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 Find related Learning & skills initiatives training courses. See all courses.  Northwest Learning Centre Strategy Unions and Employers helping to build Working Communities The learning revolution continues...  |
Skills Recovery: how the West Midlands can survive the recession... and beyondThe creation of more than 20 workplace learning centres are playing a crucial role in providing new skills to workers in the West Midlands, helping them to survive the current recession and preparing them for the jobs of the future. At an event held at City of Wolverhampton College today (March 1), organised by unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation, Ian Austin MP, Minster for the West Midlands, said: ' Skills are at the very top of our agenda here in the West Midlands. The only way we'll reverse the decline in the economy here is with better skills. There's no other way we ' ll be able to attract the new jobs and new industries on which our prosperity in the future will depend. ' We are committed to ensuring that we equip businesses and their workforce with the capabilities and skills to take advantage of opportunities in the new growth areas such as advanced manufacturing and low-carbon technologies. ' According to a study by the West Midlands Regional Observatory, the region has been hit hard by the downturn and has the highest unemployment rate in the country. However, recruitment difficulties and skill shortages have persisted - particularly in sectors such as engineering and manufacturing where firms are struggling to replace an ageing workforce. The West Midlands has the second lowest proportion of adults with high-level skills and the highest proportion with no qualifications at all. Young people need to be provided with the necessary skills to join the workforce and more investment is required to retrain current employees, so they can rise to the challenges that business and industry face in the future. The development of workplace learning centres is already playing an important role in meeting these aims. With funding of £458,000, from the Regional Development Agency Advantage West Midlands , unionlearn has been able to offer unions the opportunity of partnership with employers in the West Midlands to improve the performance of their businesses by boosting the skills level of the workforce. The scheme has led to the creation of 22 workplace learning centres, with 61 dedicated union learning reps. These reps act as advocates in the workplace, offering advice to their colleagues, and work with employers to ensure the right courses are provided. So far, two thousand qualifications have been completed with a further one thousand learners on the programme. Such centres can be found at Birmingham New Street Station, Barclays Wealth and Chamberlin & Hill foundry, Walsall. Speaking at today's event Dave Morgan, training and liaison officer for Chamberlin & Hill, said: 'The learning centre has been an amazing success. We have used the downtime caused by the recession to improve the skills of our employees. We have provided everything from literacy and numeracy courses to Institute of Leadership & Management module s. It has had so many good results. The workforce is now much more confident and ready to tackle challenge and change. It has helped us smooth the way towards new working practices and has vastly improved our quality and environment standards.  Mary Alys, unionlearn regional manager, Ian Austin MP, Minster for the West Midlands and Cheryl Pidgeon , TUC Midland Regional Secretary 'We have a lot of workers who have been with us for decades, who are now not qualified for the developments and innovations in the industry. The centre is allowing us to address that. It has been fantastic to see a real awakening in people to the opportunities that learning brings them. They are all coming back and asking 'What next?'.' Andy Rawlinson, a union learning rep for Unison at Telford & Wrekin council, said: 'Creating a partnership with the management of the council has opened so many m0re doors in terms of developing training for our members. We have been able to negotiate time off from work for people to attend courses and have been able to advertise and reach out to all staff. It has been of great benefit to the employees and employer alike.' The Skills Recovery event included workshops on how unions can:
Tom Wilson, unionlearn director said: ' 'Doing everything we can to prevent job loss and keep firms open is essential for our economy. We need to ensure high-quality apprenticeships for our young people, retraining for older workers facing redundancy; and where necessary, sensible agreements with employers to use down time for improving and learning new skills. We support a policy that matches skills with an active industrial policy - giving a boost to the job creating sectors in the economy where the UK is strong. Of course governments can only supply the tools, it is trade unions that have to do the job. And it is thanks to the dedication of learning reps, tutors and partners we have changed workers' lives just as much as we have transformed trade unionism itself.' Cheryl Pidgeon , TUC Midland Regional Secretary, said: 'Unions working together with forward-thinking employers can create a powerful team which can contribute significantly, not only to the prosperity of the workplace, but to the local and regional economy as we emerge out of the recession ready to embrace the challenges ahead.' Mary Alys, unionlearn regional manager, said: 'The event highlights the valuable work being carried out by union reps, working in partnership with their employers to enable their colleagues at work to gains skills for the future.' NOTES TO EDITORS: Pictures available on request All unionlearn press releases can be found at www.unionlearn.org.uk Media enquiries: Press release (1,000 words) issued 1 Mar 2010  Apprenticeships: Quality and Equality – The Agenda Skills investment seminar – videos from the day Wanted: climate heroes of the future! |
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