As most of you will know, the Union Learning Fund finishes at the end of March following over two decades supporting hundreds of thousands of workplace learners across the country.
Though this is a blow to the support that unions can offer members, colleagues and families it’s not the end of union learning.
As an apprentice workshop technician in the 1980’s I joined a union (ASTMS at the time) when I was 17, after completing my apprenticeship I soon got roped in as a rep. The Health and Safety Reps training being offered by TUC Education was excellent and I got the learning bug.
In 1997 I signed up for the TUC Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety at South Thames College – which included an element on workplace environmental issues. I was interested in environmental issues anyway and involved in local campaign groups and seeing how unions could support workers make their workplaces greener struck a chord.
Following all the courses I had done through work and with the support of the union I decided, at 30, the time was right to stretch myself and I enrolled on a part-time degree in Environmental Management at Birkbeck College, University of London.
For the last 10 years I have been working for unionlearn, first as a Union Support Officer in the South West and more recently with the Service Team writing cases studies and supporting events for Union Learning Reps across the country.
Writing case studies about the amazing work that ULRs have been doing to support workplace learners and raise confidence and aspirations has been nothing short of inspiring. Unions support learning in all walks of life from factory workers to firefighters and staff in supermarkets, offices or hospitals – something that no other organisation could achieve and something the movement is rightly proud of.
The loss of the Union Learning Fund is a blow that will impact on the ability for unions to support workers – but union learning, ULRs and Learning Centres will continue.
Through the TUC, unionlearn’s resources will continue to be available to reps, learners and anyone who needs them. This includes the website full of reports and guides covering areas including functional skills, apprenticeships, digital skills. The union learning Climbing Frame, online skills assessment tools, bitesize eLearning modules are still available, and TUC Education will continue to train reps, giving them the skills to support their members.
To further support ULRs across the country TUC regional teams will help to build and maintain regional ULR networks. These aim to include network meetings, learning events and training opportunities that provide opportunities for ULRs to develop and share good practice.
Though the Union Learning Fund is gone for the moment, union learning will continue to be there to support learners and make a difference to so many lives.
So make sure to keep up to date with all the latest news and developments, and visit the unionlearn website at: www.unionlearn.org.uk