Learning Works Award for UCATT ULR

As a female carpenter, Karen often found that working in a male-orientated environment proved challenging - from her uniform not fitting to accessing toilets when off-site. 

Karen joined the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) in order to find out more about her rights, and she became a health and safety representative, completing stage 1 and 2 of the TUC Health and Safety course.

Karen then completed the TUC Discussion Leader course which made her realise she had a desire to teach others. Karen began giving construction site talks to workers on issues such as toolbox kits, and progressed to delivering health and safety awareness sessions. To formalise her teaching, she completed the A1 Assessor training, and gained a Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector qualification, as well as a TUC Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety.

One of Karen's greatest achievements was becoming a UCATT Learning Rep because it now allows her to promote learning to people on construction sites. Karen now teaches Health and Safety and Computing to a range of people, from chief executives to construction site workers.

Karen said: "These achievements have transformed my life. I have a fantastically interesting job meeting many organisations who require health and safety training."