This is the third in a se-

ries of newsletters that

has been produced to

keep unionlearn staff,

unions, project work-

ers, union learning reps

(ULRs) and other reps

up to speed about:

developments in

the area of a publicly

funded careers service

that will affect existing

structures and networks

Introduction

Give it a go! Have you looked on the

unionlearn website www.unionlearn.org.uk and followed the link to

the unionlearn Learn-

ing and Careers Ad-

vice Service lately? If so, you will have seen

that you can now access

and use all of the free

tools and resources that

are available from Next

Step. Have a look at and try out the:

Skills Health Check

Career values tool

Skills and interests assessment

Job Profiles

Course directory

You can use all of the

tools and resources for

your own purpose or

you can direct your

members to use them.

You can also just try

them out – so go on –

give it a go!

If you would prefer to

speak to someone at

the unionlearn Learn-

ing and Careers Ad-

vice Line then pick up the phone and dial

08000 92 91 90 (free from a landline) and

find out about the help

available to you and

your members. The

advice line is available

between 8am and 10pm

daily and can be ac-

cessed in 9 different

languages. The service

is operated by Next

Step advisers who un-

derstand the needs of

ULRs, other reps and

union learners.

ISSUE 3, APRIL 2011 SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

Inside this issue:

NEW 2011

Supporting

Learners Guides

2

Coming Soon! 2

Climbing Frame

Apprenticeships

Learning Theme

2

The Supporting

Learners Regional

Events 2011

2

NEW Higher

Learning at Work

website launched

3

Higher Learning at

Work: Events

planned

3

Supporting

Learners: Planning

for the future

3

Other News 3

Contact Us 4

how unionlearn are responding to the

changes to ensure that

union learners at all

levels receive the best

possible information

and advice to help

them progress in learn-

ing and work

other news, devel-opments and resources

that will help support

members as learners.

The term ‘Supporting

Learners’ is used by

unionlearn to describe

the activities of ULRs

and other union reps

when they are working

with members to help

them make choices

about learning, to take

up learning opportuni-

ties that are right for

them and help them to

progress in their jobs

and careers. Whilst

these activities involve

all levels of learning

and some elements of

information and advice,

they also include men-

toring, coaching, sign-

posting and facilitating

learning. There is a

Supporting Learners

area on the unionlearn

website, for information

visit: www.unionlearn.org.uk

/advice

Want to get on at work? Get in touch with unionlearn’s Learning and

Careers Advice Service and find out about: new career opportunities, new challenges, learning new

skills and funding to help you.

Call them today on: 08000 92 91 90 (calls are free from a landline)

when helping members

with their learning and

making choices about

their jobs and careers.

A web alert will be cir-

culated when the new

guides are available.

You will be able to ei-

ther download the new

2011 Supporting Learn-

ers guides in a PDF for-

mat or order printed

copies from: www.unionlearn.org.uk/

publications

If you have old or previ-

ous copies of the Sup-

porting Learners guides

then please dispose of

them, as much of the

information is now out of

date.

NEW 2011 Supporting Learners Guides

Page 2

SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

Coming Soon!

A new version of the

popular Supporting

Learners series of

guides will become

available in April.

The new 2011 Support-

ing Learners guides

contain both new and

updated content and are

an essential resource for

ULRs and other reps

Two new and exciting

guides are also going to

be launched in April:

- Supporting Learners:

Progression pathways

for union learning reps

and other reps is an ad-ditional guide about

your own progression

and aims to prompt you

to think about your own

development needs in

the area of supporting

learners. Here are some

examples of the topics

included in this guide:

Progression path-ways with TUC

Education

Qualifications for Supporting Learn-

ers

Making the right decision

Help with the cost of learning

Changes to quali-fications: How it

may affect you

- Making informed

choices: Supporting

learners at 50+

is a new guide which

draws on the experi-

ence of unionlearn’s

Skills, Recession and

Recovery project. It

looks at the opportuni-

ties available to people

who are 50+ in the

workplace, including:

Developing exist-ing skills

Developing new skills

Progressing on to higher learning

Looking at new jobs opportunities

Changing life-style, e.g. going

into self-

employment or

planning retire-

ment

These publications will

be promoted on the Sup-

porting Learners area of

the unionlearn website www.unionlearn.org.uk/

advice and you will re-

ceive an email alert

when they become avail-

able.

You can get these new

publications either as

downloadable PDFs or

as printed copies from

the unionlearn website

by visiting: www.unionlearn.org.uk/

publications

Climbing Frame Apprenticeships Learning Theme

A new Apprenticeships

Learning Theme has

been added to the

Climbing Frame, mean-

ing that there are now

fourteen unionlearn

Learning Themes in to-

tal, which are available

to all users. To register

to access the Climbing

Frame and for more

information go to: www.climbingframe.uni

onlearn.org.uk

The Supporting Learners Regional Events 2011 The regional Supporting

Learners events have

now taken place and

were enthusiastically

received by those at-

tending. These useful

events will hopefully

take place again in early

2012 so look out for de-

tails and book your

place.

(Right: Photos of the Newcas-

tle and Manchester events)

Unionlearn has recently

launched a Higher

Learning at Work web-site:

www.higherlearningat

work.org

The site provides infor-

mation about routes into

and through higher edu-

cation (HE) and will be

particularly useful if you

are working with mem-

bers who are interested

in progressing to higher

learning.

In addition to unionlearn

resources it contains a

wealth of invaluable in-

formation provided by

fdf (Foundation Degree

Forward) for those ad-

vising and supporting

work-based learners, as

well as for learn-

ers themselves.

NEW Higher Learning at Work Website Launched

will last for 3 years with

a possible extension of a

further year. If you wish

to contact them or if

your union wants to be

assessed or re-assessed

for the standard please

contact them by email at

matrix@emqc.co.uk or phone 0845 304 8600.

Their website is

www.emqc.co.uk

Lifelong Learning UK

(LLUK) more changes

announced

We reported previously

that the Sector Skills

Council (SSC) for learn-

ing and development

Lifelong Learning UK

(LLUK) would not be re-

licensed by BIS follow-

ing a review undertaken

by the UK Commission

for Employment and

Skills (UK CES).

Since then UK CES, key

government sponsor

departments, including

the UK Devolved Ad-

Other News

EMQC takes over the

matrix standard

The Department for

Business Innovation and

Skills (BIS) has awarded

the contract for the man-

agement of the matrix

assessment and accredi-

tation service to emqc

Ltd, 15 St Christopher's

Way, Pride Park, Derby

DE24 8YJ.

The contract started on

the 11 January 2011 and

Page 3

SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

ministrations have

agreed to transfer resid-

ual work and the

‘footprint’ responsibili-

ties of LLUK to the

Learning and Skills Im-

provement Service

(LSIS) from 1st April

2011 whilst successor

arrangements for LLUK’s

UK-wide SSC work are

completed. Further up-

dates will be provided

in future editions of Sup-

porting Learners News.

Higher Learning at Work: Events Planned Three events are being

held to explore the re-

sources available to:

support union learners consider-

ing entering

higher learning

promote higher learning in unions

The events will be tak-

ing place on the follow-

ing dates:

Tuesday, 7th June 2011, London at Congress

House

Wednesday, 15th June

2011, Newcastle (venue

to be confirmed)

Tuesday, 21st June

2011, Birmingham at the Voluntary Resource

Centre (BVSC).

There will be opportuni-

ties for ULRs and other

reps to meet together

with higher learning

providers and explore

ways of encouraging

union members to take

up higher learning op-

portunities.

Contact your Regional

unionlearn team or look

on the unionlearn web-

site: www.unionlearn.org.uk

for up to date venue in-

formation and to book a

place.

Supporting Learners: Planning for the future It is very encouraging

that unionlearn now has

plans in place until 2014

for Supporting Learners

activity. The new strat-

egy was developed us-

ing feedback from a

range of sources includ-

ing:

- Responses from ULRs

and project workers to a

survey

- ULRs, project workers

and others who at-

tended the regional

Supporting Learners

events

- The unionlearn Direc-

tor, Senior Management

Team and regional staff

who take the lead on

Supporting Learners

activity.

Look out for the new

Supporting Learners

strategy that unionlearn

will be working to on

the website at: www.unionlearn.org.uk/

advice

If you require further information on any of the topics in this newsletter then please

contact your Regional Supporting Learners contact:

SUPPORTING LEARNERS NEWS

Contact Us

Midlands region

Paul Humphreys

phumphreys@tuc.org.uk

0121 236 4454

Northern region

Dave Storrie

dstorrie@tuc.org.uk

0191 227 5561

North West region

John Halligan

jhalligan@tuc.org.uk

0151 236 2321

Southern and Eastern region

Jon Tennison

jtennison@tuc.org.uk

020 7467 1342

South West region

Ros Etheridge

retheridge@tuc.org.uk

0117 947 0521

Yorkshire and the Humber region

Sharon Burke

sburke@tuc.org.uk

0113 200 1073

Or

Ian Borkett

Quality and Standards Manager

iborkett@tuc.org.uk

020 7079 6940

Louisa Shaw

Climbing Frame Development

Officer

lshaw@tuc.org.uk

020 7079 6934

For more information about unionlearn please visit:

www.unionlearn.org.uk

Unionlearn

Congress House

Great Russell Street

London

WC1B 3LS

Phone: 020 7079 6920 Fax: 020 7079 6921

Email: unionlearn@tuc.org.uk