Celebrating Learning with UNISON
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 so 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 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 Union Learning
Rep.
For more information on Lifelong Learning
and how to organise training please contact:
Union Learning Reps
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 want 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 Union Learning Reps 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:
Union Learning Reps - Background and
Training
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 may not be appropriate for people on the
first step into union activity.
UNISON can also provide its ULRs with the
opportunity to undertake further training if they wish.
We hope to offer ULRs training on setting up a Workplace
Learning Agreement. For some ULRs 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. 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.
For more information on Lifelong Learning
and how to organise training please contact:
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 ULR is for
experienced branch activists, especially the branch education
officer, to undertake the training.
Once trained these activists can link into
the branch committee. They can also target groups of members
i.e. Return to Learners at their Options and Choices session,
and offer the chance to train as ULRs once they have completed
R2L.
A crucial role for the ‘activist' ULR would
be to make the links with the bargaining agenda. Using
local knowledge and information, 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 ULRs and the branch
is very important, as is keeping ULRs up to date on employer
led training initiatives. As ULRs 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 ULR 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 - benefiting the
branch and UNISON in general.
For more information on Lifelong Learning
and how to organise training please contact:
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