This week is Learning at Work Week and across the country hundreds of union learning reps (ULRs) have been busy planning workplace events or online activities to promote skills development and support co-workers build up their skills and get back into learning for work or pleasure.

If you have ever thought of becoming a ULR now could be the ideal time to find out what it involves and how you can support workmates, friends and families make use of a wide range of learning resources provided by unions and partners.

ULRs have an important place in union organisation in workplaces. They promote and support union-led learning at work, support that can help co-workers make life changing improvements to their work and personal life.

The work that ULRs do shines a light on a side of the trade union movement that many don’t always see - the way that unions can offer people practical help to gain the skills they need to keep on top of their everyday finances, help their children with their homework or apply for a different or a better job.

To help ULRs offer the best support possible unionlearn, TUC Education and unions have produced a wealth of high quality resources to give people information on what becoming a ULR involves, introduce the role and give training to build the skills a rep will need.

A great place to start is with one of TUC Education’s fantastic eNotes.  The Union Learning Reps: introduction eNote does what it says on the tin and introduces the role of the union learning representative and details how union members' lives have been changed through learning.

Other eNotes on the TUC Education website cover areas such as supporting learners, mentoring, maths and English skills, apprenticeships and much more.

If these eNotes have convinced you that being a ULR is for you then the first thing to do is talk to your branch about your desire to help workplace learners and colleagues.

Once the branch has agreed your union may offer ULR training courses. You can sign up for the Union Learning Representives One online course. This online course is for newly appointed ULRs and experienced learning reps who would like a refresher. It’s designed to be equivalent to the TUC’s classroom-based Union Learning Reps Certificate, which is the core course for learning reps.

This can be followed up by the Union Learning Representatives Two course. This is for ULRs who have some experience and/or have completed the Union Learning Reps One course. It will help develop a reps learning project management skills further and support them working with learners who have particular needs.

Once trained up and ready to get active new ULRs should subscribe to unionlearn so that they get updates on all the latest events, publications, news, case studies and much more.

One of the most recent additions to unionlearn's publications section is the new Promoting union learning handbook. This guide is designed to be a helpful resource made up of eight sections for reps to dip in and out as a handy reference. It comes full of tips and examples of union projects with links to further resources, research and information throughout. Sections include:

• Becoming a learner
• Working with learners
• Funding for learning
• Supporting apprentices
• Working with your branch
• Working with your employer
• Working with providers
• Jargon-buster

Being a union learning rep is a hugely rewarding role that can result in you support co-workers to change their lives for the better, realise dreams or gain new opportunities.

So this Learning at Work Week find out more about what’s involved and have a think about signing up to support skills.