UNISON learning, with support from the Union Learning Fund, is helping young members gain the skills they would not be able to acquire anywhere else.

Lincolnshire County Branch Young Members’ Officer Jess McGuire knows first-hand all about the problems young workers face when they try to access the training they need to progress in their jobs.

Jess, who works as a business support assistant at Lincolnshire County Council, was keen to enroll on a team leading or management training course at the local authority.

Jess explained:

When I approached my manager about it, he said they didn’t usually offer team leading or management training until you’re in a Grade 5 job.”

I’m in a Grade 3 job and that doesn’t seem very fair to me because you’re trying to progress into a Grade 5 role or higher but how can you do that if they’re not going to give you the training?”

Luckily, with the help of the East Midlands learning and organising team, Jess was able to enroll for free on Leicester College’s Level 2 Principles of Team Leading Certificate.

Jess said:

Someone from the team came and talked to me and my friend about the course and we really benefited from completing it.”

For me, the course made me feel a lot more confident in my job and it encouraged me to apply for things that I wouldn’t have before, and it’s still helping a lot because I’m still getting a lot of interviews.”

Jess says that young workers can’t progress without more access to training than many of them have right now.

There are so many obstacles for young people in progressing into different roles, so having that extra training gives us so many more opportunities – I couldn’t have done the training I did through UNISON in my normal job role.” 

Since completing the course two years ago, Jess has been spreading the message to other young workers at the council.

Jess added:

When I completed the course, I mentioned what I’d been doing to another young member and she took up the course as well and I’m always encouraging young members to do any course through UNISON.”

I always make young workers aware of all the different courses they could do that are completely free as part of their membership, because a lot of the time they are not aware that the training is there.”

Unionlearn has a produced a guide for union learning reps who are supporting young people explore the best ways to build their careers through Career Kickstart Reviews.