I hated school and formal education with a passion that bordered on scary. I was definitely the last person you would have expected to be a ULR but here I am, a total convert to the importance and the power of education, learning and general development.

When I was in school, I was so unhappy. In those days if you didn’t fit the “normal” pattern then you were an outcast. Teachers despaired of my attitude towards their methods. I was the butt of jokes or the victim of the bullies.

When I left school, and for some considerable years afterwards, I can honestly say I was anti-education. Don’t get me wrong, learning was fine. I just hated being taught, especially in a formal or classroom setting.

I went on to college mainly because you were supposed to. I hated it....I really hated it! The issues I had with school followed me to college. I felt trapped in the classroom. So, I left, dropped out and found another way. I spent some time doing office work and then agency temping in various offices. This meant I had to figure things out for myself – when you cover someone there isn’t always much training, so you learn quickly or fail. I knew I should get some qualifications to back up my knowledge so I did the ECDL qualification (European Computer Driving License). When I passed easily it made me think that maybe I wasn’t as dense as my school days had me believe.

While doing a maternity cover admin post at the union Usdaw, my manager spoke to me about learning opportunities. I actually wasn’t a member of a union at the time but I was told that I could access funding through the Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) and they would help finding a course regardless of my membership status. When I started working for Wales TUC my manager was so supportive of my interest in learning BSL. I was stunned, amazed and totally scared when she told me that the TUC would fund my course.  So, with a churning stomach I went to the enrolment appointment.

in 2020, our union rep invited people to stand for the position of office ULR (Union Learning Rep). This made me realise that I had a bug or an itch I had never had before – to learn, to promote learning. To develop my own skills but more importantly than that, to help my colleagues do the same for themselves. I applied, won a ballot and became the new ULR for the Wales TUC.

While the ballot was being held, we ran our annual Wales ULRs conference. I started to tear up when one learner called Mark Church talked about how learning through his union had affected every aspect of his life in a positive way. I also realised the true value of Union Learning Reps.

The ULR or Union Learning Rep is a nominated individual within an organisation who is committed to providing advice and information as well as practical support to make your job just that little bit easier, to support you in getting that qualification you’ve always wanted, or even to help you find a course to research your family tree. 

The ULR aims to bring learning and development higher on the agenda with management within any organisation, and in the context of an economic downturn and following a public health pandemic, the role of a ULR has never been so crucial and important.

Their goal is to help people find opportunities to learn, to promote the benefits of learning to employees and employers, and to create a happier workplace. And what’s great about a ULR is that they can help everyone they work with, not just union members.

Learning something new and developing your skills is proven to have huge advantages, often beyond simply improving an individual’s career choices, the evidence is clear that engaging in learning also improves personal wellbeing, confidence, and physical health. This is the power of the Union Learning Rep!