO FOR FUNDING

47

These are some of the informal learning activities UNISON branches have run recently – the details of

costs should help give you an idea of how much money you’d need to have to run something similar.

Course Number of sessions Number of learners CostIntroduction to Spanish 10 x 2 hours weekly 14 learners £840

Basic car maintenance 6 x 2 hours weekly 10 learners £500

Sign language 8 x 2 hours weekly 10 learners £750

Yoga 10 x 1 hours 10 learners £430

Zumba 10 x 30 minutes 10 learners £220

WORKING WITH EXTERNAL PROVIDERS

While you can run many of the courses andactivities in this toolkit for free or at a very low cost,you may need to find some to run some communityeducation workplace sessions, such as languageclasses or digital photography courses. This is yourguide to the best approaches.

1 Your branchYour branch should be your first port of call when

you are looking for support in putting on learning

activities. They should be able to cover smaller

costs, like stationery, posters, room hire and may

have laptops and projectors you can use. The

branch committee may be able to allocate a lump

sum to support your work, finance permitting.

2 Your employerSome ULRs have secured financial support from

their employer to put on community education

activities, often in the form of match funding

whatever their branch is investing. It is always

worth contacting your employer to see if they

might be willing to support your work.

3 Your regionYou can submit a regional pool bid where your

branch submits a request to your regional

hierarchy (Regional Education Committee or

Regional Council?) asking for money to support

a particular project who then review the proposal

and make a decision on it.

4 UNISON Learning and Organising ServicesUNISON has secured money from the Union

Learning Fund in England and equivalent funds in

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support

learning activity in branches. Funding may be

available for branch-based activity to organise

around learning. To find out more, please contact

your Regional Education Officer or email

learning&organisingenquiries@unison.co.uk.

5 Collective Learning FundsCollective Learning Funds are union-led initiatives

to stimulate co-investment by unions, employers

and providers in the personal development of the

workforce. Unionlearn has published a toolkit to

help union reps and ULRs set up collective learning

funds in their workplace, based on successful

pilots in the North-West and the East Midlands.

Order your copy or download a PDF from

www.unionlearn.org.uk/initiatives/learn-3653-f0.cfm.

Unionlearn haspublished a toolkit to

help union reps and ULRs setup collective learning funds in their workplace, based onsuccessful pilots in the North-West and the East Midlands

4948 4948 49

FREE RESOURCES

Learning reps can find a wide range of very usefulfree resources to help them run communityeducation sessions. This is not meant to be anexhaustive list of what’s available out there:rather, it’s intended to help you get started onactivities we know many branches have alreadyfound helpful.

Adult Basic Skills Resource Centre The Adult Basic Skills Resource Centre offers a range

of resources designed to help people improve their

maths and English and also provides advice on how

to put together a CV. www.skillsworkshop.org

ALISONAdvance Learning

Interactive Systems

Online (ALISON) is a

free online learning

resource for basic

and essential

workplace skills that

offers a range of interactive multimedia training

courses – including IT, English language and skills

health and safety. alison.com

BBC The BBC offers a vast amount of free learning

aids of a real range of topics through its websites,

from audio and video courses to help with foreign

languages through to guides to help people trace

their own family history.

www.bbc.co.uk/learningwww.bbc.co.uk/raw

Get On Get On provides help

to improve people’s

confidence with maths

and English and offers

a range of help.

geton.direct.gov.uk/what-to-do-next.html

Making The Most Of Your Money ‘Making the most of your money’ is a free, hour-long

presentation developed by the Consumer Financial

Education Body (CFEB) and delivered in the

workplace by specially trained presenters who cover

everything from budgeting, borrowing, saving and

investing to protecting your family and possessions

and saving for retirement.

All you need do is generate a minimum of

20 people to attend. To arrange a session, email

workplace.team@moneymadeclear.org.uk.

www.cfebuk.org.uk

Maths4Us Maths4Us is a joint

initiative between

unionlearn, NIACE and

the National Centre for

Excellence in the

Teaching of Mathematics

(NCETM) to encourage

people to tackle

numeracy, take up

numeracy learning and

have fun with maths.

To raise awareness among your colleagues about

the importance of maths, download a free Numeracy

Taster Workshop from the Resources section of the

Maths4Us website. maths4us.org

MyguideMyguide is designed to help people take their first

steps with computers and the internet. Registered

users get access to an easy to use email system and

a wide range of online courses.

www.myguide.gov.uk

Pensions AdvisoryService: Workplace andCommunities Service The Pensions Advisory

Service runs free

workplace workshops

offering information and

advice on general

pension issues, and will

tailor the presentation to

best suit the needs of

the audience. Sessions,

which can be hosted by

your branch or run

jointly with your

employer, work best

with between 15 and

20 people. To arrange

a talk, please contact enquiries@

pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk.

www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk

Salsa DVD UNISON East Sussex

Area Branch has

produced a DVD

with two local dance

instructors providing

people with a step-

by-step introduction

to Salsa. Request

your copy by emailing

learning&organisingenquiries@unison.co.uk

SMOG Calculator The Smog

(Simplified Measure

Of Gobbledygook)

Calculator is a free

resource that helps

to show you how

readable your

documents are. You

can also download

a free readability leaflet that offers advice on how

to write clearly and communicate effectively.

www.niace.org.uk/misc/SMOG-calculator/smogcalc.php#userguide

Vimeo Video School For anyone looking to make short video clips, Vimeo

Video School offers a range of free tutorials with

helpful tips from other users from the basics for

beginners through to more advanced techniques.

vimeo.com/videoschool?utm_source=newsletter

10

Why do buses always seem to arrive in threes?There is a good reason for this!

Catching the Bus

Want to learn more?For lots of ideas and free resources go to:www.maths4us.org

SALSA DVD

50

CONTACTS

To find out more about UNISON and how to join

contact UNISONDirect on 0845 355 0845

Textphone users FREEPHONE call 0800 0 967 968Lines open from 6am – midnight Monday to

Friday, 9am – 4pm Saturday

Or visit our website www.unison.org.uk

To contact Learning and Organising Services, email

learning&organisingenquiries@unison.co.ukFor details of your regional education team, visit

your UNISON regional website

Many thanks to all the ULRs, librarians and

UNISON education staff whose advice and

help proved invaluable in the preparation

of this toolkit. Elizabeth Bullen, Sarah Coyne,

Carina Crawford-Rolt, Shelley Fleming,

Jenny Ford, Andrew Givan, Cass Heywood,

Ricky Hopkins, Eddy Hornby, Caroline Hunt,

Andrew Jennison, Bob Johnson,

Martin Lawson, Lou Lucas, Lesley Marlor,

Jane Mathieson, Alan Marriott, Hazel Marsh,

Felicity Mendelson, Natalie Mullins,

Vicky O’Brien, Joanne Rust, Tracey Thompson,

Marie-Therese Widger, Craig Young.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To find out more and how to join contact:UNISONdirect TELEPHONE 0845 355 0845textphone users FREEPHONE 0800 0 967 968Lines open 6am – midnight Monday to Friday; 9am – 4pm Saturday

Or visit our website www.unison.org.uk

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