McVitie's - Collective Learning Fund
Unions and union learning projects can make learning affordable in the workplace by setting up Collective Learning Funds (CLFs). These are essentially pots of resource, money or time for instance, with which employers, workers, learning providers and also unions jointly invest in efforts to deliver courses and training for learners.
At McVitie’s in Manchester, which employs over 600 people with around 70% of the workforce engaged in learning, their CLF was originally developed with grants from unionlearn in the North West and the employer. McVitie’s is an example of what can be achieved when employers, unions, partners and union learning reps (ULRs) work together towards embedding the learning agenda.
The learning centre at McVitie’s offers a wide range of courses with the biggest up take being in literacy and numeracy. The workforce can also engage in vocational training, language and IT courses. The centre has also created a reading culture with ties with Stockport library and the Six Book Challenge. Now the ULRs at McVitie’s are using UK Online grants of £35 as an alternative co-investor in the learning centre.
Jonathan Waterhouse, ULR Coordinator at McVitie’s said:
“The CLF is a great initiative for the sustaining of learning centres; it puts a firm foundation for the present and more importantly the future. Running closely alongside this is the UK Online grants of £35 earn while you learn, is fantastic news for centres like ours.”
Dave Eva, Regional Manager of North West unionlearn said:
“Jonathan is a great example of a ULR: inspiring others to learn and working in partnership with providers, his employer and learners. The learning project at McVitie’s is a great success and has supported hundreds of learners through different courses and learning activities. We have a strong tradition in the North West of good workplace learning projects and of union learning. We have 1000’s of hardworking enthusiastic ULRs in our region and I am delighted that it is a North West ULR who has won the national unionlearn award as ‘ULR of the Year’”
