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Helping vulnerable workers in the workplace

Organisation: Gateshead Council

Gateshead Council, like most other local authorities, is adapting to the pace of new technology and implementing new systems and procedures which not only improve the service it offers to its customers but also helps improve productivity and efficiency among the workforce.

For workers who've been with the organisation a long time and who are used to doing things a certain way, getting to grips with the new ways of working isn't always that easy and in some cases the new systems have highlighted significant skills gaps. Unison and the GMB identified the gaps that were emerging and tapped into the TUC/unionlearn Vulnerable Workers Project to help tackle them.

The Waste Services and Grounds Maintenance service, which employs 660 of the Council's 15,000 employees, has traditionally employed those from a low skilled background but in 2008 the Council signed a Skills Pledge* which set out to address the skills needs of the workforce.

Helping to support and develop those made vulnerable by their need to improve skills was something high on the agenda for Dave Smith and his fellow Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) at the Council.

20 of the 24 ULRs attended a Dyslexia awareness training course run by Unison and the Open University which helped them to spot those who might have the condition and to understand what issues they might have as a result.

Dave believes this course was the perfect starting point for him and his colleagues. He said, 'Although around 10 per cent of the UK's workforce suffers from Dyslexia, there is still a huge stigma attached to the condition and people are often very reluctant, particularly mature adults, to admit to themselves or others that they might have it.'

Following the course, Dave set out to help one particular colleague who he knew was suffering with the new systems being introduced. Keith Wilkie is a Driver Labourer with the Waste Services and Ground Maintenance team and has worked for the Council for the last 32 years. It took a year of informal chats with Keith and the help and support of Keith's Manager Colin Huntington, who is Head of Service, to convince Keith he may have Dyslexia and that there was help available.

Finally Keith admitted that he was struggling with his job as he had gone from receiving verbal job briefs to email reports which he was finding difficult to read. After a formal assessment, Keith was officially diagnosed and now spends one afternoon per week at Gateshead Council's Adult Learning Skills programme. The programme is all work based and very specific to the job Keith is doing. The Council and the ULRs have also been able to provide additional support for Keith who now works with a colleague who can help him with his work sheets. His worksheets are also now printed on non white paper, which aids readability for dyslexics.

Keith said, 'I've seen more changes in the way we work in the last 2 years than I have in the whole of my 32 years here. It was hard at first to admit I was struggling to read my email briefs on a daily basis but now with the help of the Adult Learning Skills programme, I'm able to read my worksheets.'

For Dave, hearing the progress that Keith has made is truly wonderful and Keith now feels valued and motivated and comes to work with a renewed spring in his step.

Dave said, 'We've had great support from Gateshead Council and unionlearn who've helped us with knowledge and setting up a framework to work within. This framework has given us the systems and procedures which will act as the building blocks to help other vulnerable workers going forward. We've now identified a further 8 people who we believe could benefit from numeracy and literacy training and support and we're hopeful that with Keith as a case study we can help them over the coming weeks and months.'

Case studies and projects (700 words) issued 9 Jul 2010

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