the learning rep magazine - summer 2011

learning repthe

» Summer 2011

www.unionlearn.org.uk

unionlearnconferencespecial report

Lemn Sissaystriking a light for learning

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Meeting thechallenge

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» Comment

The Learning Rep summer 2011Editor: James Asser [email protected]: Astrid Stubbs, Martin MoriartyCover photo: Lemn Sissay by Rod LeonDesign: wave.coopPrint: Ancient House Printing GroupDistribution: Cavalier mailing

9June saw the annual unionlearnconference, when almost 450 delegatespacked into Congress House in London tohear a range of high-profile speakers, tocelebrate the achievements of the pastyear and to discuss issues as diverse asthe digital economy, green skills,apprenticeships, numeracy and dyslexia. It has been a challenging year for both

unions and businesses: the financial climatehas been very tough and pressure on budgetsmeans that time and resources for learning hasbeen difficult. Unionlearn has also beenworking with employers and staff facingredundancy to ensure they have the skills andopportunities to get back into the workplace. There have also been positive developments

in the last few months, including securing thefuture of unionlearn funding, confirmed for thenext year with a commitment to carry on ourwork until 2014. Unionlearn has had toundergo restructuring and a detailed look atour work, but we are in a position to continueto deliver high-quality learning and skills tomore than 200,000 people a year. The message from the speakers was clear –

that learning must be a key part in ensuringthat the UK has the necessary skills to secure astrong economic recovery and guarantee thatBritish businesses remained competitive.Investing in our workforce and their skills is notan option, it is a necessity – from basic skillsthrough to delivering the skills to meet thedigital revolution. There’s a big challenge ahead, but lots of

opportunities too, and it was clear from thedelegates that union learning reps are up forthe task, keen to work with employers andworkers to deliver those skills and meet thechallenge.

Tom WilsonDirector, unionlearn

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Contents: 3 News8 Conference12 ULR Profile 14 Green skills16 Lemn Sissay18 Adult Learners’ Week20 Learning centre22 Community learning 24 Wolf Report25 Guardian round table26 TUC Education round-up30 Contacts31 Jay knows32 Resources

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summer 2011 « 3

Photo © Rod Leon

“The management and peopleteam at Erith is very happy toencourage colleagues to developtheir skills through the union,”says GMB Regional ProjectOrganiser Liliya Brabbs, who hasbeen steering the learninginitiative.“The atmosphere is fantastic –

they have welcomed our approachand have let us talk toeveryone on thesite aboutlearning.”

Since reaching the agreement inApril, the GMB has trained threeunion learning reps to spread theword about learning opportunitiesat the depot, while Liliya has alsorun a series of open days topromote the scheme.Erith & Thamesmead MP Teresa

Pearce visited the distributioncentre to see the learning initiativein action this summer.

ASDA’s distribution depot in Erith, Kent, has become thefirst to sign a learning agreement with the GMB, and nowmore than 60 full-time colleagues and agency workers atthe site have signed up for Skills for Life courses.

That ASDAbe good news!

GMB Regional ProjectOrganiser Liliya Brabbsand GMB OrganiserBrandon Kemp (right)mark the new learningagreement with ASDADistribution Erith SiteGeneral ManagerStephen Reid

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Much more needs to be doneto promote health and well-being at the workplace, theNational Director for Healthand Work Dame Carol Blacktold a unionlearn SERTUC event in March.“Too often health and work are not

acknowledged as related and inter-dependent: the workplace potentialfor prevention and promotion goeslargely unrecognised,” she argued.“There is a business case: money

spent on improving the workenvironment will soon be recouped ifit prevents sick leave and staffturnover.”Unionlearn Director Tom Wilson

said that it made sensethat unions looked atproblems such asstress, general healthand well-being.

“We should bepromoting anti-smokinginitiatives;reps shouldbe checkingthat the

canteen is putting on healthy foodfor the staff; and we should bepersuading employers to introducepreventive health measures, forexample screening for breast andtesticular cancer,” he said.RMT Learning Organiser Sharon

Allen said the union had runsuccessful health awareness eventsduring Adult Learners’ Week. “Men are very bad at going to the

doctor, but they are more likely toget involved in screening orpreventative programmes if theirmates at work are taking part,”Sharon pointed out.Half of senior managers surveyed

in 2008 believed none of theirworkers would ever suffer from amental health problem during theirworking life, whereas one in sixpeople in the UK experiencedepression and problems relatedto stress.“There is still a stigma attached to

mental health and it’s clearly a tradeunion issue that this prejudiceshould be challenged,” saidunionlearn Regional Manager Barry Francis.

» News

Union learning reps and unions joined DurhamCounty Council and the Northern TUC to celebrate the success of their partnership workplace learningproject Learning Together at a special event inDurham County Hall in May.The partnership enables UNISON, GMB, Unite, UCATT and

NUT, the employer and eight learning providers to offer a fullrange of formal and informal learning for members, staff andlocal communities across the huge geographical area of theunitary authority.Over the years, the 54-strong ULR team has encouraged

nearly 1,000 people into a wide variety of learning, fromliteracy and numeracy to health and well-being and NVQs atLevels 2 and 3.“The Learning Together project is yet another example of

how union–employer partnerships at work to create a holisticlearning culture in the workplace,” commented Northern TUC Regional Secretary Kevin Rowan. “The project’s joint coordinators over the last couple of

years, Stephen Banks (GMB) and Kathy Grylls (UNISON), haveworked tirelessly to deliver on ambitious targets and makelearning an integral part of life at Durham County Council.”

Health and well-being is a union issue

Durham celebrates learning together

The Learning Together projectat Durham County Councilhas helped hundreds of staffaccess learning opportunities

Photo: Roy Peters/reportdigital.co.uk

Unions shouldmake surecanteens always offerhealthy options

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News «

summer 2011 « 5

The First Division Association is opening anew learning centre at the HM Revenue &Customs (HMRC) office on Kingsway incentral London – the first time the seniorpublic servants’ union has led on such aproject.The FDA has kitted out the learning centre with

the help of the Union Learning Fund (HMRC hasalso provided training materials and equipment),and management has agreed staff should havetime to train and access their learning reps.The centre is being established in a section of

the library in the building, and will be openduring working hours for staff to:z undertake Skills for Life and informal adult learning

z access online learning to improve IT skills andclose skills gaps

z attend sessions run by FDA and PCS learning reps.The new learning centre will also function to

support work-based learning to improve businessperformance, deliver management–unionco-investment in skills, and develop the role and impact of learning reps.

The Government, employersand providers must take actionto ensure everyone can take upopportunities to learn, NIACEargued, after its soberingannual survey of adult learning.While provision for young adults

(aged 17–24) is increasing, men,older people and the least skilled arefinding it harder to accessopportunities, according to thereport, Tough Times For AdultLearners.z The number of adults who havetaken part in learning over the lastthree years has fallen from 43 percent in 2010 to 39 per cent.

z The number of men who havelearned over the past three years(37 per cent) is now at its lowestlevel since the NIACE annual surveybegan in 1996.

z Just 23 per cent of the least skilledand those outside the labourmarket are participating in learning– a fall of seven percentage pointsfrom 2010 and the lowest reportedtotal in 20 years.“Overall, the most concerning

aspects of this year’s survey are thelowest ever figures of participation formen and for the least skilled andthose outside the labour market,”argued NIACE Chief Executive AlanTuckett.“When you take these findings with

the reported decline in people'sintentions to take up learning in thefuture, you have a fundamentalchallenge for policy makers,employers and providers – we won’thave a learning society unlesseveryone takes their share ofresponsibility to create it.”

GMB Southern Region ProjectWorker Ian Northam wasawarded an MBE this summerfor services to workplaceeducation.A key figure in the union’s

learning team since 2007, 59-year-old Ian was central to thesuccessful development of thestate-of-the-art learning centre atBabcock Marine, Appledore,working with management, unionsand providers to raise funding fora wide range of training courses.“Ian is incredibly committed to

his work and his colleagues: he’sthe kind of person who alwaystakes that extra step for otherpeople and he’s an excellentproject worker,” commentedunionlearn South West’s Skills ForThe Future Fund Project ManagerMaggie Fellows.

“This is a guy who really knowshow to rise to tough situations andmake things happen: his energy,enthusiasm and commitmentremain, even when times are reallychallenging.”Ian himself admitted he didn’t

immediately understand theofficial letter about his award. “Iwas staggered when I received theletter about the MBE – I had toread it twice,” he said.“I’m over the moon to receive

this award, but I see it asrecognition for the entire team andthe Union Learning Fund project.”GMB Regional Secretary Richard

Ascough was delighted to hear the news. “This is thoroughly deserved –

Ian has worked tirelessly,” he said.

‘Tireless’projectworker getshis reward

Getting through tough times

FDA opens HMRC centre

>>Purchase from shop.niace.org.uk/tough-times-for-adult-learners.html

>>ALW: pp18–19

Photo: Philip Wolm

uth/reportdigital.co.uk

Men are findingit harder toaccess learningopportunities

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» News

A dozen Newcastle pensionsstaff celebrated gaining theirLevel 5 diplomas from theChartered ManagementInstitute with an event at theDepartment for Work andPensions office at TyneviewPark in May.Eleven of them have now

continued their learning journey bymoving on to the second year of aFoundation degree, managed bylearning provider Amacus anddelivered by its project partnerGateshead College.Representatives from unionlearn,

the Public and Commercial ServicesUnion, DWP management andAmacus all joined the successfullearners at the celebration in May.“Enormous credit has to go to the

individuals who have undertakenthis – and more – on top of theirdaily responsibilities at work andhome with unwavering commitmentand produced some absolutelyexcellent achievements to boot,”said London Pensions CentreManager Derek Wood, whopresented the learners with theirframed diplomas.PCS Union Learning Rep Paul

Richardson said the generalconsensus was that the course hadbeen rated a “roaring success” bylearners and partners alike. The initiative had succeeded

through effective joint working, saidAmacus Managing Director ChristineMurray, who helped put the tailoredlearning package together withunionlearn Higher Level Skills

DWP learners celebrate diplomas

Babcock shipyardworkers haveenthusiasticallygrasped theopportunity tolearn

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More than 100 learners atBabcock International’sshipyard in Appledore, Devon,enjoyed a celebration of theirachievements at a special eventat Bideford Football Ground thatincluded an awardspresentation, buffet and disco.They were joined by

representatives from the company,unionlearn, Unite, the GMB andlearning provider Petroc (formed afterthe merger of North Devon Collegeand East Devon College in 2008).A Skills and Training Steering

Group, with representatives fromBabcock senior management,workplace unions, ULRs, unionlearnand Petroc, was created to launch thelearning programme in 2008.The steering group oversaw the

creation of the on-site Babcock andTrade Unions Skills Centre atAppledore, which opened in 2010with the help of funding from theDepartment of Business and Skillsand unionlearn’s Skills For The Futureprogramme.Since then, workers have used the

state-of-the-art facilities to study Skillsfor Life, ITQs, NVQs, team leadershipand apprenticeships.“The work at Appledore illustrates

just how well a partnership approachcan work for a business and its

workforce when developing skills andconfidence,” says unionlearn’s SkillsFor The Future Fund Project ManagerMaggie Fellows.“The employer, unions, learning

reps, educational providers andbusiness support agencies have allplayed their part, but leading the wayhas been the workforce at BabcockInternational who have grasped thisopportunity with great enthusiasmand commitment – I think there is nostopping them now.”

n GMB members from Babcock beattheir Unite counterparts from J&SMarine 5–4 at a special footballmatch at Appledore FC’s Sandymeretraining ground in Northam, NorthDevon, during Adult Learners’ Weekthis year.

Shipshape and Babcock fashion

Project Worker Julie Robinson.“The partnership approach

between the provider, union,employer and learners has beencritical to the overall success ofthis programme,” she said.

DWP learnersproudly displaytheir CharteredManagementInstitutediplomas

Photo: Clint Randall

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summer 2011 « 7

The Money Advice Service isa new nationwide serviceproviding free, unbiasedadvice online, over thephone and face-to-face tohelp everyone make themost of their money.Set up by the Government and

paid for by a statutory levy onthe financial services industry,the new, free, independentservice aims to help the millionsof people who need practicalmoney advice, whatever theirfinancial circumstances.“I firmly believe we can all

enjoy life more given the rightmoney advice at the right time inthe right way,” says ChairmanGerard Lemos. “We’re not here to sell people

anything and we won’t chargeanyone – we are here to helppeople take decisions about theirmoney and plan for a betterfuture for themselves and theirfamilies.”The Money Advice Service

website now offers an onlinehealth check, which will providea personal action plan to helppeople identify their moneypriorities and make a plan fortheir financial future.Like its predecessor, the

Consumer Financial EducationBody, the new service is alsodelivering advice in theworkplace, including a free one-hour seminar andconfidential individual follow-upappointments.

>>To book a local face-to-face advice session, call:0333 321 3434 (England);0808 800 0118 (Scotland);0300 330 0520 (Wales);0333 321 2424 (NorthernIreland).

>>For more information,visit www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

>>For telephone advice, call 0300 500 5000.

Get yourmoney’s worth

Leeds City Council has signed a learningagreement with its trade unions andunionlearn to develop the skills of the30,000 people who work at the WestYorkshire local authority and the widercommunity.City Council Leader Cllr Keith Wakefield and

Chief Executive Tom Riordan put their names tothe agreement, as did unionlearn Director TomWilson and representatives from the GMB,UCATT, UNISON and Unite to mark Learning AtWork Day in May.Unionlearn Regional Manager Dr Alan Roe

forecast the agreement would help peoplechange their lives through learning. “A great deal of hard work by the council,

many individuals and ULRs in the region hasculminated in access to sustainable learningopportunities for over 30,000 employees ofLeeds City Council,” he said.Cllr Wakefield said the agreement reaffirmed

the council’s commitment to learning in Leedsand helping people into jobs.

“The sheer scale of the financial situation weare currently facing means council employeesare experiencing huge changes – this meansit’s vitally important that we work closely withthe unions to ensure our staff are prepared tomeet the challenge of these changes,” he said.Both sides aim to build a learning culture

within the council workforce and in the widercommunity throughout the city by makinglearning and development available in differentforms.The learning agreement provides for access

to on-the-job learning, mentoring and coaching,e-learning, learning at trade union learningcentres, and an annual ‘learning offer’ will beproduced outlining the combined opportunitiesavailable from the council and the unions.Tom Wilson said the agreement reflected the

positive partnership between the authority andthe unions. “Leeds City Council is blazing a trail in the

region by making a commitment to improvingthe skills of its employees,” he said.

Leeds City Councillor KeithWakefield signs the learningagreement between the authority,its unions and unionlearnYorkshire and the Humber

Leeds councilblazes learningtrail

WorldSkills London 2011is looking for around2,500 volunteers to helpwith the organisation andrunning of the event inLondon’s Docklands inOctober.Volunteers will help the four

days go smoothly by greetingcompetitors at the airport,escorting special guestsaround the ExCeL Londonexhibition and conferencecentre and working in themedia centre.

Although some volunteerswill need to have special skills(e.g. languages or technology),most positions will simplyrequire hard work and a highstandard of customer service.Volunteers will be provided

with an official uniform, foodand drink while on duty, aTravelcard, and an officialcertificate detailing theircontribution to the world’sbiggest and best skillscompetition.

Volunteers should be over16, live within daily travellingdistance of London and becommitted team players with apositive attitude and a desireto have fun.

>>To find out more, visit:www.worldskillslondon2011.com/get-involved/volunteer

>> If you’d like to registerfor complimentary ticketsto the event, visit:www.worldskillslondon2011.com/visit

Hands up!Who wants to help at WorldSkills?

Photo: Graham Fotherby

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» Briefing » Annual conference

We’ll only escape from oureconomic problems by investingin the skills of the workforce,Brendan Barber told the 400participants at this year’sunionlearn conference.

We must invest to develop the talents of theworkforce if Britain is to successfully emergefrom the its current economic problems, TUCGeneral Secretary Brendan Barber told thisyear’s unionlearn conference, Making LearningClick.“If Britain is to get through this period of turbulence, if

workers are to see their living standards rising again,then we need to invest in the talents of all,” he told the400 participants at the event, which he dubbed “thetrade union movement’s answer to Britain’s Got Talent”.While the TUC had its disagreements with the

Government, skills was one area where the twoorganisations could work together. “The coalition ishaving a serious dialogue with us about workplacelearning and we welcome that,” he said.The government’s focus on apprenticeships, support

for union-led learning and its continued funding forunionlearn represented “a strong vote of confidence inwhat we do” and showed there was a cross-partyconsensus about the value of union learning, he said.Encouraging more employers to develop their workers

was one of the key priorities for the year ahead, he said.

Trade unions were already working with organisationsof all kinds to raise workforce skills – such as railmanufacturer Bombardier Transportation, high street firmPrimark and bakery company Warburton’s.But it needed to hold to account those firms that shirk

their training responsibilities – a massive 10 millionworkers were not offered any training by their employerin the 12-month period covered by the 2009 NationalEmployer Skills Survey.

“Rather than being a cheerleader for higher skills, Iwant unionlearn to be a champion – challenging Britain’sbusinesses to raise their game,” Brendan said.While employers were providing hundreds more

apprenticeship places than they would have withoutunionlearn support and encouragement, it was vital thatevery scheme offered genuine opportunities for youngpeople – which meant breaking down the gender divideand ensuring proper progression routes from Level 2 toLevel 3 schemes.The second priority was putting learning at the heart of

trade union renewal.“I don’t just want us to be there

for people when things gowrong or when workersneed help, crucialthough that is: Iwant us to helppeople get on, toearn more, towin thatpromotion –or to learnsomethingnew just forthe hell of it,”he said.“I want our

work on skillsto drive themodernisationof ourmovement,redefining whattrade unionism isand what we can offerto working people inthe 21st century.”

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Unions got talent!

“I want our work on skills to drive themodernisation of our movement,redefining what trade unionism isand what we can offer to workingpeople in the 21st century.”

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The more youtrain yourstaff, thebetter yourorganisationwill become,argued MarthaLane Fox

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Annual conference « Briefing «

Race Online 2012 frontpersonMartha Lane Fox revealed thather favourite partnerorganisation was unionlearn,in a keynote interview withjournalist Robin Ross at theconference.Race Online 2012 aimed to get

everyone in the UK hooked up to theinternet with the help of the strength,resources and know-how of all itspartner organisations, she said.“The numbers are heading in the

right direction, but slowly,” sherevealed.“The one thing that makes me lie

awake at night is that we’re nothelping more people quicklyenough – but we’re trying!”Race Online 2012 had adopted a

three-pronged strategy for tacklingthe problem, she said: z building an army of digitalchampions to pass on their

We’re Martha’s favouritepartner!

internet skills to members of hard-to-reach groups

z offering cheap, broadband-enabled computers for under £100 through deals with Microsoft and Remploy

z running area-based initiativeswhere all its partner organisationswould focus on getting everyoneonline in one particular town orcity at a time.“Unionlearn’s pledge to help get

more and more digital champions isfantastic, because you guys really allknow the people and how to reachthem,” she said.Before she took on the Digital

Champion role, she had been onlyvaguely aware of unionlearn, she

revealed. “I didn’t know quite theextent of the great work unionlearndoes – and obviously it’s my favouritepartner now not only for committingto lots of digital champions but alsofor supporting its own people withskills,” she said.She said she “completely agreed”

with Brendan Barber about the needto convince employers on learning. “You have a responsibility to train

your workforce, and everybody who’srunning a business like me, or who’sstarted a business as I have, knowsthat the more trained your staff are,the better your organisation will be –it doesn’t matter whether you’re acleaner or a non-executive director,it’s true across the board,” she said.

The year in figures220,000learners supported

20,000people helped toaccess Skills for Life

2,000 newlearning reps trained

100 new learningcentres opened

97formal learningagreements signedwith employers

Tom bows outUnite ULR Tom O’Callaghan, who has helpedhundreds of colleagues at London’s Metrolinebus company improve their personal andprofessional lives through workplace learning,collected a special award to mark his retirement.Invited to make a speech about his

contribution to lifelong learning by unionlearnBoard chair Dr Mary Bousted, Tom would onlysay: “That was the best ten-bob bet I ever put on in my life!”

“Unionlearn ismy favouritepartner forcommitting tolots of digitalchampions andsupporting itsown people with skills.”

Tom’s wife Noreenoffers her owncongratulations


Lemn Sissay illuminated labour history with aperformance of Spark Catchers, the poem he wascommissioned to write for the London 2012 Olympics.

Poet, playwright and broadcasterLemn Sissay set the conference alightwith a sparkling performance of hispoem Spark Catchers, whichcelebrates the 1888 strike at theBryant and May factory close to thesite of what is now the LondonOlympic Park.“I researched the site and I found the Bryant

and May factory and found an article in Link,from 1888, where Annie Besant, writing aboutthe striking match girls, said ‘If only there werea poet to speak of the situation these womenare in’,” he explained.“Over 100 years later, I am that poet and

that was a call for me to write that poem.”Spark Catchers, the first 2012 commission

to be completed, is destined to be etched into a wooden structure in the north of thePark, one of a series of permanent poems on the site.Lemn also read Morning Breaks, a poem

about learning that he dedicated to anybodywho had ever been told that they couldn’t dosomething or shouldn’t go in a particulardirection.

The poem tells the story of someone whofalls over the edge of a cliff and grabs hold of abranch to save himself, refusing to let godespite the pain he’s in, despite the voicesurging him to let go, despite the storm ragingabove his head – until he realises that he’sgrown magnificent wings, unpeels his fingersfrom the branch and flies away.Lemn also read his short comic piece,

Immigration RSVP, which satirises the racistswho claim that Britain is being ‘overrun’ byimmigrants by pointing out that our food,clothing, toys and oil are imported from all over the globe.

“Spark catching, practised atnight beneath stars in thesilver sheen of a phosphorousmoon, was a secret pastime ofthe matchmakers: strike!”

Strike a light, Lemn! » Briefing » Annual conference

10 » summer 2011

Earlier, before theconference propergot underway, Lemnhelped launch thefifth edition of theTUC Educationworkbook TacklingRacism. “It’s anhonour to launch thisvery importantdocument,” he said.

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>>We all need ahelping hand: pp16–17


We need to speed up skills development in this country if we’re to keep up with ourinternational competitors, argued CharlieMayfield, chair of the UK Commission onEmployment and Skills (UKCES) and theJohn Lewis Partnership.

“Skills are absolutely aligned withgrowth and with economicprosperity but we’re notnecessarily going in the rightdirection on this and we need tomake a number of changes,” heargued.“While we have some excellent skilled

people within our workforce, we’re notactually developing the skills of ourpeople as fast as we need to maintain ourinternational competitiveness – inparticular if you look at our performanceagainst China and India, we’re notdeveloping anything like as quickly.”Too many employers blamed our skills

issues on the education system, insteadof taking action to develop the talents oftheir own workers.

“Eighty per cent of the workforce thatwill be in work over the next 10 years isalready in the workforce, so it’s simplyinadequate to say that the solution to theUK skills problem lies in education andschools – it has to rest with employersand their current employees,” he argued.

UKCES had four priorities, he said:z winning the economic argument forinvesting in skills with employers

z enhancing the value and status ofvocational education

z helping industrial sectors to articulatetheir skills needs

z helping create opportunities foremployment for people furthest fromthe jobs market.

But it was vital that this all took usforward. “We’ve got a good diagnosis of the

problem, we’ve got four clear prioritiesand they’re in the right territory, but noneof this will come to anything unless ittakes us somewhere better,” he argued.Encouraging everyone to take

ownership of the issue was crucial, hesaid. “It’s about creating the conditions

which encourage employers, employees,unions, all of us, to own this issue anddevelop solutions that are lasting anddon’t just come and go in another bit ofshort-termism.”

Now’s the time to pickup the pace on skills

Apprenticeships are approaching record levelsin this country but the real issue is quality,argued David Way, deputy chief executive ofthe National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).“Apprenticeships will only survive if employers think

that they give them the edge and young people believethat they will give them a good start in their workinglives,” he said.NAS had three key aims:

z creating a bridge for young people from school into work

z ensuring employers invested in skillsz producing data to support the case for apprenticeships.David thanked unionlearn for its continuing support.

“The unionlearn campaign Apprenticeships Are UnionBusiness has helped us raise the issue with unions andemployers,” he pointed out.

It’s all about the quality

Unionlearn Board chair Dr Mary Bousted presentedthe sought-after unionlearnQuality Award to fiveprojects: z Jigsaw Trainingz JCB Ltdz Yeovil Collegez West Cheshire Collegez McVitie’s learn4U Centre

summer 2011 « 11

Annual conference « Briefing «

Celebratingthe very best

Apprenticeships shouldgive employers the edgeand help young peopleget the start they need,argued NAS Deputy ChiefExecutive David Way

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Photo: Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk


When Unite (the TGWU as it then was) started the lifelong learning initiative at First Bus, I didn’treally get involved because I was already doingcourses through the learndirect centre in Leedscity centre. But when the ULR Dave Pugh was promoted to the

region, I applied to become a learning rep at theBramley Road depot – and from there I did my ULRcourse (then called Front Line Advice and Guidance) atBradford College.

Our two sites in Leeds (at Bramley depot and HunsletRoad depot) are both open one day a week as drop-incentres, and if people can’t come in, we try and givethem the resources to learn at home at their own pace,or signpost them to a college or another learning centreif that’s a better environment for them.The most popular courses are computing, mainly

because a lot of people have kids coming home fromschool and they haven’t got a clue what their kids are onabout; and some people like doing the first aid coursebecause they may have had a scare with their kids andcome in and do that course for reassurance.

We’re trying to bring lifelong learning and the NVQprogramme closer together: the union and the companyhave decided in partnership that ULRs should have dualroles as NVQ Assessors to bridge the gap between thetwo specialisms – that’s why I did my NVQ Assessor’squalification recently.My NVQ Level 3 in learning and support at Leeds City

College was my first teaching qualification. After that Ikept wanting to add on so we could offer more in thelearning centre, so I did my Certificate of Education atthe same college, and now I’ve just finished the secondyear of my BA Honours degree in education and training.When you start learning as an adult, it’s more relevant

to life, whereas at school you don’t always see therelevance of ‘A plus B minus a triangle equals nuclearweapons’! (To this day, even now I’m a qualified teacher,I don’t understand algebra.)So I can understand when learners come in with the

same sort of issue – I’ve been there and I can try andrelate it to them in a way they’ll understand.School wasn’t an environment I particularly enjoyed

– and my exam results speak for themselves: on paperI have seven GCSEs, but only one of them is a C, so Ididn’t do too well.That didn’t bother me too much at the time

because I’d already been accepted into the Army – Ijoined literally 15 days after my 16th birthday in 1988. After a couple of years, I had a fight with a

helicopter and lost and was medically discharged,but a year later I found a back door to getback in and stayed until 2000. I leftbecause, after tour after tour of Bosniaand Kosovo and Northern Ireland, I feltit was time to move on and trysomething different.When I came out of the Army, I

expected there would be a jobwaiting for me, but that wasn’t thecase at all – it was a case of havingto fight for everything, and workwasn’t particularly easy to come byuntil I saw an advert in the paper fora job as a driver for First in 2001.

12 » summer 2011

» ULR Profile » Gary Britt

If you don’t learn,you’ll get left behind

ULR Gary Britt is helping bus drivers developthemselves – and doing his bit to steer youngpeople in the right direction as well.

Gary helpscolleaguesdevelop atFirst’s twolearningcentres inLeeds


Gary Britt « ULR Profile «

summer 2011 « 13

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arvey

The best thing about being a ULR is that we have thesupport of the union if any issues come up:working in partnership with the company isa positive thing because when issuescome up, they go straight to theeducation sub-committee, which consistsof both First Group and the union, andwe all move forward. The main challenge at the moment is

trying to get people into the learningcentre with all their other commitments

due to workloads: there are peoplewho want to learn and there arepeople who don’t but they needit to carry on developing.

It’s just a case of trying toget through to people thatjust because they’ve leftschool and grown up andmay even have grown-upkids doesn’t mean theirlearning journey has tostop – some of them

think the second they leftschool that’s it, there’s nomore learning for them.

I’m a busy man: my partner’s also very busy Mondayto Friday so, if she’s out of an evening, rather thansitting in my house on my own, I might as well be out aswell doing something and being useful to somebody ordeveloping myself.That’s why I do 20 hours a month as a Community

First Responder with the ambulance service – if there’s a999 call within three miles of your postcode when you’reon call, you attend before the ambulance andparamedics get there.In January this year I went back into uniform as a

sergeant in the Royal Marine Cadets as training officerfor the detachment in Bradford, developing trainingplans for the cadets: basically, it’s helping young peoplebecome responsible members of the community ratherthan being out on street corners stealing cars.If I hadn’t found learning, I probably would have got

into a rut and just stayed there instead of trying todevelop myself and help other people; in today’senvironment, if you don’t continue learning, and developyourself, you’re going to get left behind.It was nice to be recognised with an award during

Adult Learners’ Week: to get recognition from anexternal body is a big morale boost: it’s nice to knowthat you’re not beating your head against a stone andthat people out there are appreciative of what you do.

Gary picked up anAdult Learners’Week Award thisyear in recognitionof all the work he’sput in as a ULR


14 » summer 2011

» Feature » Green skills

“This is something that mostprisons could do that wouldnot only save running costsbut would also help save ourplanet for the future.”

Wayne Walters, a PCS green repat HM Prison Guys Marsh, issaving the service thousands ofpounds a year with a project toturn food waste into energy.

HMP Guys Marsh, which provides 1,500 mealsa day to its 500 prisoners, used to throw allthe scraps prisoners and staff left behind, aswell as metal food tins, into a big skipdestined for landfill.Now PCS green rep Wayne Walters has set up an

anaerobic digestion plant to convert food waste intoelectricity that has saved prison management and thetaxpayer about £1,500 a month – that’s £18,000 ayear just to clear plates! Solid waste from the process iseven used as fertiliser on the prison gardens.

“I employ 10 prisoners at the moment, who help meto collect waste and run the plant, and this will beincreasing to 12 in the near future,” Wayne explains.“It’s a great thing for the prisoners to be involved

with, and we are leading the way in showing what wecan do with waste material and how we can use this as energy.”The project is just part of the prison’s green reforms,

which also include installing a new biomass boiler toburn wood chips instead of heating oil, recycling metalfood cans, furniture and prisoners’ clothes, collectingrainwater from its roof and growing vegetables in prison greenhouses.Other plans include offering qualifications in

recycling for prisoners and turning a disused house onthe grounds into an eco-centre that would be open tothe public as well as acting as an educational facility forprisoners.“I would really like to see other prisons start to

recycle a lot more of their waste,” says Wayne. “This issomething that most could do that would not only saverunning costs but would also help save our planet forthe future.”

Green is the colour of Wayne’s world

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14–15 LR SUM11 PRF4_Layout 1 copy 2 12/07/2011 15:35 Page 18

summer 2011 « 15

Green skills « Feature «

GMB ULR Kevin Maggs from A&PFalmouth has been rewarded for his workintroducing environmental changes.Kevin was honoured at the first South West TUC

Awards for embedding a sustainable learningculture within the docks at his work and ensuringall employees have access to training.Kevin volunteered to be a part of the A&P

Falmouth Energy 2009 team, a committee formedby the directors to save the company 10 per centof its energy costs in the first year. “This was relatively easy to do, by addressing

some of the ‘leakages’ around the docks: anexample was to fit a new compressed air systemand control systems to large pumps etc. As it gotharder to make big savings, an idea was formedto engage the workforce in making savings,”Kevin says.An education plan was put into practice with

the help of the South West GreenWorkplacesProject.“I approached MD Peter Childs and got his

approval to put 100 of the workforce through thecourses by Christmas 2010. This was a hugecommitment from A&P to give up three hours perman, for nearly half of its permanent workforce.We also had a new GMB environmental rep, JasonHall, volunteer to run the courses, which are nowa part of our in-house training and run by myselfand Jason,” adds Kevin.

High-level debate on climate changeThe TUC climate changeconference in July included ahigh-level panel debate on thetopical question: What makesa good green Government? Speakers included Environment

Secretary Chris Huhne, ShadowEnvironment Secretary Meg Hillier,and Green Party spokespersonCaroline Lucas MP. TUC DeputyGeneral Secretary Frances O’Gradychaired the panel. The day also included

discussions on green jobs andgrowth, including industry roundtables; Coalition plans for the greeneconomy roadmap; energy marketreform; a low-carbon skills strategy;and the Green Investment Bank. Tony Bates, chair of Unite at the

InBev Magor brewery in Gwent, toldthe conference how a union-ledproject had saved the company £2 million in costs.

“As trade union memberswe have to be a the heartof the green revolution.”

Kevin’s energy fuels success

Sarah Lewis, UNISONBranch Secretary at GreatOrmond Street Children’sHospital, is full of praise forthe TUC GreenWorkplacesNetwork. The hospital trust has set up a

joint environmental committee ofmembers and staff, with agreedfacility time to attend meetingsand carry out project work toimprove the work placeenvironmentally – and Sarah isan active member.“The network is really

important because it gives youthe ability to share good practiceas well as ask questions if thingsare not working out,” says Sarah. “It’s excellent for networking

and communicating across theUK and the rest of world and aplace to hear about training andevents. It’s a key network todevelop contacts andcommunication.”

Join the GreenWorkplaces NetworkTUC GreenWorkplaces Project

Leader Sarah Pearce says thenetwork offers a practicalresource for reps to downloadthe latest training materials andtoolkits as well as online casestudies to demonstrate thepositive impact green reps haveon the workplace. “There are now thousands of

reps trying to tackle climatechange where they work, so weneed more examples of bestpractice that we can share,”Sarah says. “We need to build up that

library of best practice casestudies so that we can furtherstrengthen our argument forstatutory rights for green reps.”

>>To get involved visitwww.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-19203-f0.cfm

The TUC will produce a report,available online, from the day,which will be used to inform policy.n Trade union members have tobe at the heart of the green skillsrevolution, a conference on GreenSkills heard. Graham Peterson, Environment

Coordinator for the UCU union,which organised the conference,said green jobs must also be decentjobs, with decent levels of pay,health and safety, recognition oftrade unions and careerprogression. “As trade union members, we

have to be at the heart of the greenskills revolution,” he argued.Unionlearn is being consulted by

the Government’s cross-departmental group on thedevelopment of the Government’slow-carbon skills strategy and ULRsare seen as key to supportingworkers in this process.


16 » summer 2011

» Interview » Lemn Sissay

Encouragement is crucial if we are to achieveanything – especially when we’re learning,argues poet Lemn Sissay. By Astrid Stubbs

With a poem about to be etched on theOlympic Park in time for 2012, author, poet,broadcaster and playwright Lemn Sissay hasconfounded the low expectations of thechildren’s homes he was brought up in.

“In my childhood I was not encouraged to learn in astructural way, to go to university, to develop my skills:there was an unspoken language that I would work in afactory,” he says.

As a child of the care system, Lemn’s future hardlylooked bright.

Placed into care by his Ethiopian mother for what she thought would be a short time while she struggledto adjust to life in the UK, he remained with his newfoster family until he was 11, when they put him backinto care.

He lived in a variety of children’s homes until he was18 and spent many years tracking down his birthfamily.

“University would have meant looking after me after18, it had nothing to do with me but with the system: Iwas a statistic, shuffled through the system,” he says,

Leaving school at 15 with a handful of CSEs, Lemndid, however, take with him the encouragement of oneinspirational teacher.

“Mr Unsworth was a socialist, rugby-playing, bitter-drinking teacher – a wonderful human being and forthree years after my childhood I grasped onto the onepiece of encouragement I had been given by oneinspirational teacher: it shows what a little bit ofencouragement can do,” he argues.

By the same token, he says, not encouragingsomeone implies they are not worth the energy it takesto help them learn.

We all needa helpi

“There is some part of ourlives where we have beendiscouraged from the actof learning so that we fitin with someone else’sidea of who we are.”

“That is an unspoken language that a person takeson board – and it’s why people get to retirement ageand think ‘I’ve always wanted to be…’,” he says.

“There is some part of our lives where we have beendiscouraged from the act of learning, so that we fit inwith someone else’s idea of who we are.”

Lemn has worked with children in care and believesthat things have not changed enough as long as onechild has a bad experience.

“When a child is in care, the state is the legal parentand how it treats its children in care should be thelitmus test of how good the Government is,” he says.

Lemn believes learning should be a right. “When youare discouraged from learning, it’s a way of being ableto control you and to limit your horizons so that youdon’t get above your station – the whole idea of notgetting above your station is dangerous and widelyused – and you should get above your station!” hesays.

“Learning has taught me that I don’t get over my pastbut I’m not embarrassed by it. It is what it is and Iaccept it wholeheartedly, and one of most importantthings about learning to me is to accept who you areand grow – bloody grow!”

Lemn hopes his latest landmark on the Olympic Parkwill lead to more across the country.

He’d particularly love to see the Bruntwood Buildingnear Piccadilly in Manchester embellished with a poem. “I’d give my eye teeth to have a poem down theside of it.”

Meanwhile, he is excited that his poem Let There BePeace will shortly adorn a student accommodationbuilding in the city.

“Landmarks are utterly democratic because peoplechoose a landmark, they refer to it as a place ‘round thecorner from the pub with the poem on it’. My idea isthat we should paint the whole country with poems!”

He adds that reading Spark Catchers to an audienceat the unionlearn conference could not have been in abetter place.

“Unions have alway been open to poetry – poetry iscentral to the union movement: poetry’s in the heart ofrevolution because revolution is in the heart of thepoet,” he adds.


summer 2011 « 17

ping handLemn Sissay « Interview «

What Lemn is reading

61 Hoursby LeeChilds

Alone inBerlinby HansFallada

The Gift by LewisHyde

Now andThen by GilScott-Heron

z Aged 21, Lemn publishes hisfirst book of poetry, TenderFingers in a Clenched Fist.Since then, he has read hispoetry on stages throughoutthe world.

z In 1995, the BBC makes atelevision documentary abouthis life called Internal Flight.

z His 2005 drama SomethingDark deals with his search forhis family. It is later adaptedfor BBC Radio 3.

z Lemn’s TV appearances range from The South BankShow to Grumpy Old Men. Healso makes documentaries forBBC radio and is a regularcontributor to BBC RadioFour’s Saturday Live andcontributes to Simon Mayo’sBook Panel.

z In 2007, Lemn is appointed asartist-in-residence at theSouthbank Centre in London.

z In 2008, he publishes hisbook Listener.

z In the 2010 New Year’sHonours List, Lemn isawarded an MBE.

Photo: James Ross/Royal Festival H

all

Life and Lemn


Merseylearn leads the way

» Update » Adult Learners’ Week

Adult Learners’ Weekmarked its 20th anniversarywith a wide range of eventsshowcasing the best onoffer across the country.

“We were inspired andhonoured to be included at theALW awards, and it is obvious tous that adult learning at worksupported by the trade unions hasproduced many life-changingopportunities for so manypeople,” commented ProjectWorker Tony Norbury.Merseytravel Chief Executive

Officer Neil Scales added: “Thislearning culture has reducedsickness, boosted morale,increased internal promotions andboosted the organisation’sreputation as a skills champion.”Merseylearn is a partnership

project supported by unionlearnthat works with ULRs fromUNISON, Unite, GMB, ASLEF, RMTand TSSA along with learningproviders and transport sectoremployers to provide the bestopportunities for transport sectorworkers to increase their skills andqualificationsIt’s also a Champion for Skills,

with 98 per cent of staff nowqualified to at least NVQ Level 2,supported by a commitment tostaff professional developmentand an active approach to Skillsfor Life and ICT training that havehelped Merseytravel recentlyretain its prestigious Investors inPeople Gold status.

18 » summer 2011

Merseytravel’sDirector of CorporateDevelopment LizChandler (left), ULRCoordinator LianneKinsella and ProjectWorker StephenWoods receive theirALW award

Merseylearn, the innovativelearning and staff developmentarm of Merseytravel, wonanother major award for itsgroundbreaking work duringthe 20th Adult Learners’ Weekin May.The Inspiring Learning Projects

award, presented by the NationalInstitute for Adult ContinuingEducation and sponsored by TheOpen University, recognisedMerseylearn’s dedication andcommitment to learning,transforming the lives of itsemployees, and those in the widerlocal transport sector, throughwork-based learning.

DigitalAmbassador VikkiMcDougall helpsCambridgeshireresidents getonline duringAdult Learners’Week as part ofDigital Day

Photo:Ca

ters Pho

tograp

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n Adult Learners’ Week kicked offwith a Cultural Diversity Weekendand events taking place up anddown the country to celebrate thebenefits of learning throughexploring and embracing a rangeof cultures. The week also included the

National Awards Ceremony inWestminster, the first in a series ofshowcase events to celebrate theremarkable learning journeys ofthis year’s award winners. Skills Minister John Hayes

reaffirmed the Government’scommitment to adult learning inhis speech at the event. “The annual showcase of Adult

Learners’ Week has helped toteach Britain that no learning iswasted and that no form ofknowledge or skill can beconsidered a luxury,” he said.Another first for the 20th

anniversary was the launch of thefirst ALW Digital Day to help opendoors to online learning.

Digital Day provided a hook forlearning providers, teachers andtutors to use technology as part oftheir taster sessions and activitiesthroughout Adult Learners’ Week.

>>Watch a video of thewinners at www.alw.org.uk/winners-stories/winner-story/2011/merseylearn


Adult Learners’ Week « Update «

summer 2011 « 19

Photo: Rod Leon

That was the week that wasn ASLEF organised anEnvironmental Awareness Day atOrpington Traincrew Depot, witha quiz and prize of a solarpowered wind-up radio. Martin Lawford, a shunt driver

from Orpington, came in forspecial praise for encouragingmany fellow members of staff toparticipate.

n Unionlearn Director Tom Wilsonopened a new learning centreorganised by Unite ULRs atSuperdrug, South Elmsall.ULRS also laid on a range of

learning activities and Tompresented certificates to learnerswho had gained their ITQ Level 1.

n Royal College of Midwives(RCM) members at the ElizabethGarrett Anderson Maternity Wingat University College Hospitalmade a ‘dash for learning’ topromote learning in the workplaceand the work of ULRs.The midwives took their trolleys

around the unit, dispensing adviceon learning, information about theRCM, freebies and healthy food.There were also sessions onpersonal safety.

n Staff at New Charter Housingwere spoilt for choice when theorganisation launched its ownDragons’ Den 2011 and offered£10,000 for people to apply tofund any form of learningopportunity. The great give-awaydidn’t stop there, with two £1,000scholarships available to enablepeople to realise a dreaminvolving learning.

n Staff at Diodes ZetexSemiconductors Ltd took part in arange of learning activities, withan emphasis on older workers.ULRs from Unite arranged informallearning sessions on IT skills andsign language and also invitedstaff from the local WellbeingCentre and Rowland Pharmacy togive advice. A massage therapist was on

hand to demonstrate techniquesto alleviate back pains and otherstrains. Diodes Zetex provided resources

for the event and flexible breaktimes.

n UNISON ULRsorganised avariety of tasterlearningsessions toencourage staffto develop theirknowledge andincrease theirskills as part of a joint celebration at Derbyshire County Council.Sessions included Information,

Advice and Guidance, drop-in ITand opportunities to sign up forcourses, while activities includedskills checks and assessments,interview practice and CV writingguidance. There were also sessions on

equalities, writing skills, pensions,personal finances and stressmanagement.

n Author and journalist LucyCavendish shared her joy ofreading with visitors to the HertsTrade Union Learning Centre.Famous for her tales of the trials

and tribulations of Home Countiesmums, Lucy said she couldn’timagine a day without reading. “For me, it is the most fun I

could have at anytime,anywhere: reading hasinspired me in every part of my life, from my ownwriting to my relationshipswith my nearest anddearest and the worldaround me.”The Herts Trade

Union LearningCentre provideslearningopportunities toemployees inWatford and isopen to thecommunity.

An introduction to Spanish, brain teasers using a Wii console, number challenges and head massageswere made accessible to all Serco staff at DerrifordHospital, Plymouth.

The workforce has a large contingency of Polish speakingworkers who were able to take part fully with guidance andsupport from Ania Kondera, GMB Migrant Project Worker.As a result over 80 employees took part in the day.

Quick Readsauthor LucyCavendish saysshe is inspiredby reading inevery part ofher life

RCM members make theirdash for learning at UniversityCollege Hospital in London

Photo: Helen Stephens

Knees up for aZumba workshopin Liverpool


20 » summer 2011

Plumber LizLaughton putsher new skills togood use underthe watchful eyeof supervisorAndy Thwaites

Plumbingnew heights

Photos: M

artin

Jenkinson

With the help of constructionunion UCATT, housing companyWilmott Dixon has opened a newtraining centre in Scarboroughwhere local residents canimprove their skills alongsidequalified tradespeople


summer 2011 « 21

Learning centre « Feature «

Stuart is happy that his union hasa higher profile now that it isinvolved with the centre and he ishoping to see it get involved withoffering more people in the localcommunity free training. “Thatwould be the next step,” he says.Eighteen-year-old Tom Holdenby

took a one-day health and safetycourse at the centre afterapproaching Wilmott Dixon off hisown bat towards the end of a two-year Level 3 Diploma inConstruction and the BuiltEnvironment at York College.

“The room was full of joiners,electricians, plasterers, all thedifferent tradespeople – I was theonly work experience person therebut they treated me as one of theirown, I felt very comfortable,” hesays.Since taking the safety course,

Tom has been spending two days aweek with one of the company’squalified electricians, learning bywatching how he approaches hisdifferent jobs and getting involvedwhen he can. “I like hands-onlearning like that,” he says.Tom hopes that the time he’s put

in will pay off later this year. “I’mlooking to start an apprenticeshipwhen college starts in the autumn,and I hope my work experience willstand me in good stead withWilmott Dixon,” he says.UCATT’s Steve Murphy says the

centre will allow a wide range ofpeople to improve their skills andgain decent qualifications.“This initiative shows how a

progressive union can work withcompanies for the benefit of itsmembers and the localcommunity,” he says.

“This initiative shows how aprogressive union can workwith companies for thebenefit of its members andthe local community.”

With the help of unionlearnand construction union UCATT,housing company WilmottDixon has opened a newtraining centre in Scarboroughthat’s open to members of thelocal community as well as itsown workforce.What was once a dilapidated

storage area was transformed lastyear into a fully equipped, flexibleand tailored learning centre in thespace of six weeks.It is now fully equipped with

classroom furniture, a whiteboard,projector and laptop computers,and its flexible arrangement meansthat it can also be used to delivertraining in practical constructionskills, including tiling andplastering, painting and decoratingand plumbing. “It has been really, really

advantageous to work with UCATT,”says Willmott Dixon TrainingManager Sharon Ayles. “Thetraining centre would not havebeen possible without their input.”The centre now offers training in

trade skills such as carpentry,plumbing, joinery and decorating toWillmott Dixonʼs local maintenanceteam, which means workers don’thave to travel to other sites acrossthe country for training sessions.It’s also open to members of the

local community looking to find outmore about the construction sector– particularly those who areunemployed or have been affectedby redundancies and businessclosures. “We identified a need for a local

training facility in a comfortableand familiar environment for ourtradespeople and the widercommunity,” says Willmott Dixon’sGeneral Manager at ScarboroughDerek Dyer. “We also want to improve our

employeesʼ quality of life andwork–life balance – and reducingtravelling time is one way of doing that.”

Group Chief Executive RickWillmott formally opened the centrein the autumn, alongside ActingUCATT Regional Secretary SteveMurphy, Scarborough Mayor HazelLynskey, and Yorkshire CoastHomes (YCH) Chief Executive SteveOldridge (the company providesrepairs and maintenance to YCHhousing stock in Scarborough and Whitby). “Willmott Dixon has been in

existence for 158 years and hasbeen through recessions andeconomic downturns before,” saysHead of Customer Service andTraining Huw Evans.“To get through the bad times we

believe that you need to invest inthe people who work for you.”Stuart Witty, production manager

with the company, has experiencedlearning from both sides at thecentre.He helps deliver monthly

‘toolbox talks’ for tradespeople that cover issues such as newpolicies and procedures and healthand safety updates and providingopen forums to feedback onworkplace issues.As a learner, Stuart has been

taking part in Excel training. “Ithought it very good and thefacilities are great,” he says.

Adrian Kurlei isone of the manylocal schoolstudents tobenefit from workexperience atWilmott Dixon


22 » summer 2011

» Feature » Community learning

All over the country, unionlearning projects are takingtheir expertise out into thelocal community andinspiring a whole newnetwork of local learners.By Martin Moriarty

Phot

os: C

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McP

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on

“We have broader partnershipsright across the community andwe’re raising people’s expectationsthat learning is for everyone.”

Catch the learning


The innovative learning partnership atMerseytravel has been reaching outinto the local community since itbegan its region-wide Taxi DriverTraining Programme in 2006 as part ofits Union Learning Fund (ULF) project.The programme, backed in partnership by

the management and unions of the publictransport authority, helped developqualifications for new and existing taxi drivers,and trained a group of union learning reps tospread the word throughout the taxi andprivate hire sector.That’s how taxi driver Carl Werbiski came

to use one of Merseylearn’s three learningcentres, at Mersey Tunnels, to improve hisliteracy and numeracy skills for the NVQ. “OnceI got into the education system I begun toreally enjoy it: I felt empowered,” he recalls.In fact, completing his NVQ gave him so

much confidence that he has since securedNVQ and A1 Assessors Awards and is thinkingabout taking Preparing to Teach in the LifelongLearning Sector (PTLLS) that would qualify himto teach in the adult learning sector.Running IAG sessions for people interested

in joining the taxi trade also helps spread theword about learning, points out MerseylearnProject Worker Stephen Woods.“The sessions are useful: they pass on

information about learning and developmentto the taxi community, and they themselvesare a big community that can pass oninformation, as you know when you sit in theback of anyone’s cab,” he says.After further extending learning

opportunities to local bus workers and to staffon the Merseyrail network, the logical next stepwas to build partnerships with the widercommunity, explains Merseylearn ManagerAndy Thornton.“Now we have evolved so that we’re much

more outward-facing, and we have broaderpartnerships with our sector partners not onlyin public transport organisations but rightacross the community, and we’re raisingpeople’s expectations that learning is foreveryone,” he says.One of Merseylearn’s key partners is the

Liverpool Community Learning Champions(CLCs) Project, which, alongside Merseylearn,also won an Adult Learners’ Week award thisyear after helping to inspire more than 3,000people across the city to learn (over 80 percent of them new to adult learning).

The two projects are building links betweenworkplace-based ULRs and community-basedCLCs with a series of joint activities that givethem a chance to meet, exchange ideas, shareresources and make contacts for furthercollaborative projects.Back in autumn 2010, Merseylearn

organised a coach trip around five areas ofLiverpool for CLCs and ULRs: a CLC from eachof the five neighbourhoods they passedthrough – Alt Valley, City & North, LiverpoolEast, South Central and South Liverpool – took to the microphone to act as tour guide for the area.The coach trip was followed up by a cross-

sector event at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airportin December, where CLCs and ULRs met todiscuss working together in general and planactivities for this year’s Learning At Work (LAW)Day in particular.This time, the informal learning element of

the day featured a behind-the-scenes tour ofthe airport that included a visit to the air trafficcontrol tower to watch staff guiding planes inand out of the surrounding skies.The group also took the chance to check out

the Art Bus, a fully equipped mobile learningcentre provided by Notre Dame CatholicCollege that’s available for local groups to hire.Merseylearn is also one of 60 pilot online

centres across the UK working with Remploy tooffer refurbished computers for £98 in a bid toreach the 9 million adults in the countrycurrently without access to computer-basedonline services.“We’re one of the very few organisations

who’ve got the facilities to bring thoseopportunities to the different sectors of thecommunity, helping people who are digitallydisadvantaged access training and perhaps getonline for the first time ever,” Andy says.

summer 2011 « 23

g bus

� Unionlearn Yorkshire andthe Humber engagedalmost 7,000 adults in awide variety of informallearning sessions duringthe Celebration of Learningin autumn 2010 by workingwith everyone frommembers of sports clubs to church congregations tooffer people of all ages thechance to try somethingnew.

� Newcastle UNISON isleading a uniquepartnership project withNewcastle City Council todevelop CommunityLearning Champions tospread the word aboutlifelong learning in Blackand minority ethnic (BME)and other communities inthe city.

� The Trade Union StudyCentre, based in Woolwich,south London, raises itsprofile with events insupermarkets and locallibraries; builds links withSure Start and otherchildren’s centres; andoffers literacy, numeracyand IT support to peoplereferred for help from thelocal Jobcentre Plus.

Look out for a newunionlearn case studysurvey of union projectsworking with communityinitiatives later thissummer.

Community learning « Feature «

Stephen Woods (left)and Andy Thornton areworking to extendMerseylearn’spartnerships with thelocal community


» Briefing » Apprenticeships

Professor Wolf’s recommendationsinclude increasing young people’saccess to apprenticeship as aGovernment priority and of theutmost importance to the future of16–18 vocational education.“We agree with Professor Wolf's

support for the expansion of high-quality apprenticeships that will offergenuine career progression for youngpeople,” says Tom Wilson.

“It is interesting that shemakes the point that ingeneral apprenticeshipsin the UK compareless favourably with

those in many otherEuropean countries,which tend to offer a broader level of training.”

24 » summer 2011

Let’s have more like Brendan

Brendan Burr(centre) collectshis youngengineer awardfrom Bob Hunt,Chair of the MTA’s Educationand TrainingCommittee, andthe BBC’s Louise Minchin.

Tom also endorses ProfessorWolf’s view that young people shouldhave a general education to the ageof 16, including the achievement ofminimum standards in maths andEnglish, and that 14 is too early tospecialise.“Unionlearn is working closely with

unions and the NationalApprenticeship Service to build thecapacity of union reps to supportyoung apprentices in the workplaceand to encourage more employers torecruit them,” he says.The TUC says that many of the

recommendations in the reportregarding apprenticeships throw outa huge challenge to employers – inparticular the focus on quality andthe need for employers to ensurethat young apprentices are engagedin training that supports theacquisition of a wider skill set andnot just occupation-specific training. “Recent criticisms by employers of

the minimum standards relating totime off for training in the existingapprenticeship specificationstandard suggest that theGovernment will have to take a veryrobust approach if it is going torequire all employers with youngapprentices to adopt the approach

recommended byProfessor Wolf,”

the TUC says.

Unionlearn is backing the Wolf Report’scall for more quality apprenticeships tohelp young people into productive careers.

Unite member Brendan Burrhas won Young Engineeer ofthe Year in the ManufacturingIndustry Awards.

Brendan, who is in the final yearof his apprenticeship atAgustaWestland, Yeovil, won hisaward for consistently exceedingexpectations.His apprenticeship involves a

range of placements at the business,and feedback from each has alwaysbeen very positiveand his companyhas receivednumerous requeststo employ himwhen he finishes. And it’s quality

apprenticeshipslike Brendan’sthat should beat the heart of vocationaleducation, says TomWilson, Director ofunionlearn, respondingto a review by ProfessorAlison Wolf.Last year, Education

Secretary Michael Govecommissioned ProfessorWolf to undertake areview of vocationaleducation for young peopleunder 19 years of age.One of the major themes

of her report is that toomany young people areengaged in vocationalcourses that do not offer them a “successfulpathway into employment or higher education.”This includes the fact, she says,

that too few 16- to 18-year-olds areable to gain access to high-qualityapprenticeships and the increasingnumber of apprenticeships in recentyears has disproportionately helpedthose aged 19-plus. Quality needs tobe benchmarked againstapprenticeship models in othercountries, she adds.

“We agree with ProfessorWolf’s support for theexpansion of high-qualityapprenticeships that will

offer genuine careerprogression foryoung people.”

Illustrations: Russell Tate

24-25 LR SUM11 PRF4_Layout 1 13/07/2011 09:16

summer 2011 « 25

Apprenticeships « Briefing «Photos: Sam

Friedrich

Union and business leaders, academics andpoliticians examined the future forapprenticeships at a unionlearn round tablediscussion chaired by Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee in June.They gathered at The Guardian’s London headquarters

to discuss how to encourage more employers to invest inhigh-quality vocational training so that the currentexpansion of apprenticeships can help the UK gain theskills it needs to compete on the global stage.In order to encourage open discussion and a frank

exchange of views, the round table was held underChatham House rules, which means contributions cannotbe attributed to named participants.The good news from the Department of Business,

Innovation and Skills is that the latest statistics show thatthe Government has delivered more than103,000 additional adult apprenticeship startsover the 2010–11 financial year, over doublethe number originally planned.

And it doesn’t want to stop there. SkillsMinister John Hayes (who attendedalongside Gordon Marsden, shadowminister for further education) is onrecord as saying that he wants tosurpass the all-time record of400,000 apprenticeships. However, there is plenty more to

do. Only 30 per cent of companieswith 500-plus workers offerapprenticeships – compared to almostall firms of that size in Germany. It’s against this background thatNewcastle North MP Catherine

McKinnell (who also took part inthe discussion) has launched

her private members’ bill that calls for publicprocurement contracts to include commitments toprovide apprenticeships. Several employer representatives of good practice

offered their experiences to the discussion, includingNigel Whitehead from BAE Systems, Andrew Thompson,SERCO, and Phil Handley from Caterpillar, and GMBSouthern Region apprentice Anna Barnes added herperspective.But union participants, including TUC Deputy General

Secretary Frances O’Grady, Unite Assistant GeneralSecretary Gail Cartmail, Prospect Deputy GeneralSecretary Leslie Manasseh and unionlearn Board ChairMary Bousted, drew the round table’s attention to theless than exemplary employers.The union argument is that that the brand is at risk of

being undermined by firms providing sub-standard, low-paid training and calling it an apprenticeship, withgreater transparency on pay rates required to ensureapprentices are paid properly. The other major issue concerning union contributors

was equality of participation. Unions are looking at waysto tackle disparities such as the 21 per cent pay gapbetween male and female apprentices and under-representation of members of Black and minority ethnic(BME) communities and disabled people.

Dr MaryBousted, whochairs theunionlearnBoard, was oneof severalleading unionparticipants inthe round tablediscussion

“The brand is at risk of beingundermined by some employersproviding sub-standard, low-paid training and calling it an apprenticeship.”

Where next forapprenticeships?

Unionlearn brought togetherbusiness and union leaders, politicians and academics tolook into the future forapprenticeships.

Guardian journalistPolly Toynbee put thekey questions to roundtable participants

Illustrations: Russell Tate

24-25 LR SUM11 PRF4_Layout 1 13/07/2011 09:16

» Roundup » TUC Education with unionlearn

FBU learning centrewins recognition

The FBU has secured directclaim status from nationalawarding body NCFEfollowing an external auditon a pilot Level 2 Health &Safety course deliveredthrough its ULF Project. “I am delighted that we have

received direct status so quicklyhaving achieved two grade oneinspections from NCFE,” saysFBU National ULF ManagerTrevor Shanahan. “Great credit goes to all the

FBU ULF staff who have beeninvolved in delivering the courseand well done to those FBUmembers who completed thecourse and now have a level 2certificate in Health & Safety.”The external verifier praised

the organisation and delivery ofthe course as well as the qualityof assessment and support forthe learners. The report concluded that it

was “an exemplar centre” withthe course delivered “in aprofessional manner” and that“IV and assessor systems andmost importantly the delivery ofthe programme are to thehighest standards”. This was the first

distance learningcourse to be deliveredindependently andinternally withresponsibility forinduction, registration,delivery, assessment andverification undertaken bythe FBU Learning Centre Staff and the FBU’s ULF Project Team.

26 » summer 2011

Physiosget to gripswith online supportAn interactive website for BMEmembers of the CharteredSociety of Physiotherapistsunion is providing tools to helptackle racism in the workplace. Now it’s also being used in a new

TUC workbook to illustrate howunions can work to combat racism.The CSP interactive website (iCSP)

has created networks for BMEmembers along with Disabled andLGBT members, with the BME groupnow having nearly 600 participants.Members receive regular briefings

on equality-related issues, legalupdates, news and information andiCSP also provides a forum formembers to discuss issues ofcommon interest and contact eachother by email. Peer support is a key element of

the network – members volunteer tobe put in touch with other memberswho are experiencing difficulties inthe workplace: BME networkmembers have offered support tostudents facing racial abuse whileon clinical placement.“Being part of the BME iCSP

Network Group has been thegreatest asset I have had in myprofession,” says iCSP memberDoreen Caesar.

“It has been a bridgebetween my otherBME colleagues andmyself to discussprofessional andworkplace issues. “The group gave

me tremendoussupport when I wasfacing workplacediscrimination andthis strengthenedme not to give upas well asproviding me withdevelopmentalopportunities to represent andspeak on behalf of the group atconferences and meetings.”Saraka Keating, National Officer

with CSP says: “It has been anoutstanding success from anequality and diversity point of view.”

>> The new workbook TacklingRacism will be available onTUC Education courses Photo: Rod Leon

iCSP BME groupmembers (fromleft) CorettaEdusei, RekhaSoni and AngelaAboagye withSaraka Keating,CSP nationalofficer withresponsibility forthe equalitynetwork groups


TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «

summer 2011 « 27

The Miners’ Hymns is a new DVD from theBritish Film Institute paying tribute to thehistory of coal mining in the North East. The film by Bill Morrison with music by Jóhann

Jóhannsson, is a compelling elegy focusing on themines in the Durham area, showing the intenselabour, vibrant community and rich culture thatcharacterised the lives of those who workedunderground during the 20th century.Collaged from archive film, it celebrates social,

cultural and political aspects of the now-extinctmining industry, and the strong regional traditionof colliery brass bands.

A hymn to north-east mining

On paper they’re safety champs!Lecturer JimWalker (centre)with (from left): Grant Hemphill,Derek Simpson,Bob Driscoll,Iain Roper,Cameron Page,Mike Foster(plus kneeling):Paul Reilly and DavidWotherspoon

Lee knows wherehe’s goingUNISON rep Lee Pulford wantedto prove people wrong whenthey joked that he had onlybeen given a job at HumbersidePolice so that officers knewwhere he was! Lee, who works for the Support

Branch, is taking his Health & SafetyDiploma course at East RidingCollege, after first starting on a Stage 1 course six years ago. Lee, who has dyslexia, dropped

out initially but came back thefollowing year and stuck with it,transforming himself in his abilityand confidence. “This diploma course must be one

of the hardest things that I have everdone but I am so much moreconfident now in dealing with myemployer,” he says.“Learning is still hard for me but it

is a good boost not to be judged bywhat I put down on paper. I thinkthat the class also has been great:there is a real sense of what unionsare all about – looking after oneanother and helping others thoughtough times.”Dave Parr, Head of Curriculum

Area – Trade Union Studies at EastRiding, says Lee had achievedsomething remarkable: “This is thereason we get out of bed in themorning,” he says.

Equalities diplomalaunchedA pilot diploma in equalitiesfor trade union reps getsunderway this autumn, with a great deal of interestalready generated.The diploma is designed to bring

together all the threads of theequality agenda so that reps have athorough grounding in union policy,best practice and equality law. Italso develops values and skillsneeded for higher-level study andactivism.The diploma is also planned to

be available online for reps whoneed a more flexibly deliveredprogramme.Details from your local TUC

Education centre or RegionalEducation Officer.

>> See the trailer at http://youtu.be/_6avULC9nuQ

>>Buy the DVD from http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk

Eight Unite safety reps from Glenrothes-basedpapermakers Tullis Russellhave been recognised for theirhard work and commitmentafter completing a course atAdam Smith College.The eight employees were

awarded the STUC Safety Award atthe STUC Congress in Ayr, havingcompleted their TUC Diploma inOccupational Health and Safety .

“At Tullis Russell we arecommitted to having highstandards of health and safetyabove and beyond the minimumrequired by law,” says learner PaulReilly. “This course is helping us toimprove our skills whileindividually gaining aqualification.”


achievements in promotingequality, health and safety andlearning in the workplace.“This is the real story of what

trade unions do day in, day out onbehalf of working people –keeping them safe, helping themlearn, promoting equality andrepresenting them in every aspectof their employment,” said Nigel.

» Roundup » TUC Education with unionlearnPh

oto:

Clin

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Unite member Tim Benn saved the life of hiscolleague Roger Allsop when they wereboth severely injured in an accident at work.

Tim Benn, a maintenanceengineer at Unilever inBarnwood, Gloucester, won aspecial commendation forextraordinary courage in thefirst South West TUC awards.He and colleague Roger Allsop

were carrying out routinemaintenance on the largerefrigeration units used to cool ice cream made at the site when a valve exploded, covering themin ammonia. Roger took the full force of the

toxic chemical in his face but Timcarried him up a ladder, across alanding, down three flights ofstairs and across a road to anemergency shower in anextraordinary feat of courage andstrength that undoubtedly savedhis life.Roger was rushed to hospital

where he remained blind forweeks and although he hasrecovered, his sight isimpaired and he has nosense of taste or smell. To this day, he remembersnothing of the accident. Tim still suffers flashbacks.

“Tim showed tremendouscourage and solidarity to hisworkmate on that dreadful day:we are pleased to be able to usethis occasion to say ‘thank you’,”said South West TUC RegionalSecretary Nigel Costley. “Trade unions have worked hard

over generations to make worksafer but people still get hurt andkilled: Roger would have beenanother killed-at-work statistichad it not been for Tim’sdetermination to get him to thetreatment that saved his life.”Tim was one of 13 individuals

and two groups from the SouthWest who received awards fortheir outstanding work inrepresenting their colleagues and for their

Unite memberTim Benn (right)with thecolleague whoselife he saved,Roger Allsop

“Roger would have beenanother killed-at-workstatistic had it not beenfor Tim’s determination toget him to the treatmentthat saved his life.”

28 » summer 2011

Life-saver Timwins award


summer 2011 « 29

TUC Education with unionlearn « Roundup «

Learners from Greater ManchesterFire and Rescue Service wereawarded at an event at Leigh FireStation and Technical Centre.The event was organised by the service

with the FBU, UNISON and educationprovider the University of Bolton, whichreceived a unionlearn Quality Award in 2010for a range of learning initiatives offered tounions, including a previous NEBOSHcourse for the FBU.Certificates were presented to 50 recent

successful PTLLS Level 4 students and theevent also promoted the progression routeCTLLS Level 5 aimed at equipping fireservice employees to pass on their skillsmore effectively.

Many staff are involved in training or haveaspirations to do so. For those taking earlyretirement and voluntary severance from theservice, the qualifications may also proveinvaluable as first steps to deliveringtraining in a wide range of externalenvironments.“The first run of the PTLLS course was very

popular and the demand for a repeat runand progression onto CTLLS shows thatpeople are keen to learn how to pass ontheir skills,” explained FBU ULR Paul Smith. UNISON ULR Lorraine Whitehead said

promoting the course had been a greatsuccess. “Because of the interest it hasgenerated I have also been able to recruit anumber of members as ULRs,” she added.

Alison’s dedication secures safety prize

Fire service learners burn brightly

Promotingcourses hashelped ULRsrecruit morelearning reps

On therightpathProgressionpathwaysfor all tradeunion reps is a newguide about progression in thework that reps do to supportunion learners. It will helpthem think about gaining skillsand knowledge in advice andguidance, coaching, mentoringand facilitating learning. Southampton MPs John Denham

and Alan Whitehead launched theguide at an event with ULRs andlearners at Southampton College inJune, alongside unionlearn SERTUCRegional Manager Barry Francis. Alan said progression and

developing new skills were importantto both individuals and the widereconomy.

>>Download a copy atwww.unionlearn.org.uk/files/publications/documents/210.pdf

Teaching supportAn information and adviceevent offered welcomesupport for Cornish teachersand school staff facingredundancy and job cuts.The event at unionlearn’s Unet

Centre in St Austell was a jointcollaboration by ATL, NUT, NASUWT,GMB, Unite and UNISON. Six ULRs were on hand to offer

support alongside advice from 18support agencies, including CAB,JCP, Next Step, local providers andthe tax office.Unions had secured paid release

from Cornwall Council for staffaffected by redundancy.“It has been very useful to have

all the agencies I need to speak to,in one place, on one day, and withno queuing: I now feel I can moveforward,” said ATL member JasonHurr, who has accepted voluntaryredundancy.One of the teachers attending

thanked the unions for arrangingthe event. “I have gained moreinformation and support in the lasthour, than I have received in thelast six months!”

PCS rep Alison Roder’sdedication has helped herbranch win the annual PCSHealth and Safety Ron BrownShield.Alison works at the Ministry of

Justice in London, where she is aPCS health and safety rep in theHQ1 Branch, which has over 800members. She joined the WEA’s

TUC accredited Health andSafety Stage One courselast year and has sinceprogressed to Stage Two.

“The courses have helped meparticularly to be proactive andpush for improvements and policychanges that are needed, insteadof just waiting for problems toarise,” Alison says.Tutor Anthony Samaroo recalls

how Alison wrote a fantastichealth and safety audit for herworkplace.

“Alison shines on the courses,” he says. PCS rep Alison

Roder celebratesher branch’saward with tutorAnthony Samaroo


30 » summer 2011

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

» Contacts

» UnionlearnTel: 020 7079 6920Fax: 020 7079 6921 [email protected] www.unionlearn.org.uk Director Tom WilsonTel: 020 7079 [email protected]

»Nationalunionlearnmanagers

Standards and Quality Ian Borkett Tel: 020 7079 [email protected] Research and StrategyBert Clough Tel: 020 7079 [email protected] James Asser Tel: 020 7079 [email protected] Trade Union EducationLiz ReesTel: 020 7079 [email protected] Union DevelopmentJudith Swift Tel: 0151 243 [email protected] Business and Finance ManagerCatherine McClennanTel: 07795 606 [email protected] Informal Adult LearningJoe FearnehoughTel: 0151 236 [email protected]

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

»WebsiteJay Sreedharan Tel: 020 7079 [email protected]

» Southern andEastern

Tel: 020 7467 1251Regional ManagerBarry Francis Union DevelopmentCoordinator Jon TennisonRegional Education Officers Rob HancockTheresa Daly

» Midlands Tel: 0121 236 4454Regional ManagerMary Alys Union DevelopmentCoordinator Gary O’Donnell Regional Education OfficerPete Try

» NorthernRegional Manager Kevin Rowan Tel: 0191 227 5565Union DevelopmentCoordinatorBeth Farhat Tel: 0191 227 5576Regional Education Officer Ian West Tel: 0191 227 5572

» North West Regional ManagerDave Eva Tel: 0151 236 2321Union DevelopmentCoordinatorTony Saunders Liverpool officeTel: 0151 236 2321Manchester officeTel: 0161 445 0077Regional Education Officer Peter HollandTel: 0151 243 2564

» South WestRegional Manager Helen ColeTel: 0117 947 0521Union DevelopmentCoordinatorRos EtheridgeRegional Development WorkerAlan ShearnTel: 0117 947 0521Regional Education Officer Marie HughesTel: 0117 933 4443

» Yorkshire and the Humber

Tel: 0113 245 4909Regional ManagerAlan RoeUnion DevelopmentCoordinator Sharon Burke Regional Education Officer Trevor Sargison Tel: 0113 200 1071

» Union contactsAslef Shirley HandsleyTel: 07739 473 [email protected] Nelly Tackla-WrightTel: 01226 383 [email protected] Kate Quigley Tel: 020 7782 [email protected] BECTU Brian KellyTel: 020 7346 [email protected] John VickersTel: 01132 565 [email protected] Vikki BothamTel: 07717 805 [email protected] Tom Davis Tel: 01562 749 [email protected] Penny Bromley Tel: 020 7306 [email protected] CWU Paul DoveyTel: 020 8971 [email protected] Equity Louise Grainger Tel: 020 7670 [email protected] Trevor ShanahanTel: 07917 759 [email protected] Neil RiderTel: 020 7401 [email protected] Jonathan LedgerTel: 020 7223 [email protected] Stephen SmithTel: 0121 453 [email protected] Linda KingTel: 020 7843 [email protected] Chris SkidmoreTel: 01226 215 [email protected] Andrew Parry Williams Tel: 020 7380 4800/[email protected] PCS David McEvoy Tel: 020 7801 2727 ext [email protected]

30-31_SUM11_PRF4_Layout 1 copy 4 12/07/2011 11:48

My colleague was recently offered a promotion but he is struggling to adapt to his new job. He thinks hisdyslexia is holding him back and he is very unhappy. How can I help?

Many people with dyslexia mayexperience anxiety, frustration and low self-esteem and this is particularly likely in theworkplace, especially when they have notreceived adequate advice on how to managetheir job. In this circumstance it is important for

people to disclose that they have dyslexia totheir employers so that their needs can bemet. As a ULR, you can be a good source ofsupport for people who are thinking aboutdisclosing their dyslexia. This is a personaldecision and depends on personal factors,as well as on the culture of the workplace. Many people feel reluctant to disclose

their dyslexia because they are concernedabout how they will be treated. Reps need tobe aware of these issues and ensure thatthey are able to empathise with theirmembers. Employers must act reasonably in

responding to performance difficulties thatmay have resulted from a dyslexic employee.An informal plan of action can be createdbetween the manager and the dyslexicemployee (negotiated and monitored withthe assistance of the union and personnel).This can provide clear objectives andtimescales and can eventually lead toimproved performance. The objectives ofsuch a plan could include: z dyslexia awareness training for allstakeholders, particularly those with directline management responsibility for dyslexicemployees

z clear job responsibilities and taskprocedures drawn up by management inconjunction with union representatives andthe dyslexic employee

z workflows organised to ensure there are no'non-urgent' interruptions for thoseengaged in detailed work

z specialist one-to-one training for thedyslexic employee such as reading andwriting strategies, concentration andmemory improvement techniques,planning, time management andorganisational skills and the use ofspecialist dyslexia support software.

>>For more information, contact:

British Dyslexia Associationwww.bdadyslexia.org.uk

Adult Dyslexia Organisation www.adult-dyslexia.org

You can also refer to our new bookletDyslexia: http://tinyurl.com/3gqzoec

I am advising someone who alreadyhas an Honours degree. Would they beable to apply for a Foundation degree in adifferent subject?

It is not unusual for individuals withundergraduate or postgraduatequalifications to undertake a Foundationdegree. Around 20 per cent of Foundationdegree students already have highereducation qualifications. Some of theseindividuals may be seeking to changecareers or perhaps to gain very specifictechnical skills and knowledge in theirexisting field. Take a look at our Looking for your

career path brochure, which is aimed atprospective Foundation degree students. It is for employees considering taking aFoundation degree while working. Anyone thinking of studying a Foundation

degree will want to be sure that the coursewill be the best route to fulfilling personaland career goals. Unionlearn andFoundation Degree Forward (fdf) have puttogether a list of questions for prospectivelearners to ask before making a decision:Choosing to do a Foundation degree whileworking – a checklist for learners.

>>To download these publications and tofind out more about Foundation degrees,visit http://tinyurl.com/67cu7vk

Q

A

Q

A

summer 2011 « 31

Resources «

PFA Alan IrwinTel: 07717 467 [email protected] Phil KellyTel: 020 8803 [email protected] Prospect Rachel BennettTel: 020 7902 [email protected] Denise LinayTel: 020 7312 [email protected] Linda McBride Tel: 020 7647 [email protected] Teresa Williams Tel: 07881 812 [email protected] Liz Salem Tel: 01625 829 [email protected] Sal MorawetzTel: 020 7529 [email protected] UCATT Jeff Hopewell Tel: 01302 360 [email protected] Patricia Mayo Tel: 01242 253 [email protected] UNISON Joanna Cain Tel: 020 7551 [email protected] Unite Tom Beattie Tel: 020 8462 [email protected] Unite Jim TelfordTel: 07980 874 [email protected] Unity Gerald CrookesTel: 01782 280 [email protected] Graham Cooper Tel: 07795 562 [email protected] USDAW Ann Murphy Tel: 0161 224 [email protected]

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

30-31_SUM11_PRF4_Layout 1 copy 4 12/07/2011 11:48

unionlearn AnnualConference Report

Review of the previous yearfor unionlearn. Publishedfor the annual conference.

Resources « Roundup «

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

Learning Journeys – trade unionlearner in their own words

This report explores, in the words of thelearners themselves, the extent to whichunion learning facilitates equality anddiversity in access to learning andprecipitates further personaldevelopment, job progression and/oremployability for learners.

Spread the wordabout the work

of ULRs and learningproject workers byordering more copiesof The Learning Rep. Give them to colleaguesat work, learners andanyone interested inunion learning.

Freematerials

Unions and Sector Skills Councils

A series of case studies ofsocial partnership goodpractice. This booklet detailsjust some of the ways inwhich unions and SSCsalready work together and is a follow-up to the highlysuccessful seminar on thesubject earlier in the year.

Progression Pathways forall trade union reps

This guide is about progression inthe work that you do to supportunion learners. It will help you tothink about gaining skills andknowledge in advice and guidanceand coaching, mentoring andfacilitating learning.

Union ProfessionalDevelopment Programme 2011

Now in its seventh year, the unionprofessional development programmehas been updated by TUC tutors for2011. And there are new courses inthe core and bespoke programmeavailable to support the professionaldevelopment of union staff.

Union learningadding value

Summary of the reportpublished last yearevaluating unionlearn andthe union learning fund bythe Centre for EmploymentRelations at Leeds University.

Gearing up for ChangeThis booklet of easy to

read, short case studieshighlights the variety of ways theSkills: Recession and Recoveryproject has made an impact.

Gearing up for Change tellseight stories from around Englandwith different views on how theunionlearn's Skills: Recession andRecovery project has engagedwith trade unions and otherstakeholders.

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the learning rep magazine - summer 2011

Documents

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