Links
Links are grouped below by subject heading.
About unionlearn
Join a union
http://www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/unions_form.cfm
Unions are not just there when something goes wrong. Union workplaces are safer, and more likely to help employees get on with better training and development programmes. Unions themselves provide training and services like legal advice.
Trade Union Congress
http://www.tuc.org.uk/
The TUC is the voice of Britain at work. With more than 70 member unions representing nearly seven million working people from all walks of life. This site contains information about the latest TUC campaigns, press releases, policy briefings as well as advice pages on your rights at work.
Union learning reps
BBC Learning
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/
The BBC website is one of the most popular sites in the country. This area of the site is dedicated to Learning and contains information about adult learning.
BBC Learning Zone
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/
BBC2's 'Working' series, year round television programmes on the Learning Zone that support learning for all those who want to get into or on in work.
BBC website
http://www.bbc.co.uk
This site provides general information about learning etc.
British Association for Open Learning
http://www.baol.co.uk
The British Association for Open Learning provides information and advice on learning and promotes continuous improvement.
Campaign for Learning
http://www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk
The Campaign for Learning is a national charity, working to create an appetite for learning in individuals that will sustain them throughout their lives. They campaign to create an inclusive society in which learning is valued, understood, wanted and widely available to every individual.
CV writing tips
http://www.alec.co.uk/cvtips/index.htm
A free resume/CV writing advice and tips website.
Department for Education and Skills
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.htm
The Government department responsible for lifelong learning. This site provides information about Government initiatives, Ministerial responsibility within the Department as well as publications, speeches and press releases.
Directgov - Education and learning
http://www.direct.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning
developed by the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) and partner organisations. It is intended to bring together information that will help adult and potential learners make informed decisions about taking up learning.
National Grid for Learning
http://www.ngfl.gov.uk/
A portal which brings together a network of sites dedicated to learning and education.
NIACE - The National Organisation for Adult Learning
http://www.niace.org.uk/
Providing information on the work carried out by NIACE to promote and support adult learning.
Returning to Learning
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/returning/
Do you want to join the growing community of adult learners, but where do you start? This is a step-by-step guide to returning to learning, here to give you all the answers you're looking for and all the advice and encouragement you need to start on a learning journey that could change your life.
Skills4Schools
http://www.skills4schools.org.uk
Skills4schools is an online resource to help school staff access learning opportunities at work. By providing an online guide to training, development and career pathways, the website aims to help staff develop in their current roles, make the move to new ones and take advantage of new career opportunities.
Trade Unions
http://www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/unions_list.cfm
This area of the TUC website contains a comprehensive list of unions, their contact details and websites.
Unionreps
http://www.UNIONREPS.org.uk
Networking and resources for reps. A sercure online forum to discuss the latest issues with other union reps.
Your rights at work
http://www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/rights_main.cfm
Need to know your rights at work? This area of the TUC site will explain your rights and give advice on common workplace problems.
Supporting Learners (IAG)
EMQC
http://www.emqc.co.uk
EMQC is an independent not-for-profit company that has specialised in the assessment of organisations against National Standards for over 12 years. These assessments are designed to improve and reward organisations that are committed to excellence and continual improvement.
Facing Redundancy
http://www.tuc.org.uk/redundancy
Advice from the TUC for people facing redundancy. Includes information about training and retraining.
matrix Standard
http://www.matrixstandard.com/
The matrix Standard is the national quality standard for any organisation that delivers information, advice and/or guidance on learning and work.
nextstep
http://www.nextstep.org.uk/
nextstep promotes learning and work to all adults aged 20 and over. This website tells you what you can expect from the nextstep information and advice service.
The Guidance Council
http://www.guidancecouncil.com
This is the website of the National Advisory Council for Careers and Educational Guidance, generally called the Guidance Council. The Guidance Council is the national body for all organisations in the UK concerned with information, advice and guidance about learning and work for adults and young people.
Skills for Life
Basic Skills Agency
http://www.basic-skills.co.uk
The Basic Skills Agency is the national development organisation for literacy and numeracy in England and Wales. As well as the latest news on basic skills, the Learning Zone lets you test your basic skills and find out what courses are available.
BBC skillswise
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise
Games, quizzes and more to help you improve your literacy and numeracy.
Dictionary
http://www.dictionary.com
Online Dictionary
Get On
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/get-on/
Get On campaign website. The aim of the campaign is to help adults improve their reading, writing and maths.
Lifelong Learning
http://www.lifelonglearning.dfes.gov.uk
A website devoted to the promotion of lifelong learning.
maths4life
http://www.maths4life.org/
Maths4Life is a new project which aims to stimulate a positive approach to teaching and learning in numeracy and maths.
The site contains a library of numeracy Research, including key numeracy reports and policy documents.
Move On
http://www.move-on.org.uk
Move On is a national project aiming to share the success of a pilot project in Somerset and developing its approach further. It offers Level 1 and 2 learners the new national Certificate in Adult Literacy and numeracy with a free brush-up course, aiming to reach new learners who don't see themselves as needing help with their basic skills.
National Register of Test Centres
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/ncr/
A database of test centres that offer the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy, ESOL or key skills is now live on the readwriteplus website
Read Write Plus
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/
The homepage of the Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit, which leads and co-ordinates all aspects of the national strategy to improve levels of adult literacy and numeracy in England.
Skills for Families
http://www.skillsforfamilies.org
Skills for Families is working with 12 LEA/LSC partnerships across the country to help meet the need for effective family programmes through a joined up programme between Local Education Authorities, local Learning and Skills Councils and providers.
Skills for Life Materials for Embedded Learning
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/embeddedlearning
These materials aim to help learners improve the literacy, language or numeracy skills they need to succeed at work or as part of vocational training programmes.
The Reader
http://www.thereader.co.uk
The Reader offers Read to Lead training for libraries and for other
organisations that wish to put reading into the heart of their work, as well as running a variety of events and projects which aim to improve literacy and life skills.
Time to Learn
http://www.timetolearn.org.uk
City & Guilds' online directory of adult residential courses and day schools, featuring a searchable database of courses and venues.
Vital Link
http://www.vitallink.org.uk
The Vital Link is an improvement programme for building and promoting libraries' capacity to support the Government's Skills for Life strategy, leading ultimately to a national offer for adult learners and the embedding of reading for pleasure in the Skills for Life curriculum.
Union Learning Fund
Career Development Loans
http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/cdl/
Career Development Loans are operated by the Department for Education and Skills in partnership with four high street banks. They can be used to help you gain new qualifications or open the door to a whole new career. You can find out further information about this scheme on this website.
Money to learn
http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/moneytolearn/
DfES website providing advice on financial help for adults in further and higher education.
New Opportunities Fund
http://www.nof.org.uk
The National Opportunities Fund is a Lottery Distributor which was created to award grants to health, education and environment projects throughout the UK.
Union Learning Fund
http://www.unionlearningfund.org.uk
The Union Learning Fund (ULF) was set up in 1998 by the government as a source of funding to help trade unions promote and organise learning opportunities in the workplace. The ULF has been allocated £39.6m from 2003-2006 to continue the work done so far.
Learning centres
ALI Excalibur
http://www.ali.gov.uk/Quality+improvement/Excalibur/
Excalibur shares best practice found during inspection helping you prepare for inspection and improve the quality of your learning provision.
ALI website
http://www.ali.gov.uk/
Adult Learning Inspectorate website
Common Inspection Framework
http://www.ali.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/88F30625-385A-4F7B-AAAA-D51ED2045457/0/C
Interpreting the CIF for learndirect provision.
Learndirect
http://www.learndirect.co.uk
Learndirect provides access to high quality courses, over 80 per cent of them on-line. You choose what to learn, when to learn - and you can learn as quickly or as slowly as you like.
Partners page
http://www.learndirect-partners.co.uk/
Partners Page is produced and maintained by Ufi to support learndirect business activities, whether you work in a Hub or Learning Centre.
Provider Toolkit for workplace LLN
http://www.thenetwork.co.uk/providertoolkit/
The Provider Toolkit website, which is funded by the DfES*, brings together a pool of resources for workplace language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) in order to make good practice freely available to practitioners, managers, learning representatives and brokers, and thereby avoid the need to 'reinvent the wheel'. It is provided by The Network (formerly the Workplace Basic Skills Network). To access these resources and links, please visit the Provider Toolkit website at
Learning & skills initiatives
Apprenticeships
http://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk
Are you 16-24 years old? Find out how an apprenticeship could help you.
Basic Skills- workplace sector
http://www.basic-skills-observatory.co.uk/keydata_content.php?catID=7
In this section you will find out about basic skills in the Workplace sector.
BBC Working
http://www.bbc.co.uk/lzone/working
BBC2's 'Working' series, year round television programmes on the Learning Zone that support learning for all those who want to get into or on in work.
Employers Guide to Training Providers
http://www.egtp.co.uk
This site is targeted at employers, but is a useful resource for ULRs looking for information on LSC funded training providers. It also contains information and advice on training needs analysis, a definition of quality marks, an explanation of qualifications and news and information on funding and training support.
Equal Programme
http://www.equal.ecotec.co.uk/default.html
The EQUAL Programme is designed to develop and test new and innovative solutions for the most disadvantaged in the labour market.
Investors in People
http://www.investorsinpeople.co.uk
Investors in People is the national standard which sets a level of good practice for training and development of people in the workplace.
Learning and Skills Council
http://www.lsc.gov.uk
The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for all post-16 education and training and brings together Training and Enterprise Councils and Further Education Funding Council. There are 47 local Learning and Skills Councils across England.
Managing diversity: people make the difference at work - but everyone is different
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/dvsequl/general/mandivers0305.htm?IsSrchRes=
CIPD's vision for the development of diversity as a cornerstone in informing good practice, focussing on the general concept of managing diversity and its relevance to the way organisations work. The diversity concept is inclusive and based on valuing everyone as a unique individual and celebrating this difference.
SEMTA
http://www.semta.org.uk
SEMTA (Science, Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies Alliance) is the Sector Skills Council for science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies.
SummitSkills
http://www.summitskills.org.uk
SummitSkills is the Sector Skills Council for the building services engineering sector.
SummitSkills Careers - Good Day
http://www.goodday.org.uk/
Good day is brought to you by SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, helping you develop the skills of your employees, making you better equipped to succeed.
The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
http:///www.sscalliance.org
The Alliance is a new organisation (starting on 1st April 2008) comprising all 25 licensed UK Sector Skills Councils (SSCs).
Train to Gain
http://www.traintogain.gov.uk
Train to Gain is a LSC initiative which aims to help employers train their employees.
Train to Gain uses experienced Skills Brokers who can:
* offer free impartial and independent advice to businesses
* match any training needs identified with training providers
* ensure that training is delivered to meet business needs.
One of the key goals of the service is to make sure that both the training and the skills advice are impartial, flexible, responsive, and offered at a convenient time and place.
Training Reference
http://www.trainingreference.co.uk/index.html
News, articles and resources on a variety of learning, training and development topics including management development, e-learning, team building, IT training and learning management systems
Union Skills Forum
http://www.unionskillsforum.org.uk/
This site exists to facilitate discussion between trade union members and Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). Trade unions are a key part of SSCs , with union representatives sitting on the board. Feedback from union members is essential for SSCs to achieve th
Workers' Educational Association
http://www.wea.org.uk
The Workers' Educational Association is the largest voluntary provider of adult learning opportunities, this website includes information on its workplace learning initiatives.
Information Communication Technology
BBC webwise
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise
Tips and advice to help you get more out of the internet.
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA)
http://www.becta.org.uk
BECTA promotes the use of ICT in learning and education. This site contains hints, case studies and advice about the use of ICT.
e-learning centre
http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk
The centre for learning about e-learning.
e-learningZone
http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/zones/elearningzone/
e-learningZONE is an independent provider for information, news and resources on e-learning as part of the TrainingZone website
Free Pint
http://www.freepint.com
Free Pint is a community based website which provides a newsletter with tips on internet searching and website reviews.
Help is @ hand
http://centres.ngfl.gov.uk/
A resource for managers and staff in uk online centres.
UK Online Centres
http://www.dfee.gov.uk/ukonlinecentres
UK Online Centres allow anyone in England to have access to the internet and email near to where they live. This website will help you find your nearest centre and provide you with more information on what UK Online Centres can offer.
Virtual Career Coach
http://www.windmillsprogramme.com/frames.asp
Virtual Career Coach offers unique help with managing your career. If you're feeling stuck in a rut, confused about where your career – and life – are heading... or need tips or advice on a particular career area, this is the site for you.
Equality and diversity
Agebusters
http://www.agebusters.org.uk/
Agebusters is designed to be an invaluable first port-of-call for anyone wishing to know about the UK’s Age Discrimination Regulations. Within Age Regulations and Useful Links there are specific sections tailored to the needs of: Individuals, Employers,
Labour market, intermediaries (such as recruitment agencies, job brokers, training and adult career advice providers) and Journalists and broadcasters.
Birkbeck Institute of Lifelong Learning
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/ce/bill/index.shtml
The research of the Institute focuses on four areas:
- citizenship, community development and community-based learning
- lifelong learning and the lifecourse
- social justice, equality and diversity
- in-situ and ex-situ interpretation and learning
Learning & skills policy
DfES Skills Dialogue Reports
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/skillsdialoguereports/docs/
Skills Dialogues are a series of consultations with all major industrial and business sectors, leading to the production of skills assessments for each of the broad sectors.
Employment NTO
http://www.empnto.co.uk
Employment NTO is the standard setting body for National Occupational Standards in Learning & Development, Health & Safety, Personnel, Advice & Guidance, Trade Unions, and Recruitment.
LSN directorate Research Centres
http://www.lsneducation.org.uk/research/centres/
The directorate contains seven Research Centres and an Evaluation Unit. The centres focus on sector priorities, carrying out research to inform policy and improve practice.
National Research and Development Centre for Adult literacy and numeracy
http://www.nrdc.org.uk/index.asp
NRDC aim to improve teaching practice and inform government policy through the generation of knowledge, by creating a strong research culture and by developing professional practice.
Northumbria University Work and Employment Research Centre
http://northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/sass/sociology/sociology_research/werc
The centre aims to deliver the highest quality research, consultancy and training to all those involved in the rapidly changing world of work and employment.
Teaching and Learning Research Programme
http://www.tlrp.org/index.html
Research projects covering: workplace learning, professional learning, lifelong learning
The Marchmont Observatory
http://www.marchmont.ac.uk/
The Marchmont Observatory aims to improve evidence based policy and practice in the field of lifelong learning through analysis, good practice capture and dissemination, networking, learning programmes and research.
The National Literacy Trust
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Research/researchindex3.html
The National Literacy Trust is dedicated to keeping up-to-date with research and to disseminating findings to academics, practitioners and policy-makers. This site provides comprehensive information on specific subject areas. An index outlining informatio
The Union Ideas Network
http://uin.org.uk/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
The UIN aims to link unions with academic and policy makers interested in, and committed to, the continuing revitalisation and development of the trade union movement in the UK.
Trends In Education and Skills
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/trends/index.cfm
A range of statistical evidence across the whole of the education spectrum, from the early years through to adult learning.
Union Ideas Network
http://www.uin.org.uk
Union Ideas Network (UIN) aims to link unions with academic and policy makers interested in, and committed to, the continuing revitalisation and development of the trade union movement in the UK.
University for Industry
http://www.ufi.com
Ufi aims to increase the demand for lifelong learning and promote the Government's vision of a learning culture. The Ufi's learning services are delivered through learndirect.
Warwick Centre for lifelong learning
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/cll/research/
The Centre undertakes a range of research and development activities (local, national and European) which informs its work and also contributes more generally to the field of lifelong learning.
TUC Education
National Extension College
http://www.nec-courses.co.uk/courses
Following the agreement signed between NEC and Unionlearn on 16 November 2006, all trade unionists will now receive a 10% discount on the cost of any NEC home study course. Trade unionists will be given the opportunity to progress from basic level skills programmes on to more advanced study courses.
Furthermore, assistance will also be made available to younger members, the disabled and those of ethnic minority.
NVQs
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/nvq/
Want to make sense of NVQs? This site explains NVQs and provides advice to help you gain a NVQ.
NVQweb
http://www.nvqweb.com
The site provides a one-stop shop for information on NVQs in Care and related care worker training.
The Commonwealth of Learning
http://www.col.org/
COL is an intergovernmental organisation created to encourage the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.
