The United Road Transport Union (URTU) represents an ageing workforce, where 42% are over the age of 45 and 90% work long shifts. URTU members also face multiple barriers to accessing learning as this is definitely a membership on the move, literally!

The main focus of our URTU Union Learning Fund project is around supporting those most disadvantaged and under-represented. The project has been running in its current form for three years.

The project's overall aim has been to reach out to a largely mobile or at least moving workforce – mainly those working as HGV drivers or in warehousing. By sourcing and developing a range of routes and methods of learning, we have so far exceeded all expectations – in total engaging more than three times the number of people the project set out to reach.

With the increase in services going digital and the logistics sector getting ever more technologically advanced, our workforce needs to be up-skilled. They will also need the ICT skills they currently lack to access critical information on their health and to access other public services. Our project's response to this has been to offer learning programmes to get Online and also to develop a 24hr support website for URTU workplaces and wider community learning.

The website keeps both union learning reps and others up to date with what the project is doing, links in to our residential and distance learning offers and also provides a range of online resources and courses. This means people can begin to learn simply by accessing the website itself and not spending ages trawling the whole internet. Analysis of usage shows that the site is also highly successful in engaging new visitors who stay onsite for several minutes, which is another way in which we are able to demonstrate our reach.

To solve challenges around weekly release, URTU ULRs training is normally done via a full week's concentrated residential course at Ruskin College. We have recently also welcomed ULRs from other unions in order to share resources and support viability. We can now offer progression routes for those URTU ULRs who have completed stage 1 & 2 with either a full level 3 Apprenticeship in learning and development or a 12 week L2 IAG blended distance learning course.

The general URTU learning offer had to be just as attractive. It was with this in mind that we set about securing a whole programme of blended distance learning courses. We can now offer Level 2 vocational qualifications to anyone, ranging from Dementia Awareness to Team Leading. Our links into community learning in the Corby learning centre have been highly successful too. The take up of courses has been fantastic and they are relishing having a new course programme.

As an incentive to engage the more creative learner, we have just run a Short Story competition. Everyone has a story in them, or so the saying goes! The idea came about from promoting this year's Quick Reads. The final shortlisted entries were recently judged by The Reading Agency and our winner will be presented their award and prize by The Reading Agency at our Annual Conference in October.

Workplace education is liberating for the individual, increases productivity for the employer, and is critical to the wellbeing of our society. It is also the best provision for our old age. The ongoing focus now is to foster these motivations to as many people as possible.