UNISON Scotland Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning information sheet

What is Lifelong Learning?

The government’s Lifelong Learning policy for Scotland is about ‘personal fulfilment and enterprise, employability and adaptability, active citizenship and social inclusion’. What does that mean?

For UNISON it means trying to encourage a culture in which education and training is available and accessible for everyone. UNISON has been at the forefront of developing lifelong learning for people called non traditional learners, that is people who have had a poor experience of learning in the past, people who lack confidence in their own abilities or who feel school was such a long ago that they could never study again.

By learning UNISON doesn’t just mean getting skills needed to do a particular job. Lifelong Learning should mean learning in the broadest sense, gaining skills to develop your confidence to progress and participate in work, in the union and in the wider community.

UNISON wants to make sure that as many members as possible have opportunities for learning at work. This is why UNISON has put so much time and money into the development of the Return to Learn programme. Increasingly Return to Learn is being delivered in the workplace through partnership with the employers. This approach enables UNISON to reach many of the ‘non traditional learners’. As part of this approach UNISON has developed the role of Lifelong Learning Adviser.

For more information on Lifelong Learning and how to organise training please contact Anne Cascarino. Tel : 0845 355 0845, email: a.cascarino@unison.co.uk Learning & Organising Unit UNISON 14 West Campbell Street Glasgow G2 6RX.

Lifelong Learning Advisers

This is a new role for UNISON members which has evolved from UNISON’S commitment to lifelong learning and in particular to return to Learn and other education courses such as Women’s Lives. Members who have completed R2L have the opportunity to ‘sell’ the course to their colleagues and UNISON wants to support these people by offering them free training and the opportunity to become an integral part of the branch education team.

Legislation recently enacted means that potential advisers will be entitled to paid release to train for this role and to carry out your duties in much the same way as stewards and health and safety reps enjoy.

What do Lifelong Learning Advisers do?

The role is still evolving but it is clear that it is a very flexible and will vary according to the circumstances and experience of the individual and the needs of their branch and workplace.

The role is not some sort of pseudo careers adviser but someone who can talk with their colleagues about training and education, who knows and can promote UNISON courses, who knows where to direct people who need information about further education or how to access funding for training.

Other work that could be undertaken could include:

Encouraging colleagues to join courses such as Return to Learn and supporting them while they are learning
Helping to identify and highlight the learning needs of people in their workplace
Raising awareness of lifelong learning issues in their branch
Working with the branch to encourage learners into branch activity
Liaising with employers and the experienced branch negotiators on lifelong learning opportunities in the work place
Working with branch officers especially the branch education officer to promote lifelong learning opportunities

For more information on Lifelong Learning and how to organise training please contact Lucanne Strachan Learning & Organising Unit UNISON 14 West Campbell Street Glasgow G2 6RX l.strachan@unison.co.uk or 0845 355 0845.

Lifelong Learning Advisers and Union Learning Reps-same difference?

UNISON’s long involvement in membership education and more recently in Return to Learn led us to view the concept of the proposed Union Learning Rep differently from other trade unions.

Other unions decided that existing stewards should undergo the TUC training to become Union Learning Reps and add that role to all their other duties. ULR training is intensive and includes the negotiating and bargaining skills appropriate for experienced activists.

UNISON recognised that, for us, this was an opportunity to draw in a new group of activists, in particular a channel for successful Return to Learners into branch activity. However UNISON also realised that ULR training was not appropriate for people on the first step into union activity.

UNISON has modified the TUC delivered ULR course and renamed it Lifelong Learning Adviser training. This training is provided by the WEA, our partner in many UNISON courses, and it covers skills such as listening skills, interviewing skills, basic survey techniques and branch organisation and development.

This difference in no way affects the rights to paid time off to undertake training or to carry out duties as an LLA.

UNISON is also providing its LLAs with the opportunity to undertake further training if they wish. In Scotland we are currently offering a short course called Core Skills Awareness, which looks at basic literacy and numeracy problems in the workplace. Later this year other courses we hope to offer LLAs will include Workplace Learning Agreement training and information sessions on SVQs. For some LLAs further training may be steward training or Health and Safety training as they become more involved in day to day branch activity.

Just to complicate matters members can choose to attend the TUC ULR course, which is being delivered in some local colleges throughout Scotland. It is very important that the branch ensures these individuals are fully integrated into the branch education team. Current activists who would like long term direct involvement in lifelong learning activity can undertake ULR training. From September- December TUC ULR courses will be available and publicised through the Scottish education programme.

The main difference between LLAs and ULRs is the level of support the Advisers need from their branch and to ensure this branches should include Lifelong Learning in their development and organisation planning process.

Lifelong Learning-The Role of the Branch

The easiest way for a branch to get to grips with Lifelong Learning and the role of the Adviser is for experienced branch activists, especially the branch education officer, to undertake the training.

Once trained these activists can act as the link between advisers on the ground and the branch committee. They can also target groups of members i.e. Return to Learners at their Options and Choices session, and offer them the chance to train as LLAs once they have completed R2L.

A crucial role for the ‘activist’ LLA would be to make the links with the bargaining agenda. By using information gathered by advisers, training issues can be raised directly with the employer and linked with existing issues i.e. A4C Knowledge and Skills Framework, Joint Future, recruitment and retention etc. Information gathered can also be used to begin negotiations with employers on the establishment of a Workplace Learning Agreement that would guarantee equality of access to training for all not just those who already have qualifications.

Regular contact between LLAs and the branch is very important, as is keeping LLAs up to date on employer led training initiatives.

As advisers gain confidence and become used to speaking on behalf of their colleagues, branches should recognise that they may be willing to speak for them on issues other than training and become recognised in their workplace as a very positive face of UNISON.

The great strength of the Return to Learner turned Adviser is their ability to promote education to the very groups that make up the majority of UNISON members but who are in the minority at activist level-low paid, part time, women and ethnic minorities. Benefits to the branch and to UNISON in general.

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